Greg passed away at home on November 27, 2024 in Victoria, BC.
He will be greatly missed by his wife, Catherine; his daughters Jenny and Emmanuelle; his son-in-laws, Ian and Ethan. His father Peter, sisters Marion, Michele and Nicolle, mother-in-law, Yvette, extended family from France, Nicole, Bruno, Caroline, all his nieces and nephews and so many friends will miss him equally.
Born on September 9, 1959, at the RAF hospital in Upjever, Germany, Greg grew up in a military family, living and traveling throughout Europe and Canada. Unsurprisingly, he was an adventurous child who loved exploring and goofing around with his sisters. From a young age, he had a love of water, fishing and canoeing; even rescuing ducklings on the Rideau River.
At 18, Greg joined the armed forces and pursued engineering at the Royal Military College (RMC), where he formed many lifelong friendships. After an enjoyable few years posted at CFB Comox, windsurfing and teaching skiing, he was moved to Winnipeg in 1987. There, he met his wife Catherine at the Winnipeg Ski Club. They travelled the world together, backpacking through South-East Asia, where they got engaged in the Himalayas. They married shortly afterwards in France on a beautiful sunny day, surrounded by friends and family.
Greg and Catherine then moved to Vancouver where they had two daughters. One of Greg’s most cherished experiences with his family was sailing for a year in the Caribbean on their beloved boat, Alisee III. In 2002, they left the big city and moved to Victoria to spend more time sailing, hiking, skiing and exploring Vancouver Island.
Greg was a passionate, generous and kind individual. His generosity was unparalleled and he wouldn’t hesitate to give his advice, always lending a hand or ear to anyone who needed it. He was someone who could make friends with anyone and cared about everyone. He excelled at everything he put his mind to, whether it be wind and water sports, running, sailing, gaming or technology, to name a few. He loved to share these passions with his friends, family and especially his daughters.
Greg lived life fully, embracing every moment without regret. His adventurous spirit, kindness and love will live on in the hearts of everyone whose lives he touched.
A celebration of Greg’s life will be held on Thursday, December 19, 2024 at 2:00 pm (PST) in the Sequoia Centre at McCall Gardens Funeral Home, 4665 Falaise Drive, Victoria, BC. For those unable to attend in person, the link is below:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87051803192?pwd=HiPeGbanQB908P3rz98BGtk2kvMouW.1
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Cardiac Care, Victoria Hospitals Foundation https://www.victoriahf.ca/cardiac-care/
Condolences may be offered to the family below.
McCall Gardens
www.mccallgardens.com
48 Responses
Dear Catherine,
I am sending my deepest, deepest condolences on your loss of Greg. My heart goes out to you, your daughters, and your families.You are in my thoughts during this time of intense grief and mourning.
Truly shocked and saddened to hear of Greg’s passing. I first met Greg at RMC as fellow rookies at the Stone Frigate Military Academy. I remember Greg as such an energetic, fun loving wonderful human being. While most of us were so fatigued as rookies to do anything but sleep at night, Greg found the energy to be up in the middle of the night participating in some sort of infamous “skylark”.
Greg had such enthusiasm for life, sense of humour, intelligence, and good heartedness. Greg was one of the guys I sometimes went to for academic guidance on some topic or another. Greg had a special way of explaining or thinking about complex things in a more understandable way.
I didn’t see Greg much over the years after RMC, but we did have one chance meeting and mini reunion on the seawall in Vancouver years ago, where I was out for a run while there overnight between flights, and Greg was either still living there or just in town and out on the seawall for a stroll.
Greg’s Celebration of Life speeches really reflected the great many friendships and relationships that Greg developed over the years, and how much he was liked and respected. Greg’s life has ended far too soon, but he lived large and made the most of life.
You will always be well remembered Greg. Sincere condolences to all of Greg’s family and close friends.
As I reflect on my relationship with Greg, I realize that, apart from my parents, he was undoubtedly the one person who had the most positive and transformative influence on my life.
I first met Greg at Transport Canada, where he oversaw the “learning center.” He had created an ingenious training kiosk composed of a computer, a heavy screen, and a videodisc reader about the size of a vinyl record. This contraption, roughly the size of a small fridge, was shipped across the province to train pilots. As a geek, I was impressed by Greg’s ability to bring such ambitious ideas to life.
In the mid-’90s, Greg’s vision and his unwavering trust in the long-haired, young French Canadian engineer I was back then, sparked the incredible adventure that became Cinax Designs.
