Born in Vancouver on April 19, 1955 to Gloria May Kerr and Ronald George Cranfield, Kerry spent his life surrounded by family, with siblings Linda, Craig, Ron Jr, Elan, Matt, and Sarah. He attended Semiahmoo Secondary school, where he proudly graduated early and began his first career as a mechanic. He quickly traded his jumpsuit for a flight suit and joined the ranks of the Royal Canadian Air Force as a fighter pilot.
Kerry lived a life that only few can imagine, ejecting from failing aircraft twice, driving his Porsche on the autobahn in Germany, and discovering hidden restaurants in quaint Italian towns. He met his wife Lois in 1987 and proposed after only three dates. They married three months later and shared a marriage that lasted 34 beautiful years.
After 14 years in the RCAF, he moved to Cathay Pacific in 1989, acting as Captain and friend to all for more than 30 years.
A key pillar of who Kerry was was a family man. He adored children and welcomed his own daughter, Laura, in 1992. He was the proud grandfather to Tate, and was anxiously awaiting the birth of his granddaughter in spring of 2024 when he passed.
While his roots were in White Rock, he spent time living in Hong Kong and Miramichi, New Brunswick (Lois’s hometown) and established himself as a property innovator there — meticulously renovating heritage properties to a gold standard. A landlord beloved by his tenants and known for his dedication to craftsmanship, quality and preservation – his loss will be felt from coast to coast.
He carried his passion for mechanics through his lifetime and was a serious car collector. He adored combing auctions for rare parts, pouring his time into designing the ultimate vintage line up.
It was an absolute shock to everyone in his life when he was diagnosed with four brain tumors on February 9, 2024. His condition deteriorated in less than six weeks, and he peacefully passed, surrounded by his family, on March 20, 2024.
A celebration of life will be held on Thursday April 4, 2024 at 1PM at Victory Memorial Centre, 14831 28 Ave. In lieu of flowers, his family asks for donations in Kerry’s name to the Peace Arch Hospice Society, where he spent his final days with us. Donations can be made over the phone (604-531-7484) or via their website here: https://www.peacearchhospice.org/donate-online/. On Step 2, donation instructions, please choose “Memorial Gift” and fill in: in memory of “Kerry Cranfield”.
If you’re not able to attend in-person but would still like to view the service, a live stream will be available to watch via the following link: https://funeraweb.tv/en/diffusions/88222. The link will be available beginning April 4 at 12:45PM.
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