Art Soles, the former production manager of the Chemainus Valley Courier, has died.
Soles played an integral role in the newspaper operation beginning in 2005 when he created ads and oversaw the technical aspects of the fledgling paper that was owned by Warren Goulding.
When Shelley Rouse teamed up with Goulding in 2008, Soles’ role expanded as the paper grew and other publications, including Chemainus: The Ultimate Guide and other niche products were added.
“Once you got past that curmudgeonly old pressman front, you found a wonderful man,” says Rouse, who became a close friend over the last 15 years.
“Art was a self-taught scholar, a true gentleman with a heart bigger than the sky and a sense of humour that would set the sun on fire,” she adds.
Soles retired from the newspaper world a few years ago, after a lifetime working as a pressman, typesetter, ad designer, photographer, and website designer. He worked in Northern British Columbia in newspapers and print shops beginning in the early 1950s.
He moved to Victoria a several years ago and continued his friendship with Rouse who had also moved south for employment reasons after leaving the newspaper.
“Art was truly one of the most special human beings that I have ever met,” who learned of Soles’ death Monday morning. He was 86.
“I was lucky to have him as a friend all these years.”
More than two decades ago, Soles was a regular at the Book Nook coffee shop in Old Town, owned by Susan Martin at the time. He loved to read and savoured his time spent sipping good coffee, reading, and chatting with friends.