Obituary of George Caisley

George Anthony Caisley passed away on February 25, 2021 in the advanced stages of Parkinsons Disease with Dementia. He was a resident at Sun Pointe Village, a long-term care facility in Kelowna, BC. George was born on May 8, 1939 in Noranda, Quebec to parents Arthur and Mossie Caisley. At the age of four, George travelled by train across Canada to Vancouver with his mother and younger brother, Michael, aged 1 year, to begin a new life in Vancouver. Arthur had gone ahead to look for new opportunities on the West Coast, leaving work in the gold mines at Northern Quebec. With the exception of a few years in Edmonton, AB where George attended Alex Taylor Elementary School, George was educated in Vancouver, attending John Oliver Secondary School and UBC where he obtained a B.Ed. in 1963, and an M.A. in Geography in 1967. In 1963, George and his wife, Kathleen, accepted teaching positions with SD#59, Peace River South, beginning their long careers as public educators in Dawson Creek, BC. George taught Math and Geography as well as practicing School Counselling at South Peace Secondary School throughout the 1960s and 1970s. When he returned to teaching from operating a business until 1983, he was appointed Head Teacher at the Nawican Friendship Centre, followed by Vice-Principal at Frank Ross Jr. Secondary School, and a teacher of Grade 8 core subjects at both FRJSS and Central Middle School. The excitement of running ones own business often lured George away from teaching to join colleagues in a variety of local ventures. George had a part ownership in Quality Feeders and Wallys Sporting Goods Store; he financially supported the start-up of The Mirror newspaper, and took years away from teaching to work full-time with his partners at the Massey Ferguson Farm Implement dealership, Murray Equipment. After he taught his last year in 1991 at Central Middle School, George joined the Great West Life Assurance Co. as a sales agent for the South Peace area. He built up his clientele over nine years to a very successful insurance and investment practice. From 1999 to 2004, George was owner-operator of the Sears Canada Dealership in Dawson Creek, followed by his final period in sales with Dawson Creek Realty from 2003 - 2007. Throughout these endeavours, both as an educator and an entrepreneur, he placed a high value on qualification, certification, and excellent service to his clients. Whether you sat in a Grade 8 Social Studies class or bought a combine, a refrigerator, or a financial investment, you knew that Mr. Caisley was working hard to bring you success. The young Caisley family was among the first to build a home on the Ski Hill Road south of Dawson Creek. The four children, Gregory, Linda, Laura, and Susan, grew up at the 15 acre property with a variety of domestic animals including horses, cows, chickens and turkeys. When they were involved in organized sports like Minor Hockey and Speed Skating, George joined the ranks of parents who spent countless hours driving their children to tournaments in Northern BC and Alberta. George developed a tolerance, albeit low, for classical music over the many years that all four children practiced their piano lessons in order to achieve a minimum level of Royal Conservatory Grade 7 in Theory and Performance, setting the foundation for two children to later study music at a postgraduate level. George was an avid outdoor enthusiast, spending as much free time as possible fishing and hunting. In his early days in Dawson Creek, George was mentored by local hunting guide, Ed Anderson, building up his body of knowledge, skills, and familiarity with many productive hunting areas. In turn, George would organize annual hunting expeditions in the bush country between Dawson Creek and Tumbler Ridge for visiting family. He frequently introduced colleagues who had recently arrived and groups of SPSS students on Outdoor Education field trips to the bush country. When he married his second wife, Sally Cramp, in 1990, George delighted in teaching her survival skills in the bush, hunting practices, and canoeing on the Murray and Pine Rivers. For over 20 years, they spent many happy weekends exploring cut-lines and setting up camp. George and Sally fully embraced the will and effort required to successfully blend two families with a total of seven children that now included Sue, Leslie, and Mitchell Cramp. They worked hard to provide a safe and secure environment for the younger ones still at home and a welcoming place to return for the older children who had already left. Rewards came when attending graduations and weddings, visiting new families in their own homes, and discovering the joys of grand-parenting together. Thanks to Georges love of cooking, their home was filled with fascinating aromas and delicious food. Food was the centre of entertaining for George when he could display his skills with Chinese or Italian cooking. George and Sally left Dawson Creek in 2007 to start a new adventure for retirement in the West Kootenays, specifically Christina Lake, BC, where they lived for 10 years enjoying the mountains, the lake, and four distinct seasons of the year. Declining health led them to move to Kelowna in 2017 for better access to specialty medical services dedicated to the treatment of Parkinsons Disease. George leaves to mourn his loving wife, Sally; his children Greg (Yi Zhou), Linda (Jonathan Chalaturnyk) Caisley, Laura (Richard) Caisley-Kirkham; his step-children Susan (Louis) Bois, Leslie (Kyle) Smith, and Mitchell (Bronwen Smith) Cramp; his grandchildren, Riley (Victoria Hurley) Felardeau, Adam Felardeau, Braden Likar, Olivia Likar, Emma (Gabriel Evans) Caisley, Christian Caisley, Rhea Caisley, Sawyer Smith, Rachel Smith, and Marrec Bois; his great-grandson, Jameson Felardeau; his brother, Michael and nephews, Shawn and Chris of Tumbler Ridge. George was pre-deceased by his daughter, Susan Caisley (December 30, 2020), his infant grandson, Cameron Likar (1999), and his sister-in-law, Sharon Caisley (2013). A Celebration Of Life will be held at Reynars Funeral Chapel on Saturday, September 4, 2021 at 2:00pm. A livestream of the service from this page as well as on our Facebook page will be available for anyone not able to attend. Very Respectfully, Reynars Funeral Home & Crematorium