George Bentley

It is with great sadness and much love that we mourn the passing of George Bentley on April 4, 2025. He passed away peacefully at Vancouver General Hospital, a week after suffering a catastrophic stroke in his home.

George/Dad/Grandpa/Papa to his family, and Geo, to his friends, will be missed by his wife, of almost 57 years, Pam (nee Janin); his children, Thea Ewert (Victor), Anne Friche (Nik), John Bentley (Wendy), and Peter Bentley. Sadly, two weeks after George passed away, his daughter Anne also passed away from breast cancer. He will also be missed by his grandchildren: David Ewert, Mark Ewert, Kirsten Friche, Jessica Friche, Alec Friche, Daniel Friche and William Bentley; and by the many friends he made, wherever he went.

George was born in Vienna, Austria, on June 16, 1938. He moved to Canada as a young baby as his family fled the Nazis. He grew up in Vancouver and quickly adopted Canadian sports and hobbies. His favourites included hockey and tennis. He attended Prince of Wales High School, and after graduation, first attended UBC and then received a scholarship to play tennis at Pepperdine University in California. While at Pepperdine, he attended a tennis tournament at the University of Washington, where he met Pamela Janin, a woman he said “could return his serve”. On April 15, 1968, George married Pam at a ceremony in California. After they were married, they moved to Vancouver and started their life together. Initially, George was working as a high school teacher in West Vancouver, teaching math, business and typing, and then later became a stockbroker. After nearly 20 years of living in the Lower Mainland, in 1985, the family moved to California, settling in Alamo. For the remainder of his career, George worked as an investor/entrepreneur using his business skills to help get startups off the ground. With most of his children living in Vancouver, George spent his later years travelling back and forth between California and Vancouver, where he enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren and engaging in activities like skating and tennis.

As a family, we would like to thank the doctors, nurses, and spiritual care providers for the care and compassion they showed both George and the family while he was at Vancouver General Hospital.

The past year has been a very challenging one for the family; in addition to losing George, we have lost his mother, Thea Bentley and his daughter, Anne Friche. As a family, we have decided to combine the Celebrations of Life for all three of these loved ones. The Celebration of Life will be held in their honour on October 11th, 2025, at 2:00 pm at Kitsilano Christian Community Church (1708 West 16th Avenue, Vancouver, BC), in the main sanctuary.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada.