STORDY, Gerald Vincent

Gerald Vincent Stordy was born in 1933 in the small community of Brookvale, P.E.I. and passed away peacefully on February 13, 2018 at the Victoria General Hospital from myelodysplastic syndrome which progressed to acute leukemia. He was the youngest son of ten children born to Anthony Stordy and Irmina (Duffy) Stordy. The family moved to Thistle & Shamrock in 1946. Although his career took him away for over a decade, he remained a dedicated member of that community, and Saint Malachy’s Catholic

Church for the rest of his life. His lifelong love of nature was instilled in him from a young age growing up on a farm. He loved nothing more than a walk in the woods, observing wildlife, or a fishing excursion with his grandchildren. The greatest losses of Gerald’s life struck early with the death of his two older and revered brothers, Lawrence and Cecil, in the Second World War. Following this tragedy, Gerald’s mother absolutely forbade him to join the military. He enlisted in the airforce at age 19, a career that brought him the world. He married Marion Cairns in 1956, and enjoyed 62 years of marriage. A posting in France expanded their family with the births of sons, Larry and Allan. Posts in Trenton, Ontario and Summerside, P.E.I. brought three more children, Cheryl, Paul and Mary. Always a hard worker, Gerald put in full days in the airforce, added an evening stint as a taxi driver in Belleville, and into his eighties was still doing most of his own home maintenance and mechanical repairs. Gerald’s gardens produced an abundance of whatever vegetables he planted, the tallest sunflowers in the county, and for many years he raised chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese. Retirement allowed Gerald to re-indulge in his love of farming and he spent many happy autumns in his fifties, sixties and seventies working on potato harvesters for local farmers - a job, he confessed to his family, he would have happily done for free. Gerald took up golf in his seventies, becoming the athlete he had never had a chance to be. Always happy outdoors, he was the first to point out sunsets or foxes, was famous for his quirky love of range balls, and entertained with his unique salty expressions whenever he missed a shot. Gerald had a lifelong connection to his church and community that truly came from his heart. He had an unshakeable faith, contributing as a lay reader, a lay distributor and as a member of parish council. Community members knew Gerald as a loyal neighbour, someone who was generous with his time, offering drives, and stopping by to provide companionship or assistance. Gerald was totally devoted to his thirteen grandchildren, and two great grandchildren, expressed in his understated way by always, always being there. He travelled from P.E.I. to watch them play soccer, hockey and basketball. He went to Christmas concerts and graduations. He drove them to buses and picked them up from camp. He flew across the country to greet new babies and was unusual among his generation for his natural ability with infants, particularly known for bouncing them on his knee while singing loudly “dee doodlely doo”. Marion shared his love of family, church and Prince Edward Island. Their opposite personalities complemented each other to the end. Gerald did not have the opportunity to receive higher education, nor did he accumulate tremendous material wealth, but there is no question that Gerald was a wise man, a wealthy man and a gentleman in the truest sense of the word. Gerald was predeceased by his parents Anthony and Irmina, his brothers Lawrence, George, Cecil and Edwin, his sisters Margaret, Ethel, and Bertha. He is survived by his wife Marion, sisters, Marie and Bernadette, his five children Larry (Wendy MacGregor), Allan (Noella Roper), Cheryl (Darrell Dempster), Paul (Cathy Clark), and Mary (Jody Doyle), thirteen grandchildren Hannah, Will and Isabel Stordy (Larry), Ben, Nick, Sam and Isaac Stordy (Allan), Kara, Brent and Mandy Dempster (Cheryl), Clark and Lyndsay Stordy (Paul), Emma Doyle (Mary) and two great grandchildren, Lincoln Dempster (Mandy) and Bo Stordy (Ben), his sisters in law, Colette and Emily Stordy, his brother in law Tony Richard and many nieces and nephews. Visitation at Kinkora Place, Friday, February 16, from 5-8pm. Funeral service at Saint Malachy’s Church, Kinkora, on Saturday, February 17, at 10:30 a.m. Donations may be made to the Saint Malachy’s cemetary fund or Canadian Cancer Society. Special thanks to Doctors Robinson and Keating, and the attentive nurses and staff of the hematology unit at the Victoria General Hospital, as well as Doctor Peter McKean and the nurses of the oncology unit at Prince County Hospital, Summerside. Arrangements are entrusted to Lawless Funeral Home, Kinkora.

www.lawlessfuneralhome.ca