Former REALTOR® Jack Glen Giesbrecht passed away in January. He was 84. 

Jack was born on a farm in Shaunavon, Saskatchewan in 1938. After his father was killed in a coal mining accident when he was nine, the family moved to Maple Ridge. After graduating high school, Jack went to work on the stacker at Hammond Cedar. 

At 20, Jack met the love of his life, Irene, at a basketball game. By 1961, they were married and his father-in-law, George Le Roux, convinced Jack to become a Realtor and work for his company, J.K. Cooper Realty. He’d go on to spend 40 years at the company, becoming a managing broker in 1982. 

Jack paired his successful real estate career with a lifetime of community involvement. He was a 59-year member of the Lions Club, maintaining a perfect attendance record in 55 of those years while serving as president, director, and treasurer and earning their highest honour, the Melvin Jones Award. He was also a member of the local board of trade, the Port Coquitlam Business Improvement Association, and was twice asked to be the Parade Marshall for the May Day Parade in Port Coquitlam.  

Outside of real estate, Jack loved to fish and hunt, especially at Loon Lake where he purchased a cabin that became a central space for Giesbrecht celebrations with family and friends over the years. He was also an avid world traveller and enjoyed many trips with his family to destinations like Mexico, Hawaii, China, Portugal, Greece and Arizona. He cruised down the Amazon River, climbed the Great Wall of China, and walked through the tombs of pharaohs in Egypt. 

Jack is survived by his loving wife of 61 years, Irene, his children Laura (Christopher) and Dwayne (Alison), grandchildren Jake and Sophie, sisters Deanna Renner and Elaine Thomas, brother Eddie Brunette, and countless other friends and colleagues. 

A Celebration of Life will be held at 11 am on February 4 at the First Memorial Funeral Services Burkeview Chapel, 1340 Dominion Avenue, Port Coquitlam for those who'd like to attend.