Our wonderful husband, father, Bumpa and friend, passed away peacefully on February 10, 2012, at the age of 85. On February 18 we celebrated Gord’s life at the West Vancouver Yacht Club, where he was a member for more than 35 years. This was a memorable place to gather as it is a short dinghy ride away from Eagle Island where Gord raised his young family – son Grant and daughters Joanne and Annabelle – with his first wife, Peggy, who predeceased Gord in 1984.

Gordon loved his life. Born in Regina in 1927, he eventually settled with his parents and sister, Midge, in Vancouver. Gord spent his senior high school years at McGee High School. Following high school, he enrolled at UBC where he played football. In 1950 Gord played football for the Calgary Stampeders – the first Thunderbird to play for the CFL. After earning his BASc degree in civil engineering he was later granted registration as a professional engineer. Gordon enjoyed a very successful career with Graybar, Narod and Kennett Contracting.

In 1990 Gord married Chris Sahli and for 22 years they shared the joys of living in a condo overlooking Granville Island, while building and maintaining a lovely home on Decourcy Island. Gord and Chris spent many joyful hours with his children, the grandchildren, and their friends. Whether in the city or on the island, Gord loved working in the workshop: building, designing, and creating. A favourite morning ritual for Gord was sharing a coffee with friends. It is off the waters of Decourcy Island that the family said their final farewell and spread Gord’s ashes.

While Gord worked hard, he always had time for his family and friends. We treasure and will miss his laughter, his stories, his love of calculating out loud, and his craft successes and failures. Most importantly, we will miss the unconditional love and support that he provided for all of us.