Gerry Arkle Hodgson

Gerry Hodgson, age 88, beloved husband to Denise Hodgson, dear step-father to six sons, and cherished grandparent to generations of the Varley family, passed peacefully at his home at Hamilton Village in Richmond, BC on May 9, 2026, surrounded by loving family members.

Gerry had a full life, filled with family, friends, professional colleagues, and a multitude of people who participated in community life at the Hodgson Camp on the shores of Kawkawa Lake, in Hope, BC.

Gerry was born and raised in New Westminster, BC, the firstborn son of Shirley and Hazel Hodgson, and older brother to Kent Hodgson. Shirley was an itinerant teacher in one-room schoolhouses across British Columbia in remote towns and villages, while Hazel was a homemaker who nurtured Gerry and Kent through their school years. In the summers, Shirley, Gerry and Kent would stay, work and play at Kawkawa Lake, a gem of a property on the lakeshore which evolved into a campground later on. The Hodgsons would pass summers there clearing land, building cabins, maintaining and enjoying the property, exploring the local wilderness and culture, and providing affordable camping to families.

As a young person, Gerry had a number of hobbies and pastimes, such as stamp and coin collecting. Gerry and Kent used to enjoy using reel-to-reel recording equipment to make mock news reports and other creative recordings of current events and such. This was an important vehicle of communication between the lads and their father who could be teaching at Hudson Hope or Beaverdell or another remote location. Gerry and Kent would make a tape reel and send it in the mail to their dad, and their dad would communicate in kind. Gerry also was proficient at playing the accordion in his younger days. He spoke with fondness of his time working on the railway as a porter as a young man working to pay for his university education. Gerry always enjoyed music and was an audiophilewith top-notch stereo equipment. Gerry and Denise enjoyed attending the symphony and opera and other artistic events in Vancouver and on their various travels. Gerry was also an ardent supporter of the Varleys and their children, his grandchildren, often attending school and sporting events to cheer them on.

It is an understatement to say that Gerry’s life, love, and enjoyment of life were intimately tied up in Kawkawa Lake, a large undeveloped lakeside property bought by the Hodgson family in 1946. In the early days there was no road in, and the family would boat in and bushwack. They cleared land and built cabins which still exist today. Shirley had a good friend, Odie Munday, who participated in early, hardy years of rough camping and camp construction. The Munday family, along with Musgrove, Oliver, Hamrey, Leloup, Hobson, Stushnoff, Mackenzie, Beatty, Silcox, Hall, are a smattering of the many families in the Kawkawa Lake family. And all involved at Kawkawa Lake have been extended family for many years, generations of families enjoying life at Hodgson Camp.

Gerry completed his senior matriculation from Grade 13 at New Westminster High School in 1955. Gerry attended the University of British Columbia from 1955 to 1960, earning a Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com.). Gerry was an outstanding student and earned numerous awards of recognition for academic excellence. He was on the Dean’s list every year. Gerry graduated as the #1 Commerce student at UBC. He won the Kiwanis Club Medal for the student with the highest overall academic standing in the graduating class of the Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration, and the BC Institute of Chartered Accountants Prize for having the highest marks in his accounting and auditing courses. Gerry took the Uniform Final Evaluation (UFE) for Chartered Accountants and placed #1 in all of Canada on that exam in 1960, winning the Governor General’s Gold Medal. Gerry was ever-humble about his accomplishments and always downplayed them.

Gerry went on to have a full career at Price Waterhouse (1958-1965), Macmillan-Bloedel (1965-1981), and Placer Development, later Placer Dome (1981-1997). Gerry served as the Controller for several of Mac-Blo’s major divisions in the forest industry. When he transitioned to the mining sector in the early 1980s, he initially took on the role of Controller for Placer Development. He was a key financial steward when the company merged with Dome Mines and Campbell Red Lake Mines in 1987.

Gerry’s work at Placer Dome took him far beyond the Vancouver head office to oversee operations at some of the world's most significant mines. His auditing duties included theMisima and Porgera Gold Mines in Papua New Guinea, the Kidston Gold Mine in Australia, and operations in South Africa, Chile, and the Nevada. Gerry’s wife, Denise, accompanied Gerry on some of his business trips, such as to Australia. Gerry and Denise shared an enjoyment of travel, culture, music and cuisine, and enjoyed numerous vacations together both within and outside of Canada.

