Dr. George Alfred Strasdine

It is with deep sorrow and much love that we mourn the passing of Dr. George Alfred Strasdine, of Gabriola Island, on November 21, 2020, at the age of 87.

He will be lovingly remembered by his children: Kim (Mike), Chris, Michael-Ann (Mark), Sandy, Phil (Val), Cheryl (Andrew), Doug (Kelly) and stepchildren Erik (Kathi), Barbara (Svend), Kath (Ted) and Michael; his 16 grandchildren, 8 great-grandchildren as well as his two sisters, Sharon (Greg) and Susan (Philippe), and their children.

He is predeceased by his wives from his three loving marriages: Rita Broadhead (m. 1955), Marion Hannah (m. 1969) and Yetta Lees (m. 2000); his grandchildren, Caleb and Philip; and his parents (Fred and Sally Strasdine).

Born in Edmonton in 1933, George obtained his B.Sc., M.Sc. and Ph.D. from UBC, specializing in Microbial Biochemistry. During that time, he worked at the Royal Alex Hospital in Edmonton and the Division of Applied Biology in the National Research Laboratories in Ottawa. At the age of 22, George married his first wife, Rita Broadhead, and their 3 children were born from 1956 to1963.

George was employed as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon during the early 1960’s. He then worked as a Research Scientist for the Federal Research Board at the Vancouver Technological Laboratory from 1965-1979 and for the Fisheries Technology Division of B.C. Research from 1979-1990, both located next to the UBC Campus. He also taught at UBC in the late 1980’s. George married for a second time in 1969 to Marion Hannah and adopted her 4 children in 1970.

In the 1960’s, George purchased a lot on Rowan Way, on Gabriola Island, where he and his family would enjoy summer vacations for 12 years, until he sold the property. George & Marion subsequently purchased a 10-acre lot on Cooper Road in 1980 which they named the Stone Barn Farm and where George resided until June 2019. In the early years, while commuting to Vancouver to work four days a week, George enjoyed working on his hobby farm and caring for its many types of animals in his free time. It was his delight to have his 7 children come from the mainland to help him from time to time. Once retired, George acquired a real estate license in order to assist Marion and 3 of her colleagues with setting up Gabriola Village Realty. After Marion passed away in 1998, following a long and courageous fight with lung disease, George married for a third time in 2000 to Yetta Lees, a Gabriola Island resident and talented fabric artist. 

Settling fully into his retirement in the new millennium, George was able to dedicate more time toward his pastimes, varied as they were, from the macro (star-gazing with his telescopes) to the micro (staring into a microscope and puttering in his lab). He also travelled extensively with Yetta until her unfortunate and sudden passing due to bile duct cancer in 2013.

George had a fine voice and love of music, a passion for fighter jets and a talent for sketching. He was an exceptional cook, being the chemist he was, enjoying such microbiological passions as making wine, pickling herring, curing sauerkraut, smoking fish and making ice cream. He will be fondly remembered for his razor-sharp wit, writing skills, extensive family chronicling and keen intellect. May he rest in peace.

The interment of his ashes at the Gabriola Community Cemetery and a Celebration of Life will take place at a later date when it is safe to do so.

We are very grateful to the Gabriola Home Support Society for the care they provided for several years, enabling George to remain in his home as long as possible.  Our appreciation also extends to Dr. Bosman and the staff at the Gabriola Medical Clinic for their dedication to their work and their patients. And finally, we’d like to thank the staff of the Stanford Seniors Village in Parksville, where George resided for the last year of his life, for their compassionate care and kindness.