Greg, the son of George and Mary Paris (nee Beaton) was born in Vancouver, British Columbia at St. Paul’s Hospital. Greg passed away on December 13th, 2022 with his beloved family by his side. The loss of our dear Greg is felt deeply by his wife Libby Russell, his siblings Michael (Leslie), Richard (Gail Young), Madeline (Doug Wood) and Margaret (Garth Heald), the extended Russell family and all of the Paris and Russell children, and their babies who flourished under his wisdom and patience.
For 35 wonderful years, Greg and Libby lived a life full of love, laughter and respect; two hearts made whole by their opposing natures, and perfectly complementary minds. Libby always said she had to move to Canada to find a wonderful man like Greg and indeed Greg was astute, thoughtful, caring, and intentional in both his actions and his words. He was also delightful in his playfulness and humour. Libby and Greg were married on August 15,1987 in her hometown in New Mexico. When Libby and Greg bought their first (and only) home together, their yard had only a hydrangea bush, one scrawny rose bush and a cedar tree that was too close to the foundation; the street didn’t even have Vancouver street trees yet. Libby saw ugliness but Greg was thrilled to see an empty canvas ready for his landscape architecture artistry. And so together, their life full of care and intention began. Thirty-four years later, their home is surrounded by a welcoming garden with mostly native plants, tiered canopies of mature trees and an abundance of happy blooms that thrive throughout the year.
Greg cherished his family above all and gave his time and care to them unreservedly. He was always the first to show up to help and the last to leave when there was support that was still needed. He had close relationships with all of his siblings, Mike, Rick, Madeline and Margaret. His relationships with his siblings were not only that, but each relationship held a love and friendship that was unique to it. Greg’s care and commitment to his family somehow seemed to grow with every generation. He helped raise many nieces and nephews, and then moved on to their babies (25 great nieces and nephews to be exact), instilling in all of these little minds what it looks like for someone to exist in the world with incredible grace and respect for everything and everyone around them. He also shared with them his passion for nature and modeled how to look after it. He had his mother’s generosity in kindness and love and will be remembered for his gentle and unwavering patience and inherent goodness. But anyone who truly knew Greg was aware that his humility, gentle spirit and quiet reserve veiled a iron-clad independence, and incredible strength of character.
The only thing that may have matched the depth of Greg’s heart-spirit was his absolutely brilliant mind. “Friday Happy Hour” with the Paris family and friends will not be the same without being able to call on Greg for any name, date, or “did it happen that way?” that may have been forgotten by one of his siblings. He had an excellent memory and exceptional listening skills and could typically give the answer to almost any question that came up, no matter if it was regarding something that had happened last year, or a topic from several decades ago. And if the discussion was new territory? The next day there would be a group email from Greg with very helpful and well-researched information about the topics discussed, and answers to specific questions that had come up.
His love of and capacity for learning were driving factors during Greg’s early education that took him from his school days at Vancouver College, to his first degree in Commerce at University of British Columbia in 1973. This was followed by work with MacMillan Bloedel as a Transportation Analyst. After a few years, his unusually keen intellect and unbounded curiosity led him to explore his education in a different direction. He went to The British Columbia Institute of Technology to study Landscape Design, then continued on with a master’s degree in Landscape Architecture at the University of Guelph. Greg’s graduate studies were bookended by work with the Vancouver Parks Board where his ability to analyze complex problems with diverse implications at both micro and macro levels made a huge impact on many of the greenspaces that have blossomed in the city over the last several decades. However, most of Greg’s career was with Metro Vancouver Regional Parks as a Park Planner for the west area. Flexibility and excellent communication skills with various stakeholders became even more important. The position relied heavily on Greg’s organizational and analytical skills since the parks had highly specific individual needs.
Looking at Greg’s desk, bedside table and reading chair’s armrest was an interesting and ever evolving peek into this quiet man’s current interests. There was also always at least one book handy in his backpack, in case he had a few extra minutes to read, between his continuing education classes. These classes included such topics as, how to: cartoon, give a good toast at special life occasions, sing for pleasure, practice mindfulness and pole walk for exercise and relaxation. Greg was a steward of our complicated cultural impacts on the environment, an active participant in the growth of our little people and trajectory of their lives, and a stationary aficionado. He is now a deeply missed and forever loved husband, brother, uncle, and friend whose kind, thoughtful, gentle, intelligent, and genuine ways have left such a legacy of love behind.
A celebration of Greg’s life will take place at 10:30 am on Saturday, March 18 in the Floral Hall of the VanDusen Botanical Garden. It is located at 5251 Oak St. in Vancouver, BC.
Masks and hand sanitizer will be available for those who wish to use them. Children are welcome. For those of you who can’t personally attend, there will be a posted website of the service. No flowers please but for those of you who wish to make a donation in Greg’s memory, he valued nature, literacy and helping others in our community who need some assistance.