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Jerry Joyce made his last journey across the strait on January 24. The waters were calm. The night sky was clear.

Born in Victoria, Jerry spent most of his life in the Cowichan Valley, followed by the Sunshine Coast. His first job was working as a gypo logger in the family business, aptly called The Unnecessary Logging Company. He retained a devotion to old machinery and an independent spirit.

He applied his ingenuity to a range of construction projects and inventions including his second company, The Unnecessary Excavating Company. He loved solving problems, particularly those that appeared to be impossible. The story of getting a house trailer up Green Mountain is just one example.

He had a passion for boating that started with sailing dinghies at Maple Bay, continued with competitive sailing including the Victoria/Maui race, the Fastnet and the Swiftsure, and ended with him living aboard Wandering Star in Cowichan Bay and Sechelt. He went down the Cowichan River by canoe at 13 and reprised the trip at 73.

Jerry’s curious and outgoing nature lead to a second career in teaching and local politics. He taught in Duncan, Lake Cowichan and several coastal communities. He served on the Cowichan School board and was fired. Unfazed, he sued the government for changes in the funding formula. When he stopped teaching, he continued lecturing for free to tolerant listeners everywhere. (dubbed JKE, Jerry Knows Everything).

He loved to talk to people. He met the Queen and a Nobel Prize winner but had more fun talking to those he ran into walking the docks with his beloved dog, Sam. In lieu of flowers, please bring your Jerry stories to a celebration of his life on February 25 at 2:00 at Oceanfront Suites at Cowichan Bay.

His family wish him fair winds and a following sea.



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