Obituary of Gerard Andrew McGillivray

It is with great sorrow that we announce the death of Gerard Andrew McGillivray of Saint John, New Brunswick, more recently of Halifax, Nova Scotia. He was the loving husband for 75 years of Margaret and father, father-in-law and grandfather to seven children, a daughter in-law and two grandsons, all of whom always loved him way up to the sky. Gerry was born in Saint John on June 16, 1923, the son of the late George and Helen (Dowd) McGillivray, and died at home in Halifax on March 14, 2021, with his beloved wife at his side and children nearby. He is survived by his wife of 75 years, Margaret Graham McGillivray, son Maurice and daughter-in-law Carol of Halifax, son Mark of Saint John, daughters Mary of Antigonish, Maureen and Monica of Toronto, son Michael of Saint John, grandsons Graham (Nicole) of Edmonton and Andrew of Shanghai, and his sister Claire McGowan of Saint John. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his dear daughter Marta in 1993, and by his brothers and sisters, Kathleen, Ronald, Bernard, Helen, Carmel, Joseph, Eileen, Paul, Fr. Maurice, and Fr. Gregory. A resourceful, witty, intelligent, tenacious, hard working man, he entered the shipping business with Furness Withy and Company in Montreal in 1945 as a clerk and made his way up to the position of Manager of the Atlantic Region and retired at 80 years of age. He travelled the world for Furness and then for Empire Stevedoring of Montreal, seeking and landing contracts from New York to Seattle to Tokyo. A businessman of integrity, he sealed agreements on a handshake. He learned Spanish in his 40’s so that he could better engage in negotiating with companies sending Spanish trawlers coming into Saint John and Halifax. At 57, never having left North America, he went to Japan to negotiate the first shipping contracts with Japan Tuna. He was extensively involved in arranging the first contracts for the arrival of cruise ships in the Port of Saint John. His instrumental role in the establishment of and operation of the Potash Terminal in Saint John remained an accomplishment of which he was most proud. His long association, based as always on integrity and mutual respect, with Empire Stevedoring and the Chodos family of Montreal was one which he cherished until his retirement and thereafter. For more than 25 years he served as Honorary Vice Consul for Sweden in the Maritimes, a position which culminated in his and Margaret’s being presented to the King and Queen of Sweden as he was awarded the Royal Order of the Polar Star in recognition of his service on behalf of Swedish nationals. A lifelong Roman Catholic, he was involved in the Catholic Family Movement in the 1960’s. For decades he actively supported several local, national, and international charities as well as quietly helping neighbours and people in need in both Saint John and Halifax. A talented natural musician, he regaled the family with songs and piano at birthdays and anniversaries and it is fair to say that everyone loved to hear his tuneful whistle, though not necessarily when no one else was up. Though he was largely retired by the time he moved back to Halifax in 2003, he kept active and made many new friends here to add to countless others in Saint John. Daily walks along Quinpool Road alone brought him new pals and he made many friends at Saint Patrick’s church. His dearest wish was that if he could not stay with Margaret until they both went to God, he would be able to be at home with his wife and family. Thanks to the efforts of Dr. Saroj Premsagar, his GP for 19 years, and Dr. Maia von Maltzahn, his geriatrician, this wish was fulfilled. In addition, we are grateful for the kind interventions of Dr. Robert Miller and Dr. John Stein.  We also gratefully acknowledge the support and care of many Northwood community care workers over the past few years.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday, June 30^th, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (91 Waterloo Street, Saint John, NB). The family welcomes those who wish to attend; please register by calling the Cathedral at 506-653-6820 or emailing at cic@nb.aibn.com. The service will be followed by interment at Saint Joseph’s Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Operation Smile Canada or a food bank of your choice. For those unable to attend, the family has provided the opportunity to view the mass via Live Stream; please use the link through the Brenan’s website.