For those who may not know, Cinax was what we now call a “startup,” back before the term was even in common use. We developed interactive CD-ROM video games and training applications. To set the scene, this was in the earliest days of the internet—an era of dial-up modems and minimalist web pages, where the idea of videos or rich media online was unthinkable due to slow loading speeds.
Greg had an undeniable love for technology and innovation, but more importantly, he was fearless. As the father of a young family, he courageously poured his energy, optimism, and resources into this ambitious entrepreneurial project, diving in with a zest for life that was simply infectious.
Cinax’s first product was an ambitious, video-rich game exploring Marilyn Monroe’s controversial life. We worked tirelessly on it, but unfortunately, we couldn’t publish it due to the prohibitive cost of securing the rights to the multimedia content. It was the wild west of technology back then, and Greg was our fearless trailblazer, leading the charge into uncharted territory.
The greatest thing about Cinax, though, was Greg’s beautifully simple business plan: “Build a
multimedia game and technology company, sell it, buy boats, and sail the world.”
And that’s exactly what we did.
Those few years working alongside Greg were some of the most formative and joyful of my life. Thanks to Greg, I learned not only to sail and to trust my partner while climbing but also to embrace the fearless spirit of entrepreneurship. I was fortunate to experience the kind of success and freedom that shaped my future in ways I could never have imagined.
I know I speak for many of us here when I say those were some of the best years of our lives, and we owe them to Greg’s vision, passion, and courage.
Greg, your friendship and leadership meant the world to me, and I will miss you more than words can express.
Farewell, my friend. Thank you for everything.
Dear Catherine, Emmanuelle and Jenny,
It was a beautiful service to honour and remember Greg. I saw Greg recently at a Digital event and he was as passionate, kind and energetic as always. Alan W was trying to get me to come over and do a boat trip with the two of them. Sadly, I missed the opportunity but will think of him next time I am on the ocean. I hope you have all felt the embrace of so many of us who cherish our time with Greg.
Dear Catherine, Emmanuelle, and Jenny
I was so shocked and saddened to hear from Peter the passing of Greg. My thoughts, prayers and heart go out to you. I cannot fathom the depth of your loss but his memories will never die. I remember my first sailing trip with Greg, you, Emmanuelle and Peter. This was Greg’s element and he made me fall in love with sailing. He always made you feel welcomed, his stories were funny and Greg always brought the unpredictable. Peter and I when we talk there is always a Greg story – usually it starts with a simple thing Greg was going to do, then it turns scary but fortunately ends with everyone safe and sound – then the smiles and laughs. This was Greg. I am writing this as I join his celebration of life. This is how Greg would have wanted it. I wish I had the opportunity to know Greg even more as he was a great father, loving husband, and a friend forever – no matter how long you have known him or no matter the gap in connections. Rest in peace my friend and your memories will live long.
Chères Catherine, Emmanuelle et Jenny,
Mes plus sincères condoléances pour la perte de votre mari et père.
Je vous accompagne par la pensée et le coeur pour les prochaines étapes et je vous envoie énormément d’amour.
Je garde un souvenir rayonnant de Greg, sa joie de vivre continuera de nous illuminer grâce à vous!
Je vous embrasse fort.
We were very sad to hear about the passing of Greg. What a big shock for everyone. We feel very blessed to have met him and Cath out at dinner with Ethan and Emmanuelle when we visited Victoria in 2024. What a great man. You could instantly feel his love and vest for life, he had a great sense of humour, and adorded his family. May you rest easy Greg. Another angel has their wings xx
Catherine, Emmanuelle and Jenny…
My heart breaks for you and your extended family considering the loss of Greg. I know how his passing has impacted me and thus cannot fathom the emotions you are now experiencing.
I met Greg through military college in Kingston, Ontario as cadets in Hudson Squadron (the Stone Frigate). Greg’s presence in this setting was indicative of where his academic and personal skills would subsequently lead, and this has been evidenced by the numerous accolades garnered pre and post military service.
His passion for life was unmatched. He brought forth the best in all he met with his unwavering support and intuitive understanding of human nature.
Our paths reconnected when your family moved to Victoria: Greg and I would often run into each other whilst running on Mt Doug (P’kols), or we would be on our bikes and again take the time to chat. My last encounter with Greg was recently in downtown Victoria when Greg picked me out of a crowd as he was riding his e-bike on Johnson St. He pulled over and we laughed as we discussed our age and how life had been passing by much too quickly. We shared similar health issues and we had been joking to each other about our collective frailty in this world, yet his spirt and enthusiasm was infectious: this is how I shall remember Greg – ever present, supportive and unfailingly positive.