Gerry (Gerald) Tholenaer

It is with heavy hearts and deep sorrow that we share with you the passing of our beloved Gerry (Gerald) Tholenaer.  Gerry passed away on March 12, 2021, with his soul mate Lisa at his side, after a courageous battle with Pulmonary Fibrosis.    

He leaves behind his beloved wife, Elisabeth (Lisa) Wilson; his brother Michael (Veronica); sisters Brenda (Jamie), Janine (Barry), and Carolyn (Rick); nephews Shane (Jen), and Franklin; nieces Ava, Sarena (Carter), Brittany (Michael), Katherine (Sam), Amy, April (Jon), and Corrina (Gertjan); and many cousins. He was predeceased by his brother Bruce, his father Gerald, and his mother Johanna.  He will be dearly missed by the Wilson family; mother-in-law Diane; father-in-law Michael (Ineke); brothers-in-law Robert Wilson and Matthijs Bruining; sister-in-law Marion (Jimmy) Yun; and by his closest friends, Robert Ott, John Janssen, Jasmine Forde, and Daniel Eadie.

Gerry was born on August 12, 1966, the 6th of 6 children. He was raised in Calgary, Alberta, and spent some time in British Columbia in his teens. Gerry returned to his home of Calgary where he met his wife of nearly 20 years, Lisa.  They were happiest enjoying time together and were rarely to be found apart. Together they drove many roads, exploring western Canada’s small towns and historic places.

Gerry was an avid "car guy" and owned several classic cars; most notably, a silver 1969 Chevrolet El Camino, which had been recently restored by a treasured friend, Marty MacDonald.  He was always working on some sort of car-related project and loved to attend car shows when he was able.  A second hobby was photography, at which he excelled.  As his illness progressed, he discovered a passion for miniatures, created a 1/18 scale miniature auto workshop (that looked incredibly real), took amazing photographs of it, and started Facebook groups on super-realistic scale model-building.  Over 8000 fans worldwide followed his work. 

Gerry loved using his time and talents to help those he could, and it was common knowledge that if you had questions about cars, you should talk to Gerry!  Above all else, he cherished his family, friends, and the time spent with them.

Gerry will be remembered as a devoted husband, uncle, sibling, son-in-law, and friend.  We take comfort that he is now at peace.

The family would like to extend their gratitude to the staff of the Foothills Hospital, Unit 61, for their kindness when they stepped in as surrogate family to care for and support him during his last days.

A celebration of life will be planned when it is safe to do so.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Gerry (Gerald) Tholenaer, please visit our floral store.