Gerry met Denise in the late 1970s when they were both volunteers at VARCO (Vancouver Association for Retarded Children’s Occupational Centre), an organization dedicated to providing specialized workshop facilities, to provide occupational training, life skills development, and employment opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. VARCO was part of a major shift away from institutionalization, driven by local parents who wanted their children to lead meaningful lives within their own communities.Denise served as president, and Gerry served as the Treasurer for the board. Gerry’s professional expertise in accounting was a major asset to the association as it expanded from a small parent group into a multimillion-dollar operation. Gerry went on to provide volunteer accounting services for PLAN (Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network) for many years.

Anyone who knows Gerry’s wife, Denise, also knows that she was a pioneer and tireless advocate for persons with developmental disabilities. Denise’s advocacy work was ignited on behalf of her developmentally disabled son, Scott, and this propelled her into a role of professional in the field, a perpetual volunteer and a pioneer advocate in services for persons with developmental disabilities. Gerry saw that spark in Denise, and they held a common sense of vision and purpose over decades in their combined service in this area of academic, social and vocational development opportunities for persons with developmental disabilities. This sympatico relationship ultimately led to Gerry and Denise to courtship, and then marriage in 1980. Gerry and Denise were married at the home of the Hoings, another prominent family in Gerry’s life.

Gerry bit off a lot when he married Denise, as she already had six boys at that time, ranging in age from 16 to 23. However, from the beginning, Gerry was universally loved and respected by all Denise’s children, as a caring, generous, and supportive step-father by all six of the Varley sons: Mark, Charles, Steve, Paul, Patrick and Scott. Gerry had a special relationship with all the sons, at various times and in various ways, across the decades. Most particularly, Gerry had a special bond with ScottVarley. They spent countless hours together at home in Richmond and at Kawkawa Lake. They were truly “dos amigos” who loved and supported each other. Gerry had a special talent with Scott in how they interacted and cared for each other. Gerrywas Scott’s friend, bosom buddy, mentor, dad, motivator and cheerleader. Among Gerry’s many accomplishments, he createdan environment at Kawkawa Lake where Scott felt valued, secure, and empowered, and where Scott had a strong sense of belonging and responsibility to the camp and the campers. It was really hard for Gerry when Scott passed away in September 2013. Scott and Gerry together, that is what love looks like in this life.

Gerry leaves behind an incredible legacy of a loyal son and brother in his Hodgson family of origin, as a consummate professional accountant, a dedicated volunteer, an understated leader and mentor of many, and a coordinator of a magical Kawkawa Lake Hodgson’s Campground which continues to serve generations of families.

Gerry also had a special manner with children in general. He had horizontal conversations with kids. He was curious and inquisitive. Children were enthralled by Gerry because he was able to meet them and appreciate them at their level. Children were safe around Gerry. They felt heard and valued. Gerry asked children what they thought about important matters, adult stuff, and he took their contributions seriously. Gerry spent endless hours talking to, walking with, and supporting and encouraging his large family that now extends into generations.

Among the many who now mourn Gerry’s passing is his only sibling, his brother, Kent Hodgson. Gerry had six step-children, Denise’s sons: Mark Varley (passed 2018; Marisa, Elise, Zachary and Keegan, and their mother Lynn Varley); Charles Varley (Nicholas, Sean and Aiko, and their three children), Steve and Sue Varley (Jordan and fiancé Hannah, Tyler, Jared and wife Emily, Taryn and husband Aaron, plus their three sons), Paul and Ann-Marie Varley (Chris, Evan and Anna); and Patrick and Shawn Varley (Jon and Noah, and their mother Wendy Briggs); and Scott Varley (passed 2013). Gerry also leaves behind his cousin, Helen Silcox (Stuart, Sheri and Kevin, and their two daughters).

Gerry made innumerable impacts on the lives of innumerable people. Gerry was universally loved and respected by all who knew him. He leaves behind a marvelous legacy of family and community in the Kawkawa Lake family that he generated through his efforts at the Hodgson Campground in Hope. Gerry was a kind man, a man of integrity, generous-hearted and gentle, polite and respectful, smart and resourceful. Gerry was a devoted husband, a devoted son and brother, and an amazing step-dad and grandparent/great-grandparent to the upcoming generations. He was a talented professional accountant with an outstanding academic and professional career. Most of all, Gerry was really well-loved, he loved back, and he will be tenderly missed by all who knew him.

We love you Gerry Arkle Hodgson!