Passed away May 30th peacefully at the Chilliwack General Hospital.
Gord was born and raised in Chilliwack, BC, and attended Little Mountain Elementary and Chilliwack Junior & Senior Sec. schools.
He was very musical and played clarinet, piano and saxophone, was in several marching and concert bands and also formed a
Country Rock band calledl ‘Trigger’ in his late teens.
In 1973, Gord joined his dad on a trip to find farm land in the prairies as a ‘retirement project’ for him and a ‘seasonal’ vocation
for Gord. They purchased land in Davidson ,SK, and built a house in town.
Gord learned how to farm wheat, mustard and canola from his dad; the Pankratz family had immigrated to Canada after fleeing
Russia in 1923 and farmed in Menno, SK, until 1947.
After his dad’s passing, Gord continued tor run the farm along with his mother until 2017.
Gord is preceded in death by his brother Norman (1969), father William (1975) and mother Josephine, nee Abrams (2023).
He is survived by his sister, Ellen Pankratz Powell and nieces Justine and Lauren.
The Internment was held at the Chilliwack Cemetery on July 25th and a memorial open house will be on August 22th
at the family home in Chilliwack.
Gord’s ashes will be scattered at his favourite places including his beloved prairie home.
Donations to the BC Cancer Foundation are greatly appreciated.
