On Monday October 2nd, 2023, Garry Walter Leighton Green passed away peacefully in his 80th year, surrounded by his loving family.
Garry will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 56 years, Gail, his brother Wayne (Esther), and his children Kevin (Rachel) and Jodi. The highlight of his life was his grandchildren: Dylan, Zack, Camryn, Hunter and Brooklyn.
Garry was a storyteller and he loved to talk about his upbringing on the family farm on Mount Zion in the hills south of Creemore. He learned his strong work ethic from helping his parents on their own farm and summer harvest work helping his Aunt and Uncle in the Banda community. He graduated from Collingwood Collegiate and went on to work for Bell Canada. He soon after went to work at Ontario Hydro and spent the majority of his career becoming an electrician and progressing to become a supervisor within the company. He retired young from Ontario Hydro and always stayed busy working small jobs. He worked for his neighbor at Tri Truck Center, did maintenance on Sears delivery trucks, and even worked with his daughter (Jodi) at Snow Valley as a ‘liftie’. He always stayed busy and was happy to help anyone that needed it. He was an extremely smart and handy man, who could fix just about anything and solve any problem.
As he eased himself into full retirement, he filled his time with family and sports. He enjoyed his winter season tickets to the Barrie Colt’s games, and his summer season tickets to the Barrie Baycat games. He rarely missed any activities his children and grandchildren were involved in and could always be found on the fields, in the stands, on the bleachers, or in the rinks. He was the proudest Grampa and always boasted about his children and grandchildren. They were his favorite topic of conversation.
His holidays to Myrtle Beach were also a regular occurrence with his wife Gail. Garry would joke that Gail’s bags were always packed and ready if they needed to go somewhere last minute! These trips began when their children were very young, and have continued to host visits from the grandchildren. Both Kevin and Jodi have so many memories of these family holidays and road trips. Garry was always at his best, and happiest when he was surrounded by his family.
His love of playing cards with friends and family was also something that brought him great joy. He and his wife Gail have played cards most Friday nights with close friends, for over 40 years. When family gatherings were happening, there was always a deck of cards and Grandpa was always the scorekeeper. He always joked, ‘You don’t need to be a good player to win, just a good score keeper’.
Garry will always be remembered for his sense of humor. He could make a joke out of anything, and we believe he continued his subscription to Reader’s Digest for the sole purpose of learning new jokes to share with the grandkids. Even the nurses in the hospital enjoyed his humor and we know they usually left with a smile on their face from something he had said. He was kind, grateful, and always a gentleman. He left a lasting impression on anyone that met him. He will be greatly missed by many.
The family has organized a visitation to be held at Adams Funeral Home (445 St. Vincent Street, Barrie) on Saturday October 7th, from 2-4 and 6-8pm. They will be having a private service at the Midhurst Union Cemetery at a later date. If desired, donations to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, or a charity of your choice, could be made in memory of Garry. The family wishes to send a special thank you to all the staff at the Royal Victoria Hospital. Your care and support of Garry will always be remembered.
Messages of condolence may be forwarded to the family through adamsfuneralhome.ca