It is with much sadness we share the news that our beloved Gary Tipping, after so many successful toe-to-toe matches with the Grim Reaper, finally let the other guy win. But in a typical Tipper move, he made sure to go out in his own unique way and, rather than passing away in boring fashion at home, made his final exit in Thailand.  

Whether he was falling off of high steel, felling trees onto himself, crashing through brick walls (or crashing a party and meeting his future wife), tripping down staircases, pulling out another bottle of rum or coming back from the dead yelling 'I'm not ready yet!', Tipper always made an entrance and always left his mark. He was never afraid to speak his mind and, after the initial shock of meeting him wore off, this hilarious, one-of-a-kind man was loved and cherished by so many. He lived a bigger and wilder life than most and, despite the fact that he was content with the full life he'd created, he was still making more wild plans up to the end. "How about Ecuador next winter, Geri? And maybe we could fit in a week in Cuba when we get back home from Thailand and Singapore."

He will be eternally missed by his wife Geraldine, kids and grandkids - Brad, Gail, Jenna and Evan, Christene, Koca, Alex and Jamie, Lindsay, Lolito and yet-to-be-met Jelly-Bean, sisters - Cleo and Shirley as well as so many nieces, nephews, inlaws and 'outlaws'. And of course his friends, all you characters who populated his countless stories and made his life so colourful and rich.  

After one of his 'hospital scares', he told us how in the darkest moment he didn't think of all the material things life had given him, he instead focused on all the people he loved, his friends and family, all of us and all of you, and in those thoughts he found total happiness and peace. So know, we were all there with him giving him comfort as he passed, just as a little bit of Tipper will always travel along with all of us who knew and loved him.  

Never to do things in a simple way...and to ensure he gets in one final trip...Tipper will sneak in a couple more adventures before we get him home. You can imagine the stories he would tell about the Buddhist ceremony that will be held in his honour before he gets to leave Thailand. At his request, we won't be having a funeral, instead we'll be having a big Gary Tipping party in Ontario in a few weeks time when we can get all the Tippings gathered in one place. We will update the details as we figure them out. Please get in touch with Lindsay in the meantime for updates on the arrangements or if you want to get a message to Geri as she travels with the Big Guy and brings him home...and finally manages to get him to settle in one place!

We know how much our irreplaceable, unforgettable, never-to-be-duplicated Tipper meant to all of you, so please share your memories, love and stories (oh the stories!!) with us.