The "Fixer" has crossed the bar.....
MURPHY, Gerald F (Gerry)
February 15, 1935 – December 11, 2020
"Gerald Frederick Murphy, a loving husband of 59 years, an amazing father, and a wonderful and caring 'Santa Grampa', suddenly passed away at Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria. He is survived by his loving wife Lynne, his son Don (Melissa), daughter Susan (Jay), grandchildren Kyli, Jasmine, Chase, Graeson, Caellan, Ryder and great grandchildren, Eric and Alexander.
He was born in the land of the Bluenose surrounded by a very colorful, very proud, and very large extended Nova Scotian family. Although he lived on beautiful Vancouver Island for the majority of his life, his heart had never left Nova Scotia! He would fondly reminisce of the East Coast, its beauty, and the friends and family that still reside in his home province.
He was an extremely proud member of the Royal Canadian Air Force, who he fondly considered his second family. His adventure with the military started in Halifax at the early age of 17 in 1951. His journey with the military gave him the opportunity to travel the world, and all corners of Canada, until 1983 when he proudly retired as a Warrant Officer with the 407 Demon squadron. His experiences, and the bonds of friendship he formed along the way, provided an 'endless' supply of stories of adventure around the coffee table, resulting in surprise, awe, and a tremendous amount of laughter.
In his early retirement, he earnestly dedicated much of his time with the Fish Advisory committee in the Comox Valley. He also spent nearly every day racing across the 'salt chuck' in his 17 ft Lund and 90 horse Evinrude, looking for that ever elusive 'spring'! He "never" tired of his search! And when he hit the throttle.., you had better be hanging on to your hat! His hair, or what little hair he had left, would whip behind him in the wind like frozen ropes! He was 'truly happy' on the water!
Now..., whenever we see a skiff 'ripping' across the water, skipping like a stone across 'the chuck'.., I will remember the times we had on the water and think of you with one hand on the wheel, the other on the throttle, and your grin that stretched for miles!"
The above has just been posted in the Comox Valley "Record" by his daughter. It was a shock to hear of his passing. A bunch of us will miss the late morning coffee sessions in his kitchen where the conversations inevitably turned to fishing. He was a master Buzz Bomb fisherman. He didnt need no downrigger, thank you very much ! He seemed to be able to pull a spring or coho out of the blue when the rest of us were sucking lemons ! The name of his boat was The Fixer... and as a retired RCAF aircraft mechanic, there weren't too many outboards that he couldn,t fix. A life well spent.........
