Gerry & Birgit Morin December 12, 2025

Birgit Gertrude Mathilde MORIN (née Tocholke)
Born February 10th, 1953
Died December 12th, 2025

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the sudden passing of both Gerald (Gerry) Jean Paul Joseph Morin on Friday, December 5th, 2025, and Birgit Gertrude Mathilde Morin (née Tocholke) on Friday, December 12th, 2025.

Gerry and Birgit are survived by their daughters Alicia (Matt and Jake), Lynette (Chris and Gigi), and Kaela (Brad, Tucker, and Mia); Gerry’s brothers Marcel (Sandra and Maurice) and Ray (Haley and Logan); Birgit’s sister Tanis (Ron, Sean, and Jason); and nephews Scott and Adam.

Gerry was born on Sunday, September 26th, 1948 at St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg. Six days after he was born, his parents baptized him Catholic with the intention of giving him a clean slate. But popsie-doodle was determined to make delinquency and danger his preferred hobbies.

He once dared a friend to shoot him in the face with a bow and arrow, and unsurprisingly he almost lost an eye. He was expelled from St. Joseph’s School for punching a nun, and then expelled from Pinewood School for punching a teacher. He shot at other kids with his BB gun—his future wife included—and when the police drove down Parr Ave., the neighbours could usually guess where they were going.

As a young man, he channeled his energy into sports and enjoyed a reputation of being small but fast on the soccer and football field. He could pull off an Iron Cross, was a strong swimmer and—as mum would say— ‘hot to trot’.

Birgit was born on Tuesday, February 10th, 1953 in the village of Flettmar, Germany. Family lore has it that Reinhard and Helga Tocholke brought their infant daughter across the ocean in a dresser drawer. After landing in Canada, they travelled straight to Parr Ave. in Dryden and settled across the street from their drawer-daughter’s future in-laws, Jean and Lilliane Morin.

Mum’s rebellious streak was shaped a bit differently than Dad’s. Like any good small-town girlie, she loved other people’s vegetables and in the summer evenings would slip on her dad’s boots to raid the neighbour’s gardens. Most of the time, she brought along her partner-in-crime/dad’s sister, Lynn, to partake in the pilfering. Years later, mum (accidentally) flirted with arson and lit a small brushfire in the field east of Parr Ave. Thankfully, that’s about as wild as she got.

Gerry and Birgit were easy people, with simple needs and modest wants. They were happy to start their family with two healthy daughters, Alicia and Lynette, and a little while later added Kaela to the mix. They raised their girls to be hardworking and good (if somewhat sarcastic) people, and enjoyed their life in Northwestern Ontario.

In the summers, they fished Lac Seul, swam at Blue Lake, took long Sunday drives, and hosted family barbecues where everyone ate too much. In the winters, they stood for Remembrance Day, made Christmas a month and a half long, took the odd ice fishing trip, and spent the rest of the time cozy and reading. They also enjoyed a good card game, which is another way of saying they enjoyed the drama of it. Family friends Vivian and Gary Hodge frequently hosted mum and dad for dinner, and on one memorable occasion played a game of euchre so bad that Gary actually chased dad out of the house. And for all that mum complained about swearing, it never stopped her from playing Skipbo at Helen and Ted Thomas’s, where you could almost read the eff-bombs hanging in the air.

Once their kids moved out, Birgit and Gerry relaxed into a domestic routine. They found a friendly and tight-knit breakfast crew at the Twin Towers and rarely missed a day of socializing. Gerry enjoyed puttering, crossing off tasks on his ‘honey-do’ list, took fishing and hunting trips with friends and his son-in-law Brad, and faithfully watched the Ice Dogs play. Birgit took up quilting and over several years turned into a keen quilter with a precise eye for patterns. She also turned out to be a fabric-aholic, and her daughters have often speculated on which was more expensive, her fabric closet or her Birkenstock collection. She stayed social and got a little spicier as she aged, dishing out a good ribbing to anyone, her son-in-laws Matt and Chris in particular.

Several times a year, Birgit and Gerry would travel to either southern Ontario or Calgary to spend time with their eldest daughters and to experience a little bit of city life. Dad particularly looked forward to ‘shushi’ that he always put too much wasabi on, and mum fell in love with Edelweiss village in Calgary.

The last few years were a little hard on them. Dad’s hands had some nerve damage and became sore after light work, and mum’s vertigo meant that she had to be careful whenever she moved too fast. But that didn’t stop them: as they had done their whole lives, they supported and loved each other over and under every obstacle. Even in the weeks before his passing, dad drove mum here, there, and everywhere, as friends could attest.

They were inseparable right to the very end. So much so that after Gerry passed on December 5th, Birgit followed one week later on December 12th. Like any relationship, there were highs and lows, thicks and thins, longs and shorts. But mumsie and popsie-doodle had a love and a dedication that only the most luckiest of us will know.

They loved and cherished each other. They were loved and cherished by friends. They’ll be loved and cherished by their family that remains.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Dryden Ice Dogs or the Oxdrift Women’s Institute.