November 14, 1936 - May 9, 2021
On Sunday, May 9, 2021, Gerry Strongman passed away peacefully in his North
Vancouver home surrounded by his family. Gerry is survived by his life-long love,
partner and wife of 58 years, Judy, by his son, Marc (Kerry), and by his three
grandchildren, Alexandra, Bailey and Liam. Gerry’s beautiful daughters, Seanna
and Nicole, who predeceased him in 1982, remain at the heart of the
Strongman Memorial Fund.
Born and raised in Bloor West Village in Toronto, Gerry’s early years were
shaped by the experiences of growing up in close-knit, hard-working family. An
only child and direct descendant of the Strongman farming family who
immigrated from England in 1865, Gerry’s grandfather and great grandfather
continued the agronomy tradition for generations before his grandfather moved
to the Toronto area to pursue the challenge of a new way of life.
From 1959 to 1962, Gerry was enrolled at Huron University College in London,
Ontario where he joined the Sigma Chi Fraternity. He was later named a
recipient of one of the fraternity’s highest honours, the Significant Sig Award that
recognized Gerry’s exemplary business achievements. This recognition of
Gerry’s continued efforts and success was shared by others, including being
awarded the Queens Diamond Jubilee.
In 1963, Gerry met Judy and the two were married at St. Hillary’s Anglican
Church, Mississauga. The couple moved to Vancouver in 1967 with Marc and
Seanna and Nicole soon coming along. By 1970, Tonecraft Paint and Varnish
had evolved into a national brand under the name, Color Your World, with stores
and associated real estate holdings in every major Canadian city. While the
highly successful paint and wallpaper chain changed hands in the mid-1980s,
Gerry’s refined business acumen and seemingly tireless (if not genetic) ability to
reinvent himself eventually evolved into the Strongman Group Inc., led jointly by
he and Marc. Recognizing the importance of relationships, Gerry simultaneously
embraced his appointment as Chairman of the Board of BC Rail Ltd. a member
of Young Presidents Organization (Y.P.O.) and later the World President’s
Organization (WPO) of BC. Despite taxing demands associated with running a
national real estate investment and management company, Gerry never lost
sight of what he cared about most - and the trust he placed in his family and his
closest and most valued advisors.
A fearless pioneer and entrepreneur, Gerry remained humbly civic-minded. He
cared deeply about the North Shore and earned the respect of colleagues and
citizens alike through his ability to envision a strong community future and
uncommon willingness to work harder than anyone else at the table to get
there. Gerry was elected to the Legislative Assembly of BC, for the riding of
Vancouver South where from 1975 - 1979 he held a prominent position with the
BC Social Credit Party. As Chairman of BC Financial and the World Business
Council (BC Chapter), Director of the Whistler Land Corporation, Progressive
Conservative Canada Fund, and BC Pavilion during Expo ‘86, Gerry’s
longstanding commitment to community ventures speaks for itself. This
commitment was also realized by the establishment, with his wife Judy, of the
Seanna and Nicole Memorial Fund that provides financial awards to two
students from each high school in North Vancouver.
Over the past years, Gerry and Judy developed and sponsored numerous
funds and charities benefiting health and education sectors on the North Shore
as well as in their beloved second home in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Arguably
one of the Lower Mainland’s most committed and loyal philanthropists, Gerry
insisted that all aspects of the Strongman Group and the Seanna and Nicole
Strongman Memorial Foundation would remain family-focused, and that the
beneficiaries of their efforts and successes would be recipients who earned and
embodied family values of citizenship, leadership, and excellence in arts, culture,
athletics and scholarship.
Gerry himself was a voracious reader, avid golfer and supporter of the
Vancouver Club, member of Capilano and Mississauga Golf Clubs. He loved
skiing, basketball and running. A gracious host and generous mentor, Gerry’s
unassuming care and commitment to the needs of others was largely
unspoken. He was action-oriented and undeniably intentional in all that he did,
including saving his wisdom for those who he cared for the most. He showed
unfaltering love for and devotion to his family, and his legacy, which is admittedly
difficult to capture in mere words, is of a husband, father, grandfather, partner
and friend who was the foundation of all things good, all things just, all things
possible, and all things for which he would accept no credit.
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