Larry Grey
August 8th 1938 - March 24, 2022
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Back in 1995 Larry called Darlene, director of Kiwanis Calgary Chinook. Larry had recently retired from the City of Calgary. His relative was a Kiwanis member in Ontario and recommended that he join Kiwanis. Darlene invited him to one of our meetings and he joined our club in July. He got involved right away, pitching in on everything. Though he never ran for higher club office he was a director on the board for most of his years with the club.
Larry loved to talk with everyone and was a great schmoozer. At the time we did Halloween, Christmas and Easter parties for Interfaith Youth Services and while chatting, someone asked what else we could do to help. They suggested vacuums for their clients. The next thing we knew Larry had made connections with Eureka Vacuums and they donated their rebuilt vacuums to us. Someone else suggested that the children could use bikes. He loved riding his bike as a child and often told the story of delivering the Albertan newspaper from the seat of his bike. He felt that every child should experience that same love. He started the Chinook Bike Program in 1997 and it has been running for 25 years now. Donating almost 9000 bikes. It started out in his neighbour’s garage, where Darlene remembers Larry having bikes stacked three high at times. Larry was great at making connections. He connected the program with the Calgary Correctional Centre when it got too much for a small group of volunteers to fix the bikes. He connected with Calgary Police Services when the need for bikes out stripped our capacity. He made connections with Bow Cycle and Canadian Tire for parts and helmets. Whenever there was a need, Larry found a way or a connection to make it happen. Larry was honoured by the City of Calgary as the volunteer of the year for his work with the bike program. Larry was an avid skier and member of the Seniors Ski Club. Through his involvement with Nakiska Ski Hosts, he was able to garner all of the lost and found items from the ski hill. Clothing items were cleaned and donated to shelters while the sale of the ski equipment helped to fund the bike program. Larry was a great salesperson for the various fundraisers the club had. Selling coupon books like crazy. He was also one of the main drivers in getting us our first casino. Even after he gave up the reins on the Bike Program he still liked to be involved coming out to the prep and giveaway days. He always had a big smile and a warm hug for everyone. His legacy lives on through the bike program and all of the lives it has touched. We found it very fitting, the day before this memorial, that we donated 2 bikes and helmets to two Ukrainian refugee children. He would have loved it and the hugs that we got when we delivered the bikes! He is sadly missed! Hugs! Larry Grey August 8th 1938 - March 24, 2022. |
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