Stan was born in Nanaimo on August 18, 1945, to Robert and Dora Gisborne, and passed away at his home in Paradise Valley, Powell River, on July 7, 2023. Brother of Alfred, Larry, Bill, Joy (Georgina) and Ray.
Stan grew up on the Gisborne family homestead in the Cedar area, just north of Ladysmith. After completing senior matriculation (grade 13) in 1964, Stan began a long career in the forestry industry. Starting out on a fire suppression crew in Squamish, he then got a job shovelling at the Harmac Pulp Mill. He quickly recognized the demand for mechanization and enrolled in BCIT, first in Forest Products Technology and then in Industrial Instrumentation. At the end of the first course, the class toured the mill he worked at and a machine was doing the job he had left.
Stan worked as an instrument mechanic at the Powell River Paper Mill, starting in 1974 (retired 2002). His initial start in PR’s local community service was as a volunteer member of the Cranberry Fire Hall in the 1970s.
He built a 32-foot Ferro-Cement Sailboat in his backyard in Cranberry.
Stan was briefly married to his first wife Linda and had two children, Marion and David. After their separation, he spent some time constructing a hand built log cabin on the family farm in Cedar.
In 1982, Stan met the love of his life, Jan, at the Royal Canadian Legion in Nanaimo. When he tried to dance with Jan she was always already on the dance floor, so Stan asked her mother to dance. He persevered with Jan and they ended up having several dances before the evening was over.
Jan was a Canada Customs Inspector stationed in Nanaimo, and had a son (Paul) from a previous relationship. Stan was undeterred, so the couple commuted between PR and Nanaimo for four years until Jan was transferred to the Powell River office. Stan would later adopt Paul as his own. And in 1985, Stan and Jan would have their first and only child together, Mark.
He had an eye for good farmland and in 1986, they purchased 17.5 acres of ALR in Paradise Valley. Stan quickly got to work on improving the land. It wasn’t long before he had chickens and pigs. He then got into beekeeping and beef cattle. After receiving a fish-rearing permit and taking a course at VIU in Nanaimo, he began to raise rainbow trout in his ponds and fish tanks.
His tinkering skills were invaluable to the farm. He built his own automatic fish feeders, wired his own electric fence zapper, among many other projects. “If it's stupid and it works, it ain’t stupid.”
In 2008, Stan decided to have a ground/water-source geo-heat pump installed in his house and fish pond.
Stan was not capable of driving past a nursery without stopping to buy a fruit tree and a rhododendron for the farm. Even after his stroke he continued to research fruit trees and purchase them for the family farm knowing that he would never taste their fruit.
There were many holidays and long weekends where Stan would take Marion, David, Paul, Mark and several of their friends on camping and sailing trips. Always in search of adventure, he explored every town, city and ghost town in the province of BC. He sought out remote hot springs across the province and would often drag his friends and family onto treacherous journeys to find these hidden gems.
He travelled with friends and family on his sailboat, Thuja, up and down the coast, exploring the ghost town of Ocean Falls, to the abandoned military base on Yorke Island. Regardless of his method of travel, Stan loved to fish. It didn’t matter if it was fishing in the Johnston Straight or a Yukon road culvert, Stan had a rod close at hand.
When Stan and Jan had both retired, their adventures expanded to trips across Canada, the United States, Mexico, New Zealand, the UK and Europe.
In 1987, his neighbours convinced him to throw his hat into the ring of local politics. He was elected to the position of regional director of Area B for the Powell River Regional District (now qathet RD). He was elected to this position for 10 consecutive terms. There were many issues that he worked on over the years in his position, including but not limited to: Protection of West Lake from a Proposed Landfill; Padgett Road Bike Lane; Updating the Area B OCP.; Sending the Nootka Street zoning bylaw to referendum; and construction of the Willingdon Creek Village long-term care facility.
He had a strong resistance to provincial downloading, and preferred to keep the costs of services low. He recognized that new services come with new costs, and unforeseen consequences.
He thus earned the nickname “Dr. No.” Colin Palmer, who served many years with Stan, once remarked: “Stan isn’t saying no, he is actually saying ‘convince me to say yes.’”
His son Mark (who is now elected to the same position), commented that Stan had a thorough understanding of the various water issues for the southern region. He had water studies on the shelf dating back to 1988, with handwritten notes related to the discussion at the time.
Stan acquired and restored multiple vintage cars. A 1928 Model 526 Packard Convertible Coupe, 1928 Model A Ford, several McLaughlin Buicks from 1930, 1935 and 1936. Also a 1915 McLaughlin and a 1963 Corvette. He was happy to use the 1936 McLaughlin Buick as his daily driver.
If Stan was not able to find a piece for any restoration project, he manufactured it in his workshop or found a tradesman who had those skills.
He enjoyed his time with the local Vintage Car Club of Canada, Powell River Chapter, and went on many car tours around the province.
In 2015, during heart surgery Stan suffered a brain stem stroke. This was a major turning point in his life. When he regained consciousness, he could only blink his eyes. Brain scans and testing revealed that he had retained all cognitive function. He was diagnosed as “Locked In.”
In spite of the prognosis Stan, Mark and Jan made the decision that no matter what – Stan was going home.
Stan worked hard, was determined and over time he regained some speech, was able to feed himself, write his name, control his wheelchair and most importantly communicate. With Stan’s remarkable recovery he was able to be active in our community, continue to manage all his properties and still make frequent stops at nurseries. We are still planting fruit trees that Stan bought.
His family would like to thank his caregivers who helped through his last eight years. They also want to thank his community, his friends and his extended family, who stood by him through his most challenging times and gave him so much love and support.
There will be a celebration of his life at Cranberry Seniors Centre on Sunday, August 11, from 1 to 3 pm. We will have light refreshments and for those of you who knew what a sweet tooth Stan had, please feel free to bring something sweet that would have put a smile on Stan’s face.
