BARRY GEORGE HITCHENS

(April 22, 1944 – June 26, 2025) Barry George Hitchens, age 81, of Nanoose Bay, BC, passed away peacefully in Palliative Care at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital. Barry faced complications following surgery to treat pancreatic cancer and met his diagnosis with the same strength and determination that he carried throughout his life. He will be greatly missed. Born on April 22, 1944, in Regina, Saskatchewan, Barry was the son of the late Frederic and Vera Hitchens. Barry moved with his family to British Columbia during his youth, where he graduated from Oak Bay High School in Victoria as a member of the Class of 1962. From a young age, Barry demonstrated the ability to organize and manage tasks with precision and attention to detail. Those qualities led him to pursue studies in commerce at the University of British Columbia where he earned a Master of Business Administration. Later in his career, Barry was awarded an honorary Ph.D from Glendale University in California. Barry began his career with Procter & Gamble before transitioning into the Canadian financial sector, working with major firms in Toronto, Ontario. In 1970, he joined the prominent investment firm Wood Gundy, where he helped design their inaugural pension investment performance survey. Barry's passion for financial analytics and performance measurement, combined with his shrewd entrepreneurial spirit, led him to return to BC, where in 1980 he founded his specialized consultancy, Comstat Capital Sciences. It was through Comstat Capital Sciences where Barry provided advanced, independent performance metrics and investment manager search services for some of Canada's most significant tax-exempt pension funds and endowments, working with assets valued at over $700 billion. His work brought new levels of quantitative rigour and independent oversight to institutional investment management nationally and internationally. He later continued his consulting through BH Capital Consulting, providing independent trustee and oversight services. His expertise in institutional investment management led to international consulting opportunities in United Arab Emirates, and central banks in foreign countries, completing assignments for the Canadian Government in Peru, Russia, Thailand, and Ukraine, for which he received academic recognition. Barry was cited for warning the Accounting Standards Board of Canada of systemic risk to markets holding $700 trillion of outstanding credit default swaps between many banks after publishing reports during the 2008 financial crisis. Barry had high ideals about his profession and believed deeply in the importance of his work. He sacrificed a great deal to achieve his accomplishments and felt proud of his professional achievements. He is remembered for having a sharp memory, vast knowledge of economic and military facts, and world history. He had a keen interest in military aircraft and took many opportunities to fly in them whenever he could, especially when he was in foreign countries on consulting assignments. Barry was a true entrepreneur and innovator. He was intelligent, articulate and an avid reader, while being gregarious, generous in kind and complimentary with his words. His volunteer work with the Canadian International Development Agency is well documented. He was an intriguing individual who made an impact on many lives. In his later years, Barry loved to sit and watch the variety of wildlife in his backyard, especially from his favourite chair on the porch at his winter home in Palm Desert, California, and his summer home in Nanoose Bay. When it was baseball season, Barry enjoyed cheering on his beloved Blue Jays. Throughout his life, Barry maintained strong connections to his alma mater, Oak Bay High School and the University of British Columbia, supporting these institutions as a generous donor. He is survived by his former wife, Lynn Luke; his children, Michelle Preston (Robert) of Vancouver and Robert Hitchens (Genny) of Sun Peaks; his brother, Brian Hitchens (Vallerie) of Kamloops, their children, Paul and Tara; and one grandchild, Niyanna Hitchens. He was predeceased by his parents, Frederic and Vera Hitchens. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to: BC Cancer Foundation, NRGH Palliative Care Unit or SPCA. A Celebration of Life will be held for Barry. Details will be shared ahead of the event.