Gordie Weber was an all year round Santa Claus. He was big, had rosy cheeks and a hearty welcome for everyone.
Wednesday evening at Surrey Memorial, he succumbed to complications of a bad heart and diabetes. He was 83 and is survived by wife Garrie and children Craig and Gail and many, many friends.
His funeral (Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. at Westlynn Baptist Church, 1341 East 27th in North Vancouver) will attract a who's who from the Variety Club, B.C. Sports Hall of Fame, curling, golf and his beloved B.C. Lions because he called people from every conceivable background friends.
He was the perfect Labatt's promoter in an era when the brewery not only sponsored sports but helped build them into bigger and bigger events. He sold more cases of Blue without ever trying than any 10 guys hired expressly to sell the product. That he got to go to about 20 B.C. men's provincial curling championships with his partner Howie Larke and almost as many Briers helped him keep his sales high.
But long before Labatts succeeded Macdonald Tobacco as men's curling's sponsor in 1980, Weber was immersed in things such as helping run the B.C. Open, the original name of the Canadian Tour pro golf tour event, with Sid Dahl, Al Nelson and Wayne Vollmer, director of golf at Morgan Creek.
As former Lions' president president Jack Farley recalled Thursday, he was responsible for opening a key door for the Lions to approach the brewery about helping the CFL team out of a financial fix in 1974. Weber ran linebacker luncheons with first coach Annis Stukus. And he and his wife Garrie continued to support the Lions as season ticket holders up until a couple of years ago when his mobility was compromised.
"He was a great community citizen," said original Lion Norm Fieldgate. "I think he and [former Province columnist] Eric Whitehead got the sports hall of fame started in 1966."
Former Vancouver Sun sports scribler Jack Lee said Weber, Bill Good Sr. and Ted Reynolds started the Sportsmen's Curling League at the Vancouver Club around the same time and attracted Stanley Cup-winning New York Ranger retired stars Babe Pratt, Alex Shibicky and Neil Colville to play.
"The last time I saw him was at the Doormen's Dinner, I think. Gordie did so many things to help charity banquets."
He was the Variety Club's chief barker in 1977, for instance. He was an honourary member of the PGA of B.C. and CPGA executive director Steve Carroll made him a goodwill ambassador.
"I met him when he was following me around Royal Colwood in the Canadian junior ['63]," said Vollmer. "We've been friends ever since. He was always there for golf. He had a big, big heart."
Brent Giles, 55, and third for fellow senior curler Rick Folk of Kelowna in this year's provincial curling championship next week at Golden Ears, said: "We became really good friends at the '82 Brier (Giles, Greg Monkman, Al Roemer and Brad Giles were runnersup to Al Hackner). He just made sure we were looked after."
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