Sunday, December 13, 2015
I am very sorry to hear of Gary's passing, and pass along my condolences to Betty and Glen, both of whom I recall well, as well as to the rest of his family. Gary hired me back in '82 when I was just 17 years of age, and was always a friend to me foremost, despite our age difference, he always treated me as a friend first, and it never felt as if he were my "boss". He really was a father figure to me over those formative years in my life (we practically saw each other everyday, particularly during holidays and summers when I worked more fulltime), always kind and understanding, giving me rides to and from baseball games and other work-related events. Whenever I return to St. Catharines to visit my mother and stroll through the new Pen Centre, I always recall where the old food court was and the memories and friends I made there. As I say, he made it feel less like work or a job over those years, and more like a venture between friends or partners. I saw him last in summer '88 when we worked together landscaping, etc., and always wondered what became of him subsequently. Occasionally, over the years I would search his name and hometown of Jordan on Internet, but nothing came up, until this morning, when I see he'd ended up in Orillia. He was a kind and gentle soul, and I shall always remember him fondly. I'm only sorry we lost touch all these years, and I will never be able to let him know myself how highly I regarded him and his time and patience with me way back then.
John
