Gerald "Gerry" Thomas O'Neil

Gerry was born in Vancouver and lived most of his youth in West Point Grey, Kerrisdale and Shaughnessy. He attended Prince of Wales Secondary School and played Little League baseball, perfecting his knuckleball at Elm Park. Gerry sang lead and played bass guitar with the teenage rock sensations, “The Human Element,” made up of neighbourhood friends. His musical tastes soon shifted to Mark Knopfler & Dire Straits, the Bee Gees and ABBA.

Gerry was the eldest of a five-sibling household headed by Tom and Dorothy O’Neil (predeceased). He spent time with cousins, and Aunties and Uncles, making memories and recording many family events with his camera.

After high school, Gerry attended Langara College for Photography and enjoyed a long career at B.C. Research. He later trained to be a commercial helicopter pilot, since he had always loved flying a Cessna 172 as a hobby. While looking for work as a pilot, Gerry drove a tour bus for International Stage Lines (ISL) until he met his soulmate Marilee, and moved to Kelowna to be with her.

Once in the Okanagan, he drove for Kelowna Transit and the Kelowna School District (or “the big yellow cheese-box full of window-lickers,” as he affectionately called them). He loved the children and celebrated all the fun holidays with them as they boarded his school bus.

Gerry and Marilee had a great group of friends in Kelowna, enjoyed camping with their 5th-wheel trailer, boating and exploring many of the fishing lakes in British Columbia. They were some of his happiest years.

Gerry loved all motorized things but especially flying, boating/sailing, driving cars and buses, and riding motorcycles. He trained with Power Squadron so he could Captain a small vessel and was an aficionado of the cars he owned over the years.

Gerry had a life-long curiosity about everything. He was the kind of guy you’d innocently ask, “Do you know anything about…?” By the end of the day, your email would be humming with pages of information, like something out of Consumer Reports. He loved to solve problems and was quick to offer help to anyone who needed it.

Whether Gerry was piloting a helicopter or flying a fixed-wing aircraft, he found beauty in the majesty of the land that stretched out before him. He felt an affinity with the creatures of the woods he traveled — often thanking the animals for “just being seen.”

As for humour, Gerry always had an easy smile and could find a pun in anything… and before you. He loved wordplay and would find it amusing that he should leave us on March 21, 2023 — represented by the palindrome “3-2-1-2-3.”

Gerry leaves behind his loving wife Marilee, brother Denny (Mary) and sisters Joan Heimowski (Jan), Kathy Sampert (Glenn) and Karen Sabourin (Shawn), along with Marilee’s children, Tammy and Scott (Katherine), and 3 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren. He will be greatly missed by his nephew, nieces and many friends. Special thanks to the staff of Eden Gardens in Nanaimo who respectfully and lovingly cared for Gerry. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Eden Gardens to fund Therapy Programs in the Memory of Gerry O’Neil — 1917 Northfield Road, Nanaimo, B.C. V9S 3B6. https://edengardens.ca/donate-today/

As per Gerry’s final wishes, he will be cremated and his ashes scattered in the ocean in a private family gathering at a later date. He didn’t drink much but when he did, it was a glass of red wine, dark beer… or a Coke. Today we raise a glass to him. Fly high Gerry, you are free to soar with the eagles now.