George (Red) Sutherland, retired Group Captain, passed away on March 16th , 2005 at the age of 86 years at the Chilliwack General Hospital.
He is survived by his wife Penny; children, Jim and Bonnie Sutherland; his sister Eleanor Dann and four grandchildren, Melanie, Kimberly, Andrew and Geordie.
He was born on July 2, 1918 in Calgary, Alberta. His parents were George and Mary Sutherland of Port Moody, BC. He was a WWII fighter pilot, involved in the first wave of night fighter pilots crossing over the English Channel on D-Day. After the war, he briefly left the Air Force to try and run a garage with his dad in Port Moody, but his love of flying took him back to the Air Force where he remained until he retired in 1969 and moved to Chilliwack, BC. He had lived in Chilliwack before the war and spent some very happy and memorable times staying with his great friend Johnny Lockwood and family. It was also the time he met Don Gleig, who remained his great friend for many, many years.
After the move to Chilliwack, he went into Real Estate which he enjoyed for many years. He was a very gregarious guy and made many friends throughout his colourful life. He loved golfing, gardening, skiing and he kept himself fit with regular workouts. He was a popular sight jogging down the country roads near his home on Camp River Rd. He also loved a good party and good company. He was a “one of a Kind” dad and grandpa and we will all love him dearly. He will live on in all of us and we will always have great and fond memories of him.
We are going to have a gathering at his home on Good Friday, March 25th, 2005 starting at 2 p.m. to celebrate his life and to remember the good times. We welcome his close friends and neighbours to this gathering.