Garry (Gershon) Bricker, 96, passed away peacefully on May 31, 2024 surrounded by members of his devoted family. He was the loving father of Jay (Linda Weary), Ross (Nina Vinik), and Lew (Randie Leib); proud grandfather of Adam (Kate), Teddy (Hannah), Sarah, Nat, Hannah, Henry (Reilly), Elizabeth, Joe, Sam, Lanie and Sophie; adoring great grandfather of Clara, Lucien and Della. Garry was treasured by many nieces, nephews, neighbors, friends, and colleagues.
Garry was raised in the small town of Lavoy, Alberta, about 70 miles east of Edmonton. His parents, Lewis and Clara fled the pogroms in Poland and the Ukraine, emigrating through Ellis Island and spending time in New York City before making their way to the Canadian Northwest in search of opportunity and freedom.
Garry was the youngest of seven children. His father and mother were pillars of Lavoy and the nearby town of Vegreville, helping establish and lead a local synagogue, and running the General Store, Olyan and Bricker, and a lumber yard that served farmers and families throughout the area. During the Great Depression in the 1920’s and 1930’s, the Bricker’s helped keep their community afloat. These acts of friendship and altruism left a lasting impression on Garry, who lived a life filled with acts of loving kindness, generosity, and loyalty.
After serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force Garry was invited to try out for the Canadian Olympic Hockey team. Instead, he finished high school and went on to study business at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, where he met another student, Sherna Levine, who he had the good sense to marry in 1950. The couple eventually settled in Calgary and raised their family.
Garry was a successful businessman in two countries, operating car dealerships in Calgary, then having a long career with Budget Rent-a-Car owning and operating extensive local Budget franchise networks in Calgary and Chicago, and then serving a leading role in Budget’s nationwide sport sponsorships and corporate events.
Garry was preceded in death by his beloved Sherna after 55 years of marriage. They were a remarkable and special couple, who were true partners in business and in life. Since Sherna's passing, Garry has continued to share his humor, kindness, inquisitiveness, and love with all his friends and family. And he was blessed during much of that time to have found a new partner in a condo across the hall in Vivian Gold, whose 18 years of love and companionship filled his retirement and later years of life with great joy, and who became an extended part of the Bricker family.
Garry’s family is enormously grateful to Peter Odantabao and other caregivers under Peter’s watch for the loving care provided to him in the last several years. Garry didn’t merely depend on Peter for meals and meds – he treasured Peter’s kindness and friendship every day.
Funeral service Monday, June 3, 2024, 2:00 PM at Weinstein & Piser Funeral Home, 111 Skokie Blvd, Wilmette, IL 60091. Interment at Memorial Park Cemetery, Skokie, IL. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Garry’s memory to the National Kidney Foundation, www.kidney.org, or to a charity of your choice.
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