August 6, 1940 – July 30, 2022
Gard, our wonderful husband, father and grandfather, a gentle man and a gentleman, died on July 30, 2022 at Riverside Glen in Guelph, Ontario, his residence for the past seven years. We are very grateful for the excellent care he received there.
Gard is predeceased by his parents Bill and Maxine Gammage, his Aunt Nit (Isabel McLean), his sister Jean and her husband Bob Hutton.
He will be truly missed by his wife Karen, who Gard always called Angel; his daughter Susan, her husband Trent Shapcott and their children Hayden and Katie; his daughter Kristan Sears and her daughters Sam and Ali; his remaining siblings Les Fields (Delmar), Sue Gammage, Wally Gammage (Louise) and Dug Gammage (Cheryle); and his cousin Billy Dampier (Chris).
Gard was born at St. Joseph’s Hospital in London, Ontario and lived there until his family moved to St. Mary’s, Ontario when he was fourteen, where he thrived at high school and played on both football and basketball teams.
Gard graduated from the University of Western Ontario in 1962 with a degree in civil engineering. While at Western he enjoyed being a member of the Delta Upsilon fraternity. After graduation he quickly became a well-respected member of the construction industry. Out of the hundreds of projects that Gard was associated with, a few of his favourites are mentioned below.
As manager of Western Canada for EllisDon he oversaw the building of such prestigious undertakings as the Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton and the Calgary City Hall.
In Toronto, he was involved in building many city landmarks such as the T.D. Towers, the Princess of Wales Theatre and the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Gard ended his career with Kenaidan Contracting as Vice-President in charge of Operations where he was involved in interesting projects such as the World Championship Bob Sled run in Lake Placid, New York.
Gard was an amateur photographer, a dedicated runner qualifying to carry the torch in the 1976 Montreal Olympics. He was also a golfer who never followed the rules, a fisherman, a fantastic pool player, an avid basketball and baseball fan, an enthusiastic world traveler, and an all-around good guy.
Cremation has taken place and some of his ashes will be scattered near Lake Manitou, on his beloved Manitoulin Island. A memorial will take place this fall at the St. Mary's Golf and Country Club (769 Queen Street East, St. Mary's, Ontario) on Sunday, October 2, 2022 from 1 - 4 p.m.
If you would like to honour Gard’s memory, send flowers to someone you love on his behalf.