426 THE ADVOCATE
VOL. 79 PART 3 MAY 2021
San Francisco to watch the Seahawks. There were many laughs along the
way and, on any given Sunday, I plan to proudly wear the profoundly ugly
team sweater Paul left behind for me.
Paul Jarman was one of a kind. He will be deeply missed and always
remembered.
D.J. Avison, Q.C.
Ralph Gregory (Greg) Stacey
With Greg Stacey’s death, many communities lost a
compassionate, kind and sincere advocate. Of late,
access to justice is a talking point amplified by
esteemed jurists, politicians, bureaucrats and social
activists. Our old friend Greg did not talk about
access to justice; he provided it for decades and in
many different ways.
Greg was born in Vancouver in September 1947 to Ralph and Margaret
Stacey. From his adventurous father, he acquired kindness, a love of the sea
and a penchant for good stories. From his mother, he inherited a love of art,
music and gardening. He was raised in Burnaby and attended Armstrong
Elementary and Burnaby High School. He earned a B.A. degree from Simon
Fraser, majoring in history with minors in economics and English, interspersing
his studies with a term at Carleton University in Ottawa, where he
earned a certificate in public services.
After completing his law degree at the University of British Columbia,
Greg left the coast for articles in Kamloops with Andrews, Taylor & Co., followed
by an associate year at Chertkow, Thomas, Walley & Berg. He joined
the Legal Services Society as staff counsel in 1976. A year later he joined the
Crown counsel staff in Cranbrook. In 1981, Greg became senior and administrative
Crown counsel for the West Kootenay, arriving in Nelson with his
wife Margaret and small children. The family built a house on the beach at
Willow Point and enjoyed the North Shore community for 23 years before
becoming Nelson residents for the last 15 years.
In 1984, Greg left the Crown to offer legal services directly to the public.
He did so until his retirement in 2017. In that time, he enjoyed a variety of