Jacky Jean Thureau

Jacky Jean Thureau was born in Ernée, France, to parents Marie-Anne Goas and Maurice Thureau. He enjoyed a close relationship with his grandmother, spending summers together in his home village, Saint Pierre des Landes. At an early age, his intellectual aptitude was evident, and he received a scholarship to attend boarding school at Prytanée Militaire (La Fleche), where he consistently received the top academic award. He ranked 27 out of 1500 students in the engineering entrance exams, allowing him his university of choice, which was Grenoble. He completed an electrical engineering degree and was recruited by IBM France on graduation. Later, he was appointed as the French team lead in a multi-national quality assurance group for the new mainframe computers, prompting a move to Poughkeepsie, New York. A chance trip to Club Med Paradise Island is where he met his wife, Barbara. They married in 1984 in Palm Desert with many friends and family from France, the USA and Canada in attendance. The two were fortunate to share a love of travelling and enjoyed visiting many countries in Europe from their base in Le Rouret, France. Jacky was an apt windsurfer and caused quite a stir on the beaches of Antibes in the south of France when his Labrador, Toots, swam out and joined him on his board. He and Barbara welcomed their firstborn, Christopher, in Cagnes-sur-Mer, France, and a favourite trip as a young family was taking Christopher to Israel when he was six months old, strapped in his stroller and riding in a blue Hertz Jeep through the occupied territories up to Jerusalem. They moved to Vancouver shortly before welcoming their daughter, Alexandra, during a blizzard that shut down the Lions Gate Bridge. Dressed in scrubs, Jacky was mistaken for a very happy doctor and had to decline requests to assist doctors waylaid by the snow. Jacky loved sports and enjoyed skiing in the mountains on the North Shore and in Whistler, and coaching his kids' soccer teams. He was an avid Whitecaps fan and flew the French flag high through every FIFA tournament, in addition to being an enthusiastic volunteer for team France during the 2010 Winter Olympics. His pride in being a French citizen remained throughout his whole life; he enjoyed sharing and celebrating the culture, the cuisine, and had many lifelong friends back in France. Jacky is predeceased by his parents Maurice and Marie-Anne and his brother, Michel. He leaves behind his wife, Barbara, his children Christopher and Alexandra, his brother Yvon and his wife Jeannette, and their extended family. The North Shore Hospice provided calm and comforting care to Jacky in his final days, and the family thanks them for that. The family is having a private celebration of life.