November 10, 1938 - October 2, 2021
Beloved father, brother, and friend Gerry van de Wint passed away at the Czorny Alzheimer Centre after a 15 year struggle with dementia.
Gerry was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and immigrated to Canada with his family. He worked as a teacher after university but soon left to become a commercial halibut fisherman. It was while fishing on the Mother III that he met his future business partner, Ed Antonsen. The two men went on to form Vanant Development. Over the course of their careers, Gerry and his partner built single-family homes, warehouses, apartments, and townhouses.
Gerry was an avid outdoorsman. He hunted extensively in BC, and also spent time on safari in Namibia, Kenya, and Tanzania. However, in middle age he gradually lost interest in sport hunting and took up other pursuits. At the age of 40 Gerry ran his first marathon. He enjoyed it so much he wanted to challenge himself further, and at age 43 he completed his first Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii. Gerry went on to do the Hawaii race many times, but also did triathlons in Japan, New Zealand, and France. He later added double-distance Ironman races, ultramarathons, and the notorious Marathon des Sables in the Sahara to his athletic accomplishments. Although he was a fierce competitor, Gerry was also an unofficial ambassador of his sport. He always encouraged athletes and used to hand out business cards at triathlons with the following text: "We meet as strangers; We compete as friends; We part as brothers."The sentiment was typical of Gerry's generosity. He truly loved the triathlete community, loved the brotherhood it fostered, and did what he could to grow the sport.
Gerry will be remembered for his self-effacing manner, humour, strong work ethic, love of animals, and willingness to always lend a hand or offer advice. He was a mentor to many and will be missed deeply by a diverse group of friends - hunters, businessmen, triathletes - as well as family.
May we all take Gerry's life as an example and live so deeply and fully with the time allotted to us. We'll miss you Gerry.
The family wishes to thank the many wonderful caregivers who assisted Gerry over the past 12 years, and is grateful for the excellent care he received at the Czorny Alzheimer Centre. There will be no memorial.
Instead of flowers, people may consider making a donation to either the David Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health at UBC or the Alzheimer Society of Canada Research Program.