George William Morley Punshon
February 13, 1923- May 15, 2010

Shut down the fryers, turn off the grill, send the pin-setters home. The last of the King Pins is gone.

Our father, grandfather, great grandfather, friend, mentor, business associate and citizen of the world put up a great fight and led an incredible life for 87 years. In his own unique style he forged a name for the Punshon family in Vancouver. But let's start at the beginning.

Morley was born and raised in Calgary Alberta the youngest of 3 children. He lost his father at an early age and his mother Edith, decided to move to Vancouver where Morley ensconced himself into the west coast lifestyle. It was here he met Vivian Peters. Morley and Vivian were regular fixtures at famous locations throughout the city and could be seen dancing and fraternizing at the Cave, The Palomar Club and Gai Paree Supper Club on Kingsway. They fell in love, got married in 1947 at Christ Church Cathedral and started a family soon thereafter. Lynne was first to arrive followed closely by Randy, with the family living first at 15th and Balsam in Vancouver, then moving to the present family home on Haggart Street.

An entrepreneurial spirit, Morley jumped at opportunities to get into business a result of living for a period of time with his mother Edith who was successful in the stock market and real estate investments. Among the many adventures he experienced was buying and selling cars which lead to his appreciation for convertibles, most notably the Mustang Convertible. The Mustang became almost the family symbol for many years with just about every member of family driving one at one time or another. Morley met lifelong friends and business partners Bill Ferguson, Don Ross and Harry Davernet through the car business.

Wanting to further his business experience Morley got involved with Kings Drive In and learned the ropes only to open his own Texan Drive Ins, the first downtown on Georgia St. where he was fortunate enough to have Brenda Lee and Johnny Rivers attend and sing at the grand opening. Then two more locations were opened, one on Broadway and a third in Surrey. The cowboy theme was one that Morley loved and was constantly expressed throughout his life with business, music and art.

Alas a man by the name of Ray Croc entered the hamburger business eventually toppling just about every burger place in the city (and around the world).

Not to be left standing still, Morley went to work for Phillips Electronics and it was there that he learned of Loomer Lanes, a bowling center group across Canada, owned at the time by Phillips. Morley put together a deal to buy the centers. These centers eventually became Sports Bowl Entertainment Inc. and became the backbone for what was to be FP Financial with Bill Ferguson and then finally Punshon Financial Group.

Morley's involvement in the bowling centers was the catalyst to fund raising for CKNW and The Orphan's Fund. For many years he was the number one contributor to the Fund, raising thousands of dollars for a worthy cause.

His biggest hobby was collecting artwork and antiques. It was not out of the ordinary to see him at auctions and antique stores throughout North America. A regular occurrence was the arrival of art and antique auction books with Morley on a plane to somewhere auction book in hand. Many of these pieces ended up in the trunk of his car, which was a treasure chest of goodies not to be seen by others until the moment suited Morley invariably when you least expected it.

His greatest love was for family and being a “kid at heart” himself, one could find him hurtling down the top of Haggart Street on a skateboard or throwing a football with the kids sometimes, to the horror of his wife Vivian, in the living room. Dead aim accuracy was required at all times!

He was a natural entertainer and loved to throw a party or entertain guests. His Superbowl parties were legendary on Haggart Street. Guests would be treated to TVs in every room so as not to miss a thing while visiting. Meanwhile food and music were in abundance and just to top it off, everyone got a genuine copy of the Game Program, sent in via air-mail just before the party. Sometimes the entertaining would be held elsewhere and for many years guests and family would get to go to the Box at the Coliseum to see a hockey game or see a music group. His favourite entertainer was Frank Sinatra and he was lucky enough to see him live several times.

Eventually the businesses were wound down and Morley retreated to home and family. The ability to live at home with the support of family and caregivers kept him going for several years despite ailing health.

Morley will be remembered for being young at heart and having a generous nature. He had a love of music, dancing and truly enjoyed gathering with friends and family.  Against unbelievable odds, Morley fought vigorously against Parkinson's and typically, he made the decision when to go and passed away quietly in the comfort of his home.  He is survived by his wife Vivian, his 2 children, Lynne ( John), Randy( Colleen), grandchildren David( Amanda), Jennifer ( Michael), and great grand children Robin, Lola Rae and Levi.

The family is very grateful to Morley's caregivers Sabita and Johan and especially for the loving care he received from his constant companions Nhadia and Ester.
Our gratitude to Dr. Ngui, Brenda and Susan at Pacific Spirit Coastal Health.  A special thank you to Shirley Baxter-Clark for her gentle kindness and to Bonnie and Lis at the CSIL Program.  In lieu of flowers, memorial donations would be greatly appreciated to the The Red Cross (specifically the Independent Living Program) as it made life so much easier for Morley.

The family has chosen a private graveside service. A celebration of Life will be held June 6th from 2-5pm at the Punshon home on Haggart. Please R.S.V.P. directly to the family by email to morleypunshon@gmail.com
“Happy Trails to you, Until we meet again”