George Kirby Petrunia

George Kirby Petrunia passed away peacefully on December 1, 2010 at the Carewest Sarcee Home. He is, and will be missed greatly by his children, Sheridan Greeniaus and Neil Petrunia, his sister, Deanie Petrunia (Jurcevic) and his dogs, Gypsy and Max. George was born in Lethbridge on November 27, 1925 to Joseph and Bess Petrunia. He had two brothers, Dick and Tom (both sadly deceased) and a sister, Deanie.

George grew up in SW Calgary and went to high school at Central High. When not at school, much of his time was spent caddying at the nearby Shaganappi Golf Course where he took advantage of the situation to learn the game, going on to become a very accomplished golfer. By all accounts, George was a spirited young man, both figuratively and literally (primarily, Kokanee beer, brewed in Creston, BC). He attended UBC while serving in the army and graduated in 1949 as a chemical engineer, specializing in plastics long before that infamous line was uttered in “The Graduate”.

George met Claudine (Deanie) Richmond while at UBC and the couple married in 1950. Later that year, they moved to Montréal where he continued to serve as an officer in the army until 1955. George was hard working and analytical, which contributed to his having successful careers at Dow Chemical, Union Carbide and DRG Packaging, where he worked until retirement in 1983. Working for these large corporations had certain benefits, but the downside was that George and his family led a nomadic life after Montréal, living in Sarnia, Toronto, Baden-Baden and Midland, Michigan before returning to Toronto in 1970. Unfortunately, over those nomadic years, he and Claudine grew apart and they divorced in 1973.

Close, and even casual friends of George, know that he never met a dog he didn’t love and every dog he owned was treated as if it was his favourite. But, his “first among equals” was a big old Newfie-Cross named Huey. After he retired, George and his “best friend” Huey spent several years traveling around North America in a suburban towing a trailer much like Steinbeck and his dog Charley. Together, George and Huey amassed a wealth of stories of adventure. After his travels with Huey were complete, they moved to Creston, BC in the late 1980’s. His time there was spent golfing, fishing, drinking Kokanee, relaxing in his hot tub and cross-border shopping in nearby Idaho. He returned to Calgary in 2001 with his two new dogs, Gypsy and Max. He spent his remaining years with them, wearing new pathways in a variety of dog parks.

While the family is deeply saddened by George’s passing, they believe that he and Huey (and all of his other departed dogs) are romping happily on the other side of the bridge now, and this is a good thing.

A reception will be held at the Greenwood Inn and Suites, 3515 – 26th Street NE, Calgary on Thursday, December 9, 2010 from 12:00 – 2:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made directly to either the SPCA or ARF (Animal Rescue Foundation). Expressions of sympathy may be left for the family in the Guest Book section found adjacent to this obituary.