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
Dear Chris,
I will always remember you as a kind, thoughtful and intelligent young man with a developed sense of humour. small succeed. You did not deserve this, and I wish we could have spoken about this, even though it has been decades since When it is my time, I hope to see you again. Your friend from Uplands,
Joseph
I meet Chris only once in the late 90’s as I knew his sister then. I recall at the time thinking here was a true free spirit. Funny how that memory has stuck with me to this day. A memorable human, the world is no doubt a lesser place for his absence.
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)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
My sincere condolences Brenda on the passing of your son.