Sad to say we lost one off the good guys, Major (ret'd) Gerry Wharton MVO, CD
"It is with heavy hearts we announce the unexpected but peaceful passing of our father, Gerald Stanley Wharton. A loving husband, father and very much a soldier and a gentleman, Gerry leaves behind his most beloved wife, Heather, his daughters Laurie (Phil), Wendy (Roland) and Susan (Spenser), grandchildren Katelyn, Graeme, Evan, Nolan, Jesse, Heather, Blair and Ross, his sister Lesley, niece Ali (Zack) as well as 10 great grandchildren and two great nieces.
A proud member of the Canadian Armed Forces, Gerry served with the 1st Battalion The Canadian Guards and the 2nd Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry in Canada, Germany and Cyprus.
Upon retirement from the military with 32 years' service, Gerry enjoyed a second career as Chief of Ceremonial and Protocol Services for the federal government, providing expertise on flag protocol and material ceremonial support for all official functions such as Canada Day, Remembrance Day, all official visits and state funerals. He was a member of the interdepartmental committee for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and was responsible for the design of the tomb.
Gerry was honoured to be made a Member of the Royal Victorian Order by Her Majesty the Queen at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace in October 1995 for his "service to the Crown in Canada."
He retired from the Public Service in 2002 having served Queen and Country for 50 years. Upon his death, he was preparing to attend the bi-annual conference for The Army, Navy & Air Force Veterans in Canada concluding twenty years of voluntary service as its Honorary Dominion President.
As much as Gerry loved the military, he also enjoyed outdoor adventures, history, his church community and a glass of inexpensive scotch. Most of all, we know he dearly loved Heather, his wife of 66 years and his family. Thank you Dad, Grandpa, for instilling in us an appreciation for travel, early morning swims and the propensity to hike in the woods and up mountains just a little further and a little more rugged than is comfortable."
I first met Gerry back in the 1960s. We served in the same place a couple of times but never in the same unit or branch. He was a few years older than me, he graduated from CMR in 1958 and was commissioned into The Canadian Guards.
He was, above all, a gentleman.