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
30 Responses
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.