October 15th, 1946 - October 3rd, 2023
George Frederick Loney was a lot of things in the world.
He was a storyteller and a prankster. His stories, often about hijinks from his past, would have everyone laughing. And it didn’t matter if you had already heard it before; that was beside the point. In his younger days in university, he and his friends managed to fill an entire administrative office with water and goldfish, and after having rented surveying equipment, convince generations that the University of Waterloo library was sinking due to the weight of the books.
He was a sailor and a curler. He spent every winter with friends at the Fergus Curling Club. You wouldn’t think him to be the competitive type, but there was a noticeable difference in his mood after winning a match. He was a lifetime member of the Belwood Lake Sailing Club, over the years watching his kids and then grandkids grow at the lake. Some of our fondest memories of George was him sailing around the lake on his Dart 18 catamaran, aptly named One Up. (He originally wanted to name it Passing Wind, an idea that mum quickly vetoed). He was always a little put off the few weeks between the sailing and curling season.
He was a close friend to many, and he loved his friends. The Back of the Bus crew, the Pub Group, University of Guelph folks, there were so many people throughout his life that brought him joy. He loved catching Jean and the girls up on what his friends were up to.
Mostly, he was a family man. A devoted son, brother, brother-in-law, husband, father, uncle, father-in-law, granddad. He was born on October 15, 1946, to parents Ralph and Kathleen. There was a special happiness in dad when spending time with his siblings Christine, Ken, Janet and Valerie, as well as mum’s siblings and all of the nieces and nephews.
He was fiercely proud of his daughters, and absolutely adored his grandkids. He lost his sweetie, Jean, in December 2021. Words can’t really describe the pain and loss felt of those two being apart. After mum died, he learned to do new things, like teaching himself to cook, doing the laundry, and keeping all her houseplants alive. We always said to him, “Mum would be so proud of you doing all this cooking!” And he would say to us with a laugh, “Are you kidding me? She would be so mad! ‘Seriously George? You could have been doing this the whole time?!’”
We don’t know what happens after someone dies, but we take some comfort in knowing that dad doesn’t have to live another day without mum.
Many people have reached out in the past few days and the stories and memories they are sharing have been a beautiful light. In most of the memories friends and family have been sharing, dad is laughing. As one friend said, “he led an amazing life, full of joy and curiosity.”
George passed away at Groves Memorial Hospital on October 3, 2023, with both his daughters holding his hands. He is survived by his daughters Heather and Ali, son-in-law Michael, and grandsons Henry and Duncan.
A visitation for George will be held on Sunday October 15, from 9:30-11:30am, at the Graham Giddy Funeral Home in Fergus. A small private service will be held for George in October. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in George’s memory to the Canadian Cancer Society.
www.grahamgiddyfh.com
