Gerald Gerry Allen Barney

Gerald (Gerry) Allen Barney was born in Cornwall, Ontario on November 18th, 1924. Gerry was raised in Cornwall, Ontario by his parents George Barney and Merilda Plourde. He had two sisters, Muriel (Pelletier) and Rose-May (Ellis). As a teenager he attended the University of Ottawa where, in addition to his studies, he played on the University hockey team and the basketball team.

At the young age of 18, Gerry and a friend left home to join the navy to help the allied forces in the Second World War. He was assigned to a Corvette, the HMSC Lindsay, and fulfilled the duties of signalman. Gerry took part in the D-Day invasion to the shores of Omaha Beach in France. After the invasion he took part in convoy protection. He stayed in the navy until the end of the war.

After the war Gerry returned to Cornwall where he met the love of his life, Aline Lavallée, the youngest in a family of five girls and three boys. Gerry and Aline met on a dance floor where they were well matched as dancing partners. They loved to dance to Big Band and Swing music. They were married on August 3rd, 1946 and dancing was always a big part of their lives together.

After the wedding, Gerry and Aline moved into a 100 year-old farm house on Highway 2 East of Cornwall, near Glen Walter, on a property owned by his parents. Situated on the shores of the St. Lawrence River, their house was a popular gathering spot for family and friends. While money was tight in those days, there was always lots of fun swimming, boating, skating and enjoying many corn roasts. Who can forget the cold autumn night that Gerry and some buddies got lost in the fog on the St. Lawrence River in his boat. The very next day, after the rescue, his prize possession, the cedarstrip Chriscraft called “The Pirate”, went up for sale.

Suzanne, born in August 1947, Michael, born in July 1950, and Marc, born in May 1953, began their childhood lives in what was always called “the old farm house”. For entertainment, their children would ask them to put on a dance record so they could sit in the living room and watch them jitterbug. The family lived there for nine years. In 1956, with funding help from Veterans Affairs, they moved to a new house that was constructed next door. In July 1957 Daniel (Danny) was born.

For several years Gerry worked on his parent’s apple orchard. Later Hillcrest Orchard and Poultry Farm was bought from his parents. They expanded the orchard from 1,000 to 5,000 trees with 17 varieties. While the trees were maturing, the poultry business provided some income. Fertilized eggs were hatched, kept warm, fed and taken to market for 50 cents each. Sometimes they sold live chickens and other times the chickens had to be killed and plucked. Many nights were spent in the henhouse cellar working on the chickens while the babies slept in baskets on feed bags. Working the orchard was often difficult with inferior tractors and spraying machines, not to mention dealing with nature’s challenges. Many hail storms ruined apple crops. However, Gerry and Aline persisted with the help of their children who picked apples and sold them at a roadside stand.

To try and improve their fortunes, Gerry took correspondence courses in his spare time. The first was a 3-year program in advance assessment and the second a 5-year program in appraisal. Both were through Queen’s University. Gerry’s studies payed off and he was hired as a municipal property assessor for the City of Cornwall. While living in Cornwall, Gerry was active in the Knights of Columbus where he helped to establish the council in Glen Walter. He was also a Trustee with the Catholic School Board which initiated the building of an eight classroom school in Glen Walter.

Times were financially tough in Cornwall so Gerry applied for a job in Ottawa. He won the position as an appraiser for the Government of Canada. In the summer of 1964 at the age of 40 he sold their apple orchard to the Marlin family and moved his family from Cornwall to Ottawa. Gerry and Aline left the region where they had lived all of their lives and virtually started over. But the move to Ottawa turned out well. Through perseverance and hard work they succeeded.

Gerry worked as an appraiser and manager in the Government of Canada from 1964 to 1985. During this time he travelled intensively. His work took him all over Canada appraising government owned properties which included prisons, canals, hospitals and office buildings. He also trained several other appraisers. Gerry retired from his work life at the age of 62.

