Gerald Alexander Chappell
June 1, 1934 – June 26, 2017
Gerry was born in Burnaby, BC in June of 1934. He is survived by his loving wife of 62 years, Simone, son Doug (Candice), daughter Ann (Ron), his 4 grandchildren – Dustin, Serena, Kimberly (Steve), Chad (Kate) – and his 3 great-grandchildren – Peyton, Lucas, and Tyler. His greatest joy was spending time with his family. As a young man, Gerry worked several jobs including stone masonry (as an apprentice with his father), logging, and on tug boats. He settled into trucking as his long-term livelihood, where he worked his way from driver, to dispatcher, to manager, and then area manager. In November 1954 he married the first and only love of his life, Simone. In November 1955, on their first anniversary, their son, Doug, was born. In 1957, they moved from Red Deer to Burnaby and a year later daughter, Ann, was born. In 1980, Gerry made the courageous choice to retire early and “get out of the rat race”. He and Simone moved to Pender Harbour where Gerry used his skills in many different roles including school bus driver, fisheries, charter fishing, and local Fire Chief. He also built their dream home with his own two hands. In 1993, Gerry and Simone moved to Agassiz and soon everyone in town seemed to know them. He was a tireless volunteer, president of the senior centre, and became known as the “Toy Man” after making thousands of wooden toys for charity events over the years. He would often give a young child a newly made toy just to see them smile. Gerry was a man who lived life to the fullest. He loved his big boy toys from vehicles, to boats, to motorcycles. On his 80th birthday he even went zip-lining for the first time. For the past several years, his passion was riding his trike, with the freedom of the wind in his face. He has always had a gruff exterior and a heart of gold. He will be dearly missed by his family, friends, and community. Gerry will be remembered for his humour which shows even in death as he was cremated with a pocket full of popcorn kernels so he could “go out with a bang”.