It is with great sadness of heart and soul that we announce the untimely death of our beloved husband and father, George Gerald Koe. Gerry was born in Edmonton on July 7th, 1944 to George and Kathleen Koe. At 6 months he moved to Nelson, BC where he was raised with his sister, Maeve and where he came to love the outdoors and dreamt of adventuring. Gerry left the Kootenays in 1962 to attend UBC, working each summer to pay for his education – from the Mineral King Mine in Invermere, to exploration surveys with Cominco, to the Reeves Macdonald Mine in Salmo and the Britannia Beach Mine in Squamish. Gerry’s young adulthood was filled with a sense of gaining knowledge, exploration and helping others; qualities that would come to serve as the foundation for his adult career. Upon graduating from UBC, Gerry took a teaching position at Salmo Elementary. It’s here that he met the love of his life, Carryl Diane Koe, the woman he would marry in 1969. He completed his education degree and quickly rose to the position of Principal in Blue River elementary. Gerry continued his education though, pursuing a MA and EdD in Psychology. He received several awards including the Killam Pre-doctoral Scholarship and the Gage Summer Scholarship, both from UBC. He was vice-president of the BC School Psychologists and was the founding editor of The Canadian Journal of Psychology for the first 8 years. He worked in the Mission School District beginning in 1974 and also worked with the Mission Association of Community Living for over 20 years. During this time in the 1970’s and 80’s he raised three wonderful children: Nadyne, Shanyn and Mykael. Gerry gave back diligently to his community, serving as a leader with Scouts of Canada both in Salmo and Mission, where he taught Cubs, Scouts and Venturers. Gerry’s love for the outdoors was passed unto his children, as they accompanied their dad and his best friend Alan on many adventures across North America, from the Pacific Crest Trail to Haida Gwaii, from Cape Scott to the Stein Valley, from Elsmere Island to the West Coast Trail; Gerry loved to hike and explore. He loved to play on his guitar and sing with his wife Carryl. In 1981 seeing a need in the community for support and counselling, he opened up his private practice, Mission Counselling Services. After 28 years of service to the Mission School District, Gerry retired in 2002 and went to work full time for himself in his private practice, helping clients throughout the Fraser Valley and even as far away as Japan. He was well respected by colleagues and clients alike and helped many through crises, guiding them to discover their own inner strengths and abilities.
After retiring in 2012 from his private practice, Gerry sent about on a new adventure – writing.
He had an interest in folk lore, that is reflected in his writings which can be seen under Smashwords – GGKoe and also wrote books to help children with psychological issues such as making and keeping friends, and learning to share. Several are yet to be published. Gerry’s early childhood sense of exploration and travel accompanied him through his life. He and his wife Carryl travelled extensively with various family members and friends. Highlights were Nenaugh, Ireland; Chichen Itza; Manchu Pichu; camels in Petra; gorillas in Rawanda; 10 km on the Great Wall of China and so many more.
A celebration of life will take place on July 27, 2019 from 1-4 pm at 34870 Moffat Avenue, Mission, BC. Donations to the Heart & Stroke Association in lieu of flowers, please. If Gerry touched your life, please feel free to come and share your stories with others.
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