McGregor, Gordon Edward

Gordon McGregor, a proud Métis veteran, passed away at Mountain Lake Seniors Community on August 28, 2021 with his loving wife of 50 years, Dianne, and his beloved dog, Tillie, at his side.   The following day with his family in attendance Gord left Mountain Lake with his handmade Métis drum used to set the pace.

Born in 1937 in Vancouver to Jane and Edward, Gord grew up in Vancouver and joined the Royal Canadian Air Force as a cadet in 1954. He continued to proudly serve in the Regular Force as a fighter cop and later in Search and Rescue. Upon leaving the RCAF in 1965, he joined BC Tel where he spent the majority of his career, retiring in 1996.

Gord and Dianne met in 1970 at the Jericho sailing club in Vancouver, were married in 1971 and had two children, Stuart and Elizabeth. In 1981, the family moved to Nelson and joined community activities starting with learning to ski at Morning Mountain. Over the next 40 years, Gord was very active as a volunteer and could always be relied on to help out when needed. Over the years, he served multiple terms as President at Morning Mountain, and was a member of the Nelson Lions Club, Telephone Pioneers (Telus Ambassadors), Save our Services and the Nelson Electric Tramway Society. He was especially proud of his time as Director of Communications for the 1989 BC Winter Games as well as being a founding member of Learning in Retirement (LiR). In recognition of service to his community, he received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012.  In retirement Gord and Dianne founded Southpaw Enterprises which kept them busy for several years. They also enjoyed traveling throughout North America in their fifth wheel.

Whether it was teaching his kids to re-wire a house, digging a waterline, or enjoying an afternoon iced tea with Dianne, hanging out with his family was how Gord preferred to spend his time. Gord loved his children, Stuart and Elizabeth, and never missed an opportunity to talk about them and celebrate their lives. One of his greatest joys was becoming a Grandpa when Stuart and his wife Michelle had Samuel in 2013 and Kjersten in 2015. He also had a grandcat, Lowry, with whom he regularly video-chatted after moving into Mountain Lake in 2018.

The family would like to thank the very caring staff of Beachview Cottage and the general community at Mountain Lake for the care they provided to Gordon over the last three years. Whether it was welcoming the dogs (Toto and Tillie) for regular visits, or “drumming Gord out” in an exceptionally dignified and respectful farewell, the kindness and generosity of the Mountain Lake family are unparalleled. Maarsii to all the staff at Mountain Lake, and to Jessica for the drumming.

Outvoted by his family (as he hated being the centre of attention), a gathering of friends and family will be held at a later date.  In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Heart & Stroke Foundation in honour of Gord.