Obituary of Gordon Lacey
LACEY, Gordon Lewis passed away peacefully on September 10, 2024 at his home in Lion's Head, Ontario in his 89th year. Thankfully his family was able to be with him the last days of his life. He is survived by his adoring wife, Vickie Lacey, the love of his life with whom he shared over 66 beautiful years. Left to mourn are his beloved children Lynn Lacey Gore (Rick) and Leigh Ann Lacey (Bob) and his eight grandchildren: Mackenzie, John Thomas, Lacey, Billie Raeanna, Benjamin, Kindra and Avery. Gordon was an only child having lost his father at a young age but he leaves behind his dear cousin John Lethbridge who was like a brother growing up along with many other cousins.
Gord was born in New Toronto on October 7th, 1935 to Ernest Paul Lacey and Edna Mae Lewis. A hard worker he excelled in mathematics and history and although he often said he wished he'd become a lawyer, instead he pursued a degree from Ryerson that lead to completing his CA designation while working for the Deloitte firm in Toronto. Gord was a dedicated student who also loved his friends and over the course of his life amassed close relationships with people around the world. To this day he remains friends with his early CA buddies who, until COVID, reunited in Toronto annually for lunch.
In 1958 he married Vickie, whom he said he adored the moment he saw her. They were extremely well matched and had an extraordinary life together. True partners in every sense, they left Toronto behind and moved to London, Ontario where Gord accepted a position with 3M Canada and they never looked back. As Gord's career blossomed it took him around the world; he walked with kangaroos in Australia, drank wine in Johannasburg, learned to ski in the alps and watched bullfights in Madrid. As Treasurer of 3M Europe the family moved to Belgium where he continued to travel extensively across Europe, and around the world. He ended his career at 3M's world headquarters in St. Paul, Minnesota after 30 illustrious years when he made the decision to retire to their cottage in Barrow Bay, Ontario to pursue his love of friends and family with deeper earnest. Reunited with his best friend Jack Gore was the beginning of a new chapter not only for him but also his family who have grown up loving the Bruce Peninsula. As was Gord's wish, the cottage he and Vickie built has become a legacy property for future generations to enjoy. He would also wish that we continue to sit at the bar as he did with so many friends, and raise a glass, preferably a martini, and say 'Cheers' to the day. His grandchildren saw a side of Gord most of us never did. He was often full of fun and was secretly quite playful. They will never forget their day trips to Sauble Beach when he would let them all have a day of fun with unlimited rides and the ice cream cone of their dreams at the end of each school year. Nor will they forget his pontoon boat and the after dinner dessert cruises out on the bay. If a fish was caught up went the Canadian flag for all to see; his grandchildren (both his American and Canadian tribes as he called them) had an immense love and appreciation for him without a doubt.
Between golfing, fishing and family he dedicated himself to the Grey Bruce Hospital Foundation and joined the Board of Directors working on committees dedicated to upgrading the clinic and hospital in Lion's Head. His efforts to improve healthcare in his tiny town served him well as it was the team of doctors and nurses in Lion's Head that helped care and support him in his final days. The pair travelled from coast to coast across Canada, golfed in Ireland, went to Moscow and loved their river boat cruise down the Rhine. Not long after retiring he and Vickie acquired a home in Sarasota and became snowbirds for many years where they enjoyed warm weather, made new friends and both played a lot of golf.
Gord was a larger than life kind of person. Unapologetically himself, he may have come across as hard headed and stubborn on the outside, but for those who took the time to really know him, he was undeniably warm and caring on the inside. He was a huge supporter to the people he loved and wanted the best for everyone no matter who they were. He motivated people, especially his grandchildren, to be the best versions of themselves. He could also be described as one of the most intellectually curious people you could meet. To be in his presence you could not help but be drawn into lively and interesting conversation. He put in the time and effort to know and learn as much as he could about our world. He was passionate about politics in particular and had an incredible ability to elucidate complex ideas, and communicate them to others in easy to understand, digestible terms. He was a gifted and natural born teacher and you could not be in his presence without having learned something new or been exposed to new ideas. He was a deep thinker and to quote his cousin John, 'he knew how to think things through and it was impossible to talk him out of it once he made his decision.'
He was a traditionalist in many ways and was the memory keeper for the family. This will be a great loss for us because he could remember in exhaustive detail our family history dating back as far as the Hubble clan when they landed in America back in the 1600's. He was also proud of his indigenous heritage and was an outspoken advocate for equal rights for all people having been exposed to racial discrimination as a young person.
Gord loved every decade of his life for different reasons. Whether it was a new car, promotion, new house, new friends or retiring to live near old friends, the one constant was always golf. He loved golf so much, he loved the etiquette, and he loved to introduce people to it and was sure if you tried you would love it too. A stickler for the rules he could be heard saying nicely to fellow players, 'you might want to check that score'… when he couldn't play anymore life certainly became a lot less fun for him.
It was hard for his family to watch his mobility decline over the past few years but he never lost his interest in politics, the world and of course his family. Not a day went by when he didn't ask for news about his grandchildren. Towards the end he was able to tell us all how much he loved us and how proud he was of each one and for that we are all grateful. He was a gentleman to the end, retained his thoughtfulness, shared his wisdom generously, completed daily crosswords and read books in between his favourite news programs. Dad's recipe for a good life would include fresh caught bass bites, marriage to a strong woman, love your family and help them if you can, friends, friends, friends, golf until you can't and gin martinis until the end.
In his own words, he had a full life, a beautiful wife and a family to be proud of. He will be profoundly missed. Bye for now Dad, Grampa, Gord….
The family wishes to thank Dr. Harpur who cared for dad with kindness and compassion, Dr. Thomas, Dr. Matheson and nurses Chris, Christine, Dana, Ahman and Goldie. Special thanks also to the VON nurses who came to the house, Holly, Alyssa, and Jessie. Thank you to Shannon and Ellen for all your help with mom and dad in their home and their neighbors who were always on hand to help when needed.
Private family arrangements entrusted to the GEORGE FUNERAL HOME, LION'S HEAD CHAPEL, Lion's Head. Expressions of remembrance to the Lion's Head Hospital c/o Bruce Peninsula Hospitals Foundation would be appreciated. Messages of condolence may be sent to the family through www.georgefuneralhome.com