In 1973 Gerry and Aline began construction of a log cottage and guest house on beautiful Lac Pémichangan near Gracefield, Quebec. The land was bought from old friends, Gaby and Gaston Allie. The cottage property was a frequent and popular gathering place for family, friends and some interesting celebrities from nearby lakes. Many happy times were enjoyed at Lac Pémichangan. Many will remember Gerry and Aline dancing in the living room to the sound of the Big Bands. The cottage property was sold in 1989.

A few years before selling their cottage property, Gerry and Aline began the next phase of their retirement lives where they spent winters in the warmth and sun of Daytona Beach, Florida. For 20 years they left for Florida in early November and stayed there until late March. The Barney early “Christmas in October” became a tradition where all of the children, grand-children and some great-grand-children celebrated Christmas with Pepère and Memère before they left for sunny Florida. They were not always alone in Florida. Kids and grand-kids often visited and they became Disney World ambassadors.

Speaking of grand-children and great-grand-children, while Gerry and Aline were busy with their work and retirement lives, their children and grand-children were also busy with their own families. Gerry enjoyed and was a proud grand-father to eight grand-children: Christine, Rachel, Jason, Hillary, Christopher, Julie, Roxanne and Patrick; and to ten great-grand-children: Ian, Meggie, Jacob, Noah, Olivia, Reese, Wyatt, Ella, Aidan, and Thomas.

Retirement also provided many travel adventures. Gerry and Aline travelled to many far-off locations including Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, Spain, Greece, Alaska, South America and the Caribbean islands. Taking cruises was their favourite way to travel. Gerry always loved being on or near water.

After their cottage was sold, Gerry continued to enjoy being in the country and near water. Fortunately, most of his children owned property adjacent to lakes and rivers. He and Aline often visited Michael and Liz’s cottage on Lac Cameron, Danny and Suzanne’s property on Lac Rheaume and Suzanne and Ronnie’s property on the Mississippi River. Gerry was a positive influence for enjoying the country and the water. Even some of his grand-children now own cottages.

While the last years of his life were challenged with dementia and reduced energy and mobility, overall Gerry enjoyed a healthy life, free from major sicknesses. It must have been from good genes and all of the supplements he took. His fondness for sweets and the occasional beer and glass of wine also didn’t seem to harm him.

Gerry lived the last 16 months of his life at the Perley Rideau Veterans Health Centre in Ottawa where he was well liked and well cared for. Gerry passed-away peacefully on May 13th, 2013 in his 89th year at the Ottawa General Hospital (Smyth Road campus) as a result of complications from congestive heart failure and pneumonia. Gerry’s spirit lives on.

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Barney, Gerald A.

The family of Gerald Allen Barney sadly announce his unexpected but peaceful passing at the Ottawa General Hospital on Monday, May 13, 2013. Gerald was born on November 18, 1924 in Cornwall, Ontario, the son of George Barney and Merilda Plourde (both deceased). He was a proud veteran of The Royal Canadian Navy and served overseas for several years. He was the beloved husband of Aline Lavallée for almost 67 years. Brother to Muriel Pelletier and Rose-May Ellis. Father of Suzanne Empey (Ronnie), Michael (Elizabeth), Marc (Shirley Ann Holland) and Daniel (Suzanne). Grandfather of Christine Gilmour (Jamie Mayo), Rachel Stanford (Marc-André), Jason Barney (Karen Kealey), Hillary Dolan (Andrew), Christopher, Julie Graves (Hunter), Roxanne Barney (Patrick King), and Patrick Barney (Bayza Mirotchie). Great grandfather of Ian and Meggie Gilmour; Jacob, Noah and Olivia Stanford; Ella, Aidan and Thomas Barney; and Wyatt and Reese Dolan. Visitation at McEvoy-Shields Funeral Home, 1411 Hunt Club Road, on Wednesday, May 15 from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. and on Thursday, May 16 from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Funeral mass at 10 a.m. on Thursday, May 16 at Holy Cross Church, 685 Walkley Road (near Riverside Drive). The family would like to thank the Perley-Rideau staff and the Acute Care staff at the General Hospital, in particular Dr. Peter Andrews, for their care and compassion. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Alzheimer Society would be appreciated.