Bruce Edward Cryer

Bruce Cryer was born in Calgary on May 23rd, 1946, to two adoring parents, Helen and Tim. From the beginning, Bruce loved being outdoors. His passion for everything wild was most certainly fostered through his time as a Boy Scout, with many tales of close calls and exciting adventures, especially with his younger and only brother, Brian.

Bruce’s love of the outdoors was inspired in huge part by his parents, who regularly took the boys on camping and fishing trips throughout Alberta. There are countless family photos of them fishing and camping along gorgeous rivers set amidst stunning Rocky Mountain views.

His passion and gifts for artistry were revealed at a young age. After meeting Judy, the woman who would later become his wife, he completed his arts degree and went on to lead a full-time artist's life. Not something that many artists get to do, yet with his wife's support, they made it successful. After meeting and marrying in Calgary, Bruce and Judy set off a few years later for their life together in Victoria, on Vancouver Island.

Once settled, they welcomed their first daughter, Terry, into the world. A few years later they moved to Denman Island, where Bruce designed and built their home, later welcoming their second daughter, Tracy. All the while, Bruce was a prolific artist and stay at home dad, always painting, creating, and building. His art shows in Calgary and Victoria were hugely successful, something that continued on throughout the years and was a source of great pride for him. And if you’ve ever seen his work, you’d understand why his shows were so popular. His artwork was phenomenal.

Once moving to Denman Island, Bruce became heavily involved with the fire department on the island and was later instrumental in creating the island’s first ambulance department, something that he was forever proud of. As kids, we were incredibly adept at regular fire drills in our home. Dad would joke about Mom and fire drills, saying that not even a bomb could wake her up! She obviously failed the fire drills, yet as kids, we thought they were pretty fun. His time with both the ambulance and fire departments took a heavy toll on his heart, yet he carried on, knowing that his contribution was a huge part of his life’s purpose. Once we moved off of Denman, Bruce, with Judy's support, built other studios and galleries in the various homes we lived in, as well as designing and building our home along the island highway.

Bruce died on February 19th at the Comox Valley hospital. He was truly creative through and through and the legacy of his artwork and artistic gifts - drawings, paintings, sculptures, teaching, homes, and studios - will live on well beyond his lifetime. He was a lover of the Wild and a truly creative soul, and the world will forever be a much more colourful and creative space for his love and contribution to the arts.

Fly free Dad. Fly like an Eagle.