September 8, 1932 ~ February 7, 2016
Jerry was born in Fort McLeod, Alberta, on September 8, 1932, in the midst of the great depression, earning him the childhood nickname “George Depression”.
His family eventually moved to Cranbrook, B.C. where Jerry finished his schooling and where he met his future wife, Carmen. Work brought him to Kimberley, where he was employed as a fireman and at Cominco Mines. In 1956, he married Carmen and they moved to Vancouver. At the urging of a friend, he attended VVI to become a barber and worked nights for the CPR.
In 1958, their first child, Warren, was born. In 1960 Jerry answered a want ad for a barbering business in Gibsons. He purchased the business and the building block (presently the location of the Landing Gallery and Waterfront Café) and Jerry, Carmen and Warren began their life in Gibsons. In 1963 their daughter Jennifer was born.
In addition to being the local barber, Jerry also dabbled in other things including working for Fiedler Bros. and even did a stint being the camp cook at McNab Creek. In 1978 he relocated the barbershop to the newly-constructed Sunnycrest Mall where he opened the Coast’s first unisex hair salon. He became a friend, mentor and father figure to the hairdressers whom he employed – Eve, Jennifer, Vicki, Deidre, and all the others who came and went and had the privilege of working for him. Jerry immersed himself in the community, becoming a long-standing member of the Gibsons Volunteer Fire Department and serving as an alderman on the town council.
Jerry and Carmen hosted many social events through the years and their parties at the beach house are said to be legendary. Jerry was an avid gardener and a self-taught, brilliant purveyor of the stock market. He enjoyed his trips to Reno and Vegas to play his casino favourite, baccarat, and spent many a late night playing poker at the Maragos’ home with Andy, Rudy, Russell and Bruno. He was a sports enthusiast, especially loving the early days of hockey, where his friends fondly called him “Fergie” because of his close resemblance to John Ferguson. He was absolutely fanatical about baseball, naming Warren after one of his favourite players, Warren Spahn, and he counted the days to the start of each new baseball season. He shared his expertise for both sports as a coach, at both the juvenile and adult levels.
Jerry and Carmen eventually divorced in 1989 but remained bonded through their children. Jerry had a rich social life and went on many world travels with friends, truly living his life to the fullest. Jerry retired in 2012, passing his clippers to his son-in-law, John.
His retirement years were spent in his garden, attending his grandsons’ ball games and his granddaughter’s dance performances, and following his favourite baseball teams, all the while keeping his mind sharp by doing daily crossword puzzles (thanks Fred and Clare) and keeping his hand in the financial market. A lust for life and a diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes in 1972 eventually took a toll on his body. He suffered a small stroke, which affected his speech and left him physically weak. He died on his own terms, peacefully falling asleep on his beloved couch on Sunday, February 7, 2016.
He will be sadly missed by his son Warren (Sally), daughter Jennifer (John), grandchildren Tyler (Emma), Mitchell (Kendra), Cassidy, Jeneane and Shane, great-grandchildren Charlotte and Theo, and the extended Rainer, Craig, Brownlee and Graham families. We will miss his quick wit, hilarious one-liners, love of limericks and tales of his “world travels”.
He was adamant that no service be held but the family will be hosting a celebration of his life on April 3, 2016, the opening day of the 2016 MLB season. A game of scrub will be followed by watching the Ray and Jays game with lots of stories, food and laughter.
Grampa, we hope you are playing peacefully in your own Field of Dreams.
“Batter up! Throw him the dark one, Mitchell.”