428 THE ADVOCATE
VOL. 79 PART 3 MAY 2021
time passed, Greg’s beard became wilder and started to grey. He allowed his
ample head of hair to grow. His visage gave him a serious gravitas, which
was always softened by a compassionate smile and good humour. He and
Wyllie were looking more alike and endured many misidentifications by
judges, sheriffs, court staff and clients alike. Between volunteer work, client
meetings, appearances and preparations, Greg enjoyed sitting on Baker
Street with a cup of coffee, a cigarette and his current read from Nelson’s
library: he had catholic tastes for history, art, philosophy, literature and all
manner of non-fiction.
The Hume Hotel sits across the street from Nelson’s Rattenbury-designed
courthouse. For decades, a common table in the pub hosted members of the
bench and bar during the lunch break. Stacey and Wyllie were important
members of this collegial assembly. A delightful Stacey misidentification
occurred as Wyllie sat at the table reading the paper, awaiting his lunch. He
heard a soft, kind, caring voice (known only to fathers) saying, “Hey, Dad.”
He turned to greet Eleanor, Greg’s eldest. Later, Wyllie had to tell Stacey that
setting his children on him trying to score a free lunch was going too far.
The lawyer in Greg was only a part of who he was; he was fatherly to so
many young people, welcoming and mentoring youth from all over the
world, the country and the community, many of whom he retained in
friendship. Greg was an artist; a writer; an art collector; a chef; a musicologist;
a movie and theatre lover; a lifelong student of history, philosophy, law
and literature; and arguably the biggest patron of the Nelson Public Library.
He loved boats (preferably with sails), gardening, landscaping and constructing
rock walls. In recent years, Greg wanted to travel and explore the
major cities of Europe, which he did, from Glasgow and then beyond to
Jerusalem, and many places in between.
The most important thing in Greg’s life was his large and lively family, of
which he was very proud. One of his oldest friends noted that he “can’t
think of two people who have been more fortunate in marriage than Margaret
and Greg”. He is deeply missed by his wife Margaret and their children
Eleanor (Thomas Buffonge), Anne (Steve Meszaros), Robert (Angela
Meilleur) and Elizabeth (Nathan Affolter). Greg took great joy in his grandchildren
Christina, Edward, Alex, Theo, Charlotte, Violet and newest little
girl Phoebe. He also loved his weekly gatherings on-screen with sister Sharlene
and brothers Frank and Roy and their families.
On January 2, 2021, Greg passed unexpectedly but peacefully and
humbly in his sleep without a fuss or his loved ones bearing witness to any
suffering. It was fitting and in keeping with his nature. He devoted his life
to work for justice and to create opportunities for the people and communi-