George Coyle

COYLE, George; It’s with deep sorrow that we announce the sudden passing of our father and our children’s “POPPA”. With family by his side George passed away August 15, 2011 at the age of 82. Married for 53 years and pre-deceased by his loving wife Geraldine in March 2009. “Dad” to Ann-Marie, Ken (Susan), Brian (Ingrid) and Jeff (Kim). He is lovingly remembered by his 5 grandchildren, Alicia, Stacey, Melissa, Brandon and Ryan and his cherished great-grandson Mason.

He is survived by his brother Frank (Ollie) and Robert, his sister Shirley (Arnold) and Marion and the extended Coyle and Butts families. George was pre-deceased by his parents George in 1983, Mary in 1999, and his brothers Joe in 1957, Andy in 1990, Patrick in 2000, Edward in 2006, his sister-in-law Jeanette in 2006 and his brother-in-law Jack in 2010.

George was born in Reserve Mines, Nova Scotia on March 16, 1929 and moved to Toronto at the age of 19. He loved his East Coast Heritage and loved to reminisce. He was the 2nd oldest child in a very large family. In those times the oldest children carried a big responsibility to contribute to the caring and support of his younger siblings and parents where ever possible, which continued throughout his life. He loved them all.

George and Geraldine married on July 14, 1956. Their marriage was strong and grounded and they loved each other very deeply. They settled together in Cambridge where they raised their family. George reinvented himself in his work from coal mining to boat building and later in the manufacturing industry from shoes to plastics. Thanks Mr. Booth for believing in our Dad, during the years he worked at Hoetsch Canada where he retired in the plastics industry. He never forgot you, your friendship and your contribution to his life. You were a true friend and he often spoke of you and Bev fondly.

George had a love of music, playing guitar, singing and organ playing, and always had a camcorder in hand ready to take that next perfect shot. He took great pride in these endeavors.

Our Dad loved being a Minor Hockey League Coach in Preston Cambridge where he changed many children’s lives which continued until his youngest son was 13 years old. To this day, we still hear comments from those formerly young kids how great your Dad was and what he taught them in life. He loved the game and his passion never stopped as he cheered on the Toronto Maple Leaf’s no matter how good or bad they played.

Our Dad was an amazing man. He didn’t have the same opportunities in life with higher education, but BOY, he was one of the most intelligent people you would ever want to meet. He was insightful, had a memory that was unbelievable and he would not forget a thing. He had an innate knowledge of how things worked which allowed him to be so artistic, mechanically inclined and able to build and create beautiful things with his hands with wood, or repair a car or fix a machine etc. He saw life through a different set of eyes and had a different perspective. It made him very special and unique, and was the spark that created maybe just a little of the gifts that we have today.

Our father suffered with a variety of chronic illnesses since the age of 15 which lead to countless, uncomfortable medical procedures but it didn’t stop him from being the best he could be. He will remain one of our greatest examples of strength and perseverance that we have been fortunate to have been exposed. Even in amongst adversity he kept on going, “maybe not happily”, but he kept on going none the less.

Our Dad was still legally able to drive when he passed on. He was very proud of his accomplishment and the effort he put forth to retain his driver’s license in his 81/82 year of living. Thank you Uncle Frank for your encouragement which meant so much to him.

George had truly appreciated his extended neighborhood family who he enjoyed spending time with. They all shared a mutual interaction of caring and looking over one another.

A Funeral Mass will be held on August 19th at 11:00 am at St. Clements Roman Catholic Church, 745 Duke Street in Cambridge. Interment to follow at Parklawn Cemetery, 750 Fountain Street, Cambridge. All family and friends are encouraged to attend the reception gathering at the church to celebrate his life and reminisce about old times and years gone by for all of us. Our whole family would like to extend a warm thank you to the caring staff at Cambridge Memorial Hospital-Emergency and the Waterloo Regional Paramedics. They were professional and compassionate with our precious loved one through his transition into peace. We encourage donations to the Diabetes, Arthritis Societies and Heart/Stroke Foundation or your favorite charity in lieu of flowers.

Did we have the perfect Dad? No. But he was our Dad who we all loved. He influenced our lives in many ways that we know, and many ways that we are yet to fully comprehend. As we continue to age, and walk through our lives those little pearls of wisdom he imparted will become clear.

Our father missed his precious Geraldine so much that he left this world and entered the light where for forever they will remain together in each others arms where they were truly meant to be.

We Love You Dad!