Charles Richard Laurence Peers passed away suddenly on the morning of Monday, October 22rd, 2023 from natural causes. “Laurie”, as he was known to friends and family, was born May 14th, 1936 in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he lived for his entire life. He was the son of Geoffrey and Enid Peers and brother to Michael. He is survived by Jim and his wife Lisa, Brian and his wife Heather and grandson Griffin.
After graduating from Lord Byng high school, where he was a notable basketball player, he went on to earn a degree in Forestry from The University of British Columbia. At UBC, he continued his basketball career and was, by his own admission, the unlikely president of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. During this period, he would meet his future wife Geraldine, a nursing student, on a blind date at the Commodore Ballroom having been set up by friends Doug and Vicky.
Upon spending his first summer as a forester in “the bush”, namely Franklin River down the Alberni Canal, doing survey work and bunking with a group of storied and perhaps notorious, loggers from Hungary, he decided there might be another career trajectory in his future. Turning his sights to the law, he graduated from UBC law in 1962. However, he never lost his passion for forestry. Later, The C.R. Laurence Peers Centennial Scholars Award in Forestry would be established in his name by the The Morris and Helen Belkin Foundation. This was to support outstanding forestry students entering UBC who would otherwise not be able to afford the cost to attend.
Laurie married Jessie Geraldine Wray on May 4th, 1962 and spent their honeymoon at Yellow Point Lodge, an historically popular Peers family destination.
Originally articling for Nathan Nemetz, he would be called to the bar and ultimately be recruited by Ladner Downs in 1964. Once there, he would become the Managing Partner of one of the largest and most powerful firms in Canada and be renowned as one of the nation's top legal minds. He worked extremely hard in the vocation that he was passionate about until finally retiring in 2000.
During their marriage, Laurie and Gerry toured the world far and near. Cruising the gulf islands on their boat, Terrapin, they had many great adventures while developing their nautical skills. Next, there were summer vacations with their boys at Beach Acres in Parksville. This was replaced with wildly ambitious tours through Europe where they left no museum or landmark unvisited. They showed their sons more destinations in grand style by their adolescence than most would experience in a lifetime. Their particular love for the city of Vienna not only led to loose talk about that being a retirement destination but also a humorous instance of missing a flight home having lost track of the date.
Having felt that they had traveled enough for the time being, they turned their sights to golf as their newfound leisure activity. To this end, they found a vacation home on the fourteenth tee of The Semi-Ah-Moo golf club. They would play endless rounds of golf by day, never caring much about the score. In the evenings they would go out ball hunting with their beloved dog “Boots” by their side. They entertained many family members and friends at the Semi-Ah-Moo house over the years while enjoying what would best be described as a “posh / rural” existence.
Laurie and Gerry were a constant at each other’s side for forty-four years until Gerry’s passing in 2006.
Some years later, Laurie would meet Pat Foster, who was a long-time neighbor. The two of them would strike up a relationship that would be a great comfort and see them move into Tapestry in adjacent suites. He often said that before “Miss Pat”, he was a bit lost and isolated by choice. She truly showed him joy and affection for many years.
In recent years, when asked if there was a specific place he’d like to visit or something he’d like to experience or see, he would simply remark that he’d kind of done it all. This remark didn’t come from a place of lethargy or helplessness. It was simply the truth and in this regard, he was truly satisfied with all that he had seen and done. He was, in the end, truly content.
His greatest indulgence in recent years was to sit in a comfortable place near the front door of Tapestry and watch the world go by. He would greet and have conversations with the people that came and went. He often spoke about what a good place and situation he’d placed himself in at this juncture of his life.
There was an online post, in a community group, that recommended passersby on Wesbrook Mall to look for a very nice and interesting fellow named Laurie sitting vigil near the front door of Tapestry. If you found this man there and spoke with him, you were better for the experience.