Last Saturday a Celebration of Life ceremony was held for Jerry Craigie, a definite Neighbourhood Hero.

Jerry was raised in Cabbage Town, a poverty-stricken part of Toronto at the time. That poverty resulted to an absolute commitment to succeed.

When he got out of the army after the World War Two, he got a business degree with a minor in law. That led him into the newspaper business first in Ontario and then at the Calgary Herald where he became a business columnist.

When he was offered the position of General Manager of the Board of Trade Journal, he returned to Toronto. Three years later he bought a printing business, which he ran for the next five years before selling it to become a Public Relations consultant. From there he was enticed to join Foster Advertising as their Vice President of Public Relations.

Jerry had his first heart attack when he was 47, one of those warning signs that all too many of us notice, think about for a while, and then forget - Jerry paid close attention and "Do It Now" became his motto, not next year of next decade, now.

In his early fifties, Jerry and Christine bought a motor home and hit the road for two full years. How many of us plan such an adventure for when we retire and then health or other issues prevent it from ever happening? Jerry and Christine did it.

A second heart attack in the United States led to open heart surgery during which he contacted Hepatitis C. That challenge convinced them to move to a better climate. In 1990 Nanaimo became their home and we are the richer for it.

In the week after Jerry passed away, I spoke to many of his Rotarian friends and heard him described as a mentor, an inspiration, a passionate and enthusiastic man who was organized to the nth degree ... and a teller of bad jokes, not risqué jokes just plain bad jokes, but somehow for some unexplained reason, we all looked forward to hearing more.

But there was a lot more to Jerry than his jokes. He was a pilot, a sailor (he and Christine rebuilt two fishing boats into pleasure craft), a drummer (with We Three Etc, the Chelsea Trio, and the Bowen Seniors Band all of whom entertained in many seniors' homes and hospitals), a magician (Dr. Magic), a barbershop singer (The Tidesmen), and a golfer. He didn't take up golf at all seriously until he was in his sixties, and yet he was one of a select group of golfers to ever get a hole in one.

Christine's sister saw Jerry as every wife's dream husband - He loved to shop! In his youth he couldn't afford to buy much, later in life whether he bought things or not, he knew he could, and he loved looking at all those things he could buy any time he wanted.

Christine describes Jerry as someone who had, "the curiosity of a little boy and someone who never lost his enthusiasm for new things."

At the age of 73, after three years of study, Dr. Magic became Dr. Jerry Craigie. Those of us who knew him weren't surprised when we learned that his doctoral thesis was on The Importance of Ethics in Business - Always spiritually inclined, Jerry began to lean even more in that direction over the past few years.

Last July Hepatitis C eventually caught up with Jerry but he kept playing his "gigs" for seniors until just before his final two hospitalizations.

Jerry's passion for life will live on through Christine and any of his friends who choose to catch a piece of his energy. There was plenty to go around and, through us; it will be around for a long time to come.

To nominate a Neighbourhood Hero or to read old columns, go to www.nhero.org.