Gordon Strathy
-
We regret to advise of the death of Gordon Strathy on 14 March 2015. Gordon enlisted for the Korean War with the Royal Canadian Engineers at age 17 and served in Korea with 23rd Field Squadron. Shortly after his return to Canada he re-mustered to a Preventive Medicine Technician and served the remainder of his military career with the Royal Canadian Medical Corps. He completed 18 years of service before taking his military retirement at just 35 years of age.
Gordon then enrolled at the University of Ottawa and completed a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Education degree. Returning to Petawawa, he taught in grades 3 through 13 in various schools and was principal of Killaloe Public School in Petawawa. Gord became a pillar of the community and Petawawa and its citizens benefitted immensely from his endless work and outpouring of goodwill and support. He provided leadership to the Royal Canadian Legion where his decades of activities encompassed areas as varied as educating youth and chairing a committee to build a Legion seniors' residence.
Gord served two times as president of the Petawawa Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion and was a co-founder of the Petawawa Legion Community Band. He was founder of the Petawawa Horticultural Society and also of the Petawawa Farmer’s Market and worked tirelessly in supporting both of those community assets. He maintained flower beds at community cenotaphs and founded the Celebration of Peace Memorial in Petawawa.
Gordon was also very active in the Korea Veterans Association of Canada where he was National President (1999-2000) and continued to serve as the Association’s National Secretary from 2000 until the time of his passing. He was twice awarded a Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal: the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal (2002) and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012). He was also a member of the Veterans Affairs Canada Veterans' Week Committee and was awarded the Minister of Veterans Affairs Commendation Certificate in 2005 for his service to his fellow veterans.