It is with broken hearts that we announce the tragic passing of Christopher George Shurety, on the 28th of January at the age of only 48 years. Chris was the founder and owner of “The Patch” clothing store at 719 Yates Street, Victoria. He was a colourful personality and a very talented and creative business man, who built up “The Patch” to be large and very popular, becoming an iconic store in Victoria. Chris’ business flourished for over 20 years but, the pandemic and problems with an intransigent landlord, forced him to close “The Patch” in 2022.
Chris was born in Benoni, South Africa, and immigrated to Canada in 1978 with this family. He lived with his family in London, Ontario and Owen Sound, Ontario before moving to Victoria to found “The Patch”. Chris holds an honours degree in chemistry and biology from Waterloo and Victoria Universities.
He will be lovingly remembered by his father and mother, Michael and Brenda Shurety and by his two sisters, Samantha Campbell and Sarah Shurety. Chris had so much talent and abilities that it is indeed a tragedy that he died at such a young age.
There will be a viewing in the Redwood Chapel on the upper level at McCall Gardens, 4665 Falaise Drive, Victoria, BC on Monday, February 13, 2023 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. A Funeral Service for Chris will then be held at the Esquimalt United Church, 500 Admirals Road, Victoria, BC, at 2:00 p.m. A reception will follow the service.
Flowers may be sent to McCall Gardens and Memorial Donations in Chris’ honour, may be made directly to the Esquimalt United Church
at www.esquimaltunited.com.
Condolences may be offered to the family below.
McCall Gardens
www.mccallgardens.com
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Jennifer Ens (Jenny Bronnenhuber)
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Kim McArthur I met Chris when I worked at the Patch. Many of my fondest memories from my early 20’s are of the store and the incredible people that I met there. Chris had a special gift for building community and challenging people to reach their potential. I will always be grateful for the memories I have of Chris, my former colleagues, and the many ways that Chris supported me to grow and develop. He always dreamed big and brought us along for many wild adventures – even if we didn’t understand his visions in the beginning, they nearly always had a great impact in the end. No matter how much time passed, Chris always welcomed me back into the store when our paths crossed later in life.
I attended the memorial service in Victoria, and I was grateful – and not at all surprised – to learn that Chris had won over a new community of people at the Rainbow Kitchen and the Esquimalt United Church. Many people spoke of his kindness, his intellect, his knack for dreaming big, often referring to him as, “a true gentleman”.
I don’t think Chris ever realized what an impact he had on my life. I thought of him often after I stopped working at the store, and I always will. Rest easy, Chris.
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Paul Godkin I was so sorry to read of Chris passing. We shared a house in Waterloo. He was a funny guy and really good to his friends. At the end of the school year we shared a moving truck to move him to his store in Grand Bend for the summer. I was so impressed with his passion for business.
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Jacinda Chris was a bright light in my school years with his unique thoughts and his friendly personality. We were in the same grade. Just as shown in the picture of him here, he had a very warm smile. I am so saddened to hear of his passing. Blessings to Chris and his family.
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June and Frank Benedict Brenda and family:
We were so sorry to read of Chris’ passing. Please know you are in our thoughts and prayers at this sad time.
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Joris Van den Daele Chris and I originally met doing business with The Patch and we worked together expanding it. We became great friends and I always loved my time spent with him. He was intelligent, kind, passionate, philosophical, determined, funny, and always curious. We would meet up whenever we could when he was in Ontario, or I would visit him in Victoria. Chris and I would also spend weeks together on end traveling and working in Asia, having some of the best days of my life. Whatever we did together, or talked about, we laughed hard and we laughed often. Unfortunately, I did not see him for the last 10 years, but I will always have the best memories with Chris. I will miss him dearly.
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David Stoakley I am very sorry for your loss. I had not seen Chris since I was a young teen. I met him at kung fu. I always looked up to him, he was a bit of a hero of mine. He inspired and kept me pushing. I thought of him from time to time. I did not know he founded the patch. I have found memories of the Owen sound store, and for a few years only wore clothing from there. He has always been fondly remember here, and will be still. Again, I am sorry for your loss.
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Doreen Peach My sincere condolences Brenda on the passing of your son.
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Peter Lewis Chris is a part of many of my fondest memories. He was an amazing person and a great friend. My condolences to his friends and family.
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James Archibald I knew Chris from Grand Bend. And I was shocked and saddened to hear of his passing. He was always engaging, witty, funny and just a genuinely kind guy. I learned from him, I drank a few beers with him and I just enjoyed talking retail with him. Its tough when they take the good ones away
I will really miss you Chris.
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Scott Sinclair I have many great memories of working with Chris at Zellers in Owen Sound. He was always smiling and had a funny thought or story to help pass our time.
It has been many years since seeing Chris and feel so sad to learn he is not with us, and can only imagine how much he would have meant to those close to him.
Rest in peace Chris.
