Gerald Emerson Magee

Gerry was born on July 9, 1930 to Russell and Ruby (van Sickle) Magee in Eston, Saskatchewan. As a young man he worked at the family dairy farm in Nelson, B.C., before joining the Forest Service and marrying Anne Campbell. They eventually settled in Prince George, B.C., later retiring to Lake Country, B.C.

Growing up during the Great Depression, Gerry learned the value of conserving resources and eliminating waste. He could always be relied on to eat the last of the peas from dinner the night before for lunch the following day, to wear his clothes until they were shiny and threadbare before breaking out the new ones still in their packages in his dresser, and to bathe once a week in the least amount of water he could get by with.

Gerry wasn’t much for books, but he sure knew a lot. He could fix pretty much anything and did not shy away from hard work. If he could do a task he would, even if it would have been quicker and easier to hire someone else. He spent weeks picking rocks out of the dirt in his front yard so he could plant a lawn, the same amount of time pouring concrete around the family pool – which he didn’t build but surely would have had he owned a digger. Always a creative problem-solver, Gerry managed to run hosing from a river kilometres away through forest and across roads to fill said pool. When the pool water went the color of green jello, he was not deterred and managed to fix that as well. Gerry was an inspired user of Bondo in the repair of car bodies, could pack the trunk of a car with boxes so they fit together like a 3-dimensional puzzle, and whistled like a bird.

Gerry could be both competitive and playful. He enjoyed playing card games like cribbage and Canasta, and it’s fair to say he much preferred winning to losing. His playful side came out at unexpected times, like when he decided to hop in his grandchildren’s little red wagon and ride it down a hill, or ran across the front yard trying to get a kite aloft. Even though Gerry wasn’t much of a swimmer and didn’t particularly like being in water, while on vacation in Hawaii he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to swim in the ocean “just once.”

Gerry would do absolutely anything for his family. When his wife Anne got sick, he took care of her tirelessly, following her instructions and requests to the letter. He was kind-hearted, good-natured and happy-go-lucky, with a dry (bordering on cheeky) sense of humor. In his later years, as his health started to decline, his sweet, easy-going nature shone through. When he needed additional care himself, his grace, good manners, and refusal to complain made him a favorite of his caregivers.

Gerry is predeceased by his wife, Anne, his sister Carla, and brothers Kenneth and Robert. He leaves behind his four children, Brian (Korreen) Magee, Andrew (Sandra) Magee, Barbara (Geoffrey) Gaucher and Laura LeClair, eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. In accordance with his wishes, there will be no funeral service. A small celebration of life for family and friends will be held at a future date.

Gerry was an exceptionally good man. He will be sorely missed.