JAMES, Gary

With great sadness, we announce the loss of our beloved father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, Gary Richard James, on April 15, 2024, in Victoria, B.C. at the age of 83.

Gary was born on November 12, 1940, in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario to Dora and Cecil and was raised in Wawa, Ontario. He had many interests growing up including hockey, curling, baseball, boxing, and Scouts, and he played “The Last Post” on his bugle at the Wawa cenotaph every Remembrance Day. Following graduation from Michipicoten High School he went on to obtain his Honours BA from Western University in 1964 and his Masters at Richard Ivey School of Business in 1968.

He was predeceased by his first wife, Beverley in 2008 his son, Christopher in 2016 (Stacey) and his second wife, Lynne in 2019. He is survived by his brother, David (Heather), sister-in-law Ora Mae, and children, Melanie Richardson (Martin), Trevor James (Marnie), Jamie Appleton (Megan), Terri Printess, and Sean Appleton (Sherri). His grandchildren were an immense source of love and pride for him – Eloise, Colby, Tyler, Courtney, Jennifer, Kassandra, Kay-lee, Eric, Ryan, Trevor, Lyle, Carissa, Chanda, Cara, Caile, Tyson, Tyler, Owen and Benjamin as were his great-grandchildren – Malachi, Fyllo, Creed, Kayden, Amalea, Lyndon, Hunter, Treyton, Kamden and Emin. He could often be found at their events cheering them on and celebrating all of their accomplishments.

Gary met Beverley in March 1962 and they were married in Toronto in September 1963. They had a wonderful 45-year marriage raising 3 children and moving frequently in pursuit of opportunities that would enhance their lives and careers. They were always active, enjoying a variety of outdoor activities including RV’ing that took them on many extensive trips up and down the West Coast and across Canada.

After Beverley’s passing, Gary married Lynne Appleton (Mersereau) in Victoria in June 2010 and became part of her family. They enjoyed splitting their time between their home on St. Joe’s Island in the summer, and their home in Victoria in the winter. It was the best of both worlds and he was able to golf year round. They got a Westie as a puppy and Kenzie became Gary’s much-loved, very spoiled, constant companion.

Gary had a passion for meeting people and making new friends and did so easily. Many of those friends he remained close to throughout his life. He also had an obsession for fishing, cycling, hockey, and golf and there wasn’t a pole, bike, stick, club or lesson out there that he hadn’t owned, tried or wasn’t familiar with. In his own words “if an activity involves sports, I’m all over it; if it involves carpentry, electrical, mechanical or anything technical count me out”. His involvement at every level of senior hockey in Victoria, particularly with the Playmakers tournament and the Retreads organization, was a testament to his affable personality and the respect he genuinely gave everyone he played with. Notwithstanding the fact that Gary was a lifelong Detroit Red Wings fan (or maybe because of it), he was proud to have played against the Montreal Canadiens Old-Timers and Vancouver Canucks Old-Timers. In the last years, he was a regular at Ardmore Golf Course and he looked forward every day to another game with his Retread golfing pals. His ability to get them into one creative game after another is something they will all miss.

The family would like to thank the medical professionals at Saanich Peninsula Hospital and Victoria General Hospital for your care and compassion. They’d also like to extend their appreciation to Dr. Luckhurst for his dedication and support over the years.

In lieu of flowers, you are invited to make a donation to the BC Lung Foundation or a charity of your choice.

A life so beautifully lived deserves to be beautifully remembered. He will always be in our hearts.