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Jason Lang Memories of you and the good times will carry on forever- Rest in peace my friend
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Keriann O'Rourke I am so very sad to hear of Chris’ passing. I worked for him in Grand Bend for many years and at a young age he entrusted me with Managing the store which I did for years. He taught me so much – sometimes it was hard to keep up with his ideas and he always dreamed big. I remember many times running around behind him, frantically taking notes about what things he wanted to see be done, and then was simply left to it to sort out. But I always wanted to make him proud because he loved the store so much and it had evolved into a Grand Bend summer staple. My favourite (and most colourful!) summer memories often involve Chris and ‘The Store Formerly Known as George’. I am grateful for what he taught me and what he saw in me. My deepest condolences to his family and friends. There will always be a special place in my heart for Chris.
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Jennifer My friendship with Chris back in the formative Grand Bend days enriched my life and sparked many interests and journeys both inner and outer. This news is so so sad and I send my love to his family and community – all the communities he was part of past and present. Chris definitely carried a special frequency that wove into the fabric of spaces and hearts. Gratitude and blessings on your journey Chris.
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Laureen Kuhl I’m sorry to hear of Chris’s passing. During junior high and high school he was always nice to me, even though we saw each other only in passing. His kindness was much appreciated. My thoughts and prayers are with his family.
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Christine Geiger My deepest condolences to all his family and friends. My first job was at his store in Grand Bend. I have such wonderful memories working for him for 5+ summers! He was a wonderful person.
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Nathan Philps Love and Light to you old friend.
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Louie Neufeld I attended the lovely service for Chris today. I was an employee of Chris’ and I was always impressed by his creativity, his knowledge, and his passion. I remember when he told me about his mannequins–how some of them were vintage Rootstein mannequins, some of the best and most artistic available. He was so proud of them. I thought it was neat that he had insight into this whole other world, and that even if the customers never knew the difference, it mattered to him that he had the best mannequins in his store.
I recently read an article about how researchers are finding that a spider’s consciousness extends into its web. I think that maybe the Patch was like that for Chris. The Patch was such a colourful cornucopia, overflowing with curiosities and treasures, always evolving and aspiring and revealing something new. It could be tumultuous at times, but I was always proud to be part of it.
I am grateful that I had the opportunity to know Chris and be a part of his store. I hope he knew how special he and his Patch were to this city and the people who knew him.
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John Beaumier My condolences to Chris’ loves ones and friends. Chris was interesting, intelligent and an all around great guy. He made things happen and his accomplishments were impressive, I always had a lot of respect for him. He was kind, funny and I will miss running into him and getting his take on things. Rest easy Chris you were one of a kind and will be missed.
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Peter Knapp So sad to say goodbye to Chris. I already miss running into him downtown Victoria and having chats about all sorts of things and reminiscing about being teenage friends in Owen Sound. I wish him peace.
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Victoria Bradley We are so heartbroken by the news of Chris’ passing. So heartbroken! I met Chris over 20 years ago. He was the best friend of my husband, Craig since middle school… a lot of memories shared by those two. Chris was always so charming and charismatic. A real charmer. He was like a brother to Craig and with that, a brother to me. He’ll be deeply missed.
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David Himel I met Chris in the early 90s. We often did a lot of business together but we became friends very quickly. I hosted Jessica his manager in my home on Spadina and looked forward to our many meetups and time spent both in Victoria and Toronto. I grieve for his family and his loved ones. There are many many people who adored Chris.
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Alana Brookes I had the pleasure of working with Chris at The Patch in it’s earlier years and was blessed to carry on a very meaningful friendship with him for many years. He had such an amazing ability to disarm anyone he came into contact with and an incredibly unique and fascinating perspective on life. I will miss our many conversations my friend. Such a beautiful soul and a bright light. I will be forever grateful for his friendship. My love to his family.
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Tharani Sending my deepest condolences to Chris’ friends and family. I worked at the Patch for many summers, Chris was a patient, kind and creative boss who gave us the freedom to grow and be ourselves. I would run into him from time to time and was always happy to see that he and the store were doing well. May he rest in peace.
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Suemi Chiba I was lucky to have known Chris and have fond memories of a lovely Christmas dinner at his house in the first year I met him. Chris was always an interesting and entertaining conversationalist. He had a ready smile and fun sense of humour. I am deeply saddened to hear of his struggles and hear of his death at such a young age. Chris rose to many personal challenges and was a talented and unique person. I am sad to say goodbye. Lots of love and condolences to his family and friends.
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Paul Spence Chris was a close friend since junior high. He was the the most interesting person to talk with. A vibrant, creative, hard working and loving soul. Such a bummer.
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Payam Sanai My heart aches at the news of Chris’ s passing. He befriended me and my wife when we moved to Victoria. He was a being of compassion and love. My condolences to all his friends and family.
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Al Lindskoog I only had the opportunity of knowing Chris over the past few months. He was a warm-hearted man, gentle and thoughtful. My love and compassion to his family in this sad ending to a gifted life.
Brenda, Mike, Samantha, & Sarah,
I happened to come across this sad news by chance and wanted to reach out with my deepest condolences.
I had briefly caught up with Chris while I was living in Grand Bend years ago. And it was just like old times in the neighbourhood. His smile, energy, and colourfulness was contagious and welcomingly familiar. At that time I had thought I’d run into him again years ahead, when our paths crossed by chance again, and it made my heart sing to think of it. So many years in between – but I knew Chris would always be a friend and I cherished that thought.
I am deeply saddened to hear of his passing and wish you all much peace.
With much love,
Jennifer Ens (Jenny Bronnenhuber)