JAMES GERRIE PRESCOTT

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JAMES GERRIE PRESCOTT

July 19, 1938 - October 5, 2025

“We’re going to leave and let you sleep. We love you.”

Those were the last words we said to Gerrie at Chilliwack General Hospital before he nodded off. We didn’t know at the time that his would be the eternal sleep - that our promise to visit him again would go unfulfilled, and that this was our final goodbye. His 87 year-old heart, once so strong, had finally given out.

In hindsight, there was a sign. Gerrie said he saw people standing at the door - first one, then two, then three - though no one was there. He waved at them and asked them to wave back. He said hello, again and again. It comforts us now to believe that Gerrie was seeing his lost loved ones, ready to welcome him to his next chapter, and that he’ll be there to welcome us when it’s our time.

But that is the story of his passing - not the story of his life, which was long, mostly healthy, and full of happiness.

Gerrie was born in Winnipeg in 1938. Never much for school and craving adventure, he joined the Canadian Navy in 1957. In 1959, he met the love of his life, Heather (née Walterson), and they married in 1960.

Together for over 65 years, their life as a couple began with two years in Esquimalt, BC, while Gerrie served as a sailor in the Canadian Navy. During this time, he toured Japan and Hawaii. In 1962, they returned to Winnipeg and, in 1964, Gerrie began his 29-year career as a Winnipeg police officer, earning a reputation for excellence in traffic control.

Gerrie was overjoyed when he and Heather welcomed their two children, David and Lisa, into their family. Over the years, they also raised several little white dogs - Sandy, Cici, and Duffy - who held a special place in Gerrie’s heart.

Gerrie worked hard to provide for his family, regularly taking on extra shifts and working overtime. He was a self-taught handyman and enjoyed helping family and friends with their reno projects. He added an attached garage to our home, moved multiple interior walls, and did a lot of painting.

When he wasn’t working on the house, he loved to golf. He spent countless hours on the golf course playing the game he loved, often with his good friend Alex. Those times on the golf course were among his happiest. He was so passionate about golf that, in 2009, when Gerrie and Heather moved to Chilliwack, B.C. to be closer to Heather’s sister, Eleanor (Norburn), and Lisa, who was living in Vancouver - they bought a house backing onto a golf course. He practiced and played golf nearly every day the course was open and it paid off! He was thrilled to be named Golfer of the Year at his favourite golf club in 2012.

With his extroverted and friendly nature, Gerrie made friends easily - and made a lot of them. In the early years, he and Heather were often out at parties with their friends, always up for a good time. Gerrie loved to dance, whether it was the jive, the waltz, or later on, square dancing, and he could really cut a rug.

Gerrie will be sadly missed by his loving wife, Heather; his son, David (Elizabeth); his daughter, Lisa; his grandchildren, Hillary and Malcolm; his sister, Kay (Al) Wolk; his brother, Robert (Susan) Reilly; his dear friend, Alex (Judy) Stratton; his extended family; and his many friends.

We’ll think of him every time we golf, curl, dance, see a police officer, bump our heads, have a late-night pizza, do some renos or landscaping, and whenever we hear Rod Stewart, The Three Tenors, or Nana Mouskouri. We’ll picture him in his prime - tall, dark, handsome, healthy and fit, a twinkle in his eye, and a smile on his face - dancing with his lost loved ones, tripping the light fantastic. And when our time comes, we know he’ll be first in line to welcome us to the dance floor.

We’ll wave, and we’ll say hello - again and again.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Oct 18, 2025