Obituary of Gerald (Jerry) Ross CROWDIS

May 2, 1940 - April 15, 2021 

Gerald (Jerry) Ross Crowdis, beloved husband of Esther Crowdis (nee Draker) of Calgary, AB, passed away on Thursday, April 15, 2021, at the age of 80 years.

Jerry was born in the town of New Waterford, Nova Scotia, on Cape Breton Island. He grew up in Sydney and Sydney River before the family moved to New Glasgow for his high school years. After graduating top of his class, Jerry continued his education at Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick, completing his Bachelor of Arts in 1960. He continued his trek westward at the encouragement of his father George, moving and settling in various places in southern Alberta, eventually making Calgary his adopted home. He began his dual career as an English teacher and church organist. Seeking to expand his education, he received his Bachelor of Education from the University of Alberta in Calgary.

Through United Church Young Peoples, he met his love and life-long partner, Esther, who also had found her way west from Ontario. Married on July 6, 1968, the couple welcomed their sons John in 1969 and David in 1970. In 1973 the family spent a year in England where Jerry completed his Masters of Education at the University of Durham. While Calgary would always remain his home, he took a year-long teacher exchange to Niagara Falls in 1978-1979. 

In his career, Jerry taught in numerous High Schools in Calgary, including James Fowler, Henry Wisewood, and William Aberhart, from which he retired in 1995.

Jerry served as the organist and choir director in virtually every faith community he attended, including St. Thomas United Church and at Varsity Acres Presbyterian Church, retiring from the organ bench in 1997. He remained an active choir member for the rest of his life.

Jerry loved to travel. Much of the 1970s involved a great deal of bravery with two young boys on a yearly summer driving pilgrimage to visit family in Ontario and Nova Scotia, especially at the family cottage on the banks of the Mira River on Cape Breton Island. As the boys grew older, they expanded their destinations to points in Hawaii, where Jerry would find one of his favourite spots on earth under a shady tree on the north end beach of Kama’ole II in the town of Kihei on Maui. In their retirement, Jerry and Esther continued to travel, making two or three trips per year, including regular returns to Maui and cruises to many different corners of the globe. Occasionally, he generously shared his love of travel with his sons, partners, and grandchildren. The last family trip in the summer of 2019 was a cruise around the British Isles, a moment and memory that continues to be treasured.
 
Jerry will be remembered for his dry wit, his bear-trap of a mind for trivia and detail, and his quiet compassion and kindness. He was a friend and mentor to many, impacting his students and people in a way that he will never fully know. In the days since his death, tributes have poured in from all corners, showing the influence he had on so many. As one person wrote, “the world needs more Jerry’s.”
 
In addition to his wife Esther, Jerry is survived by his two sons, John (Sarah) and David; grandchildren Megan and Ian; Aunt Lois, Brother-in-Law Patrick, Sister-in-Law Ruth, and nieces Kim, Shauna, Debbie, Sandra; Great-Nephew Craig, and Great-Niece Amanda. Jerry is also survived by his life-long friends, Elliot and Carol DeWolfe, and Ivan and Elizabeth Freeborn.
 
Jerry was predeceased by his parents, George and Ina (nee Ripley), siblings James, Eileen, Patricia, and infant granddaughter Heather.
 
A private online family gathering will be held over the next week. A wider celebration will be held at a later date at Varsity Acres Presbyterian Church, where Jerry’s love of music can be fully expressed when in-person gatherings can be resumed. Condolences, memories and photos may be shared and viewed on Jerry’s obituary at www.McInnisandHolloway.com. 

If friends so desire, instead of flowers, please consider a memorial tribute made directly to Varsity Acres Presbyterian Church, https://www.vapc.ca/about/giving, or the Inn from the Cold Society, Suite 104, 110 – 11th Avenue S.E., Calgary, AB  T2G 0X5, Telephone: (403) 263-8384, www.innfromthecold.org.  
 
In living memory of Gerald Crowdis, a tree will be planted in the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area by McINNIS & HOLLOWAY FUNERAL HOMES, Crowfoot, 82 Crowfoot Circle NW, CALGARY, AB T3G 2T3, Telephone: 403-241-0044.