PATRICK T. GREGORY

(June 25, 1946 - December 6, 2025) Patrick Thomas Gregory, a biologist, educator, and naturalist, died December 6, 2025, in the Cowichan Valley, British Columbia, at age 79, of complications from Parkinson's disease. Born in Bilston, England, he moved to Canada as a child and was raised in Etobicoke, Ontario. His academic promise was evident early; at Etobicoke Collegiate Institute he was part of the school's "Brain Class," later recalled by friend and classmate, Ken Dryden, in his 2023 book, The Class. Pat earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Toronto and completed graduate studies (M.Sc. and Ph.D.) at the University of Manitoba. Through his graduate work, Pat established a long research career focused on the ecology, behaviour, and conservation of reptiles and amphibians. In 1973, he became a faculty member at the University of Victoria, where he was a professor of biology for 45 years. He was known as a careful field scientist, a demanding but generous teacher and mentor, and an impressive scholar. Often remarking his incredulity at being paid to do what he loved, Pat did not see a divide between work and life, proudly publishing academic articles with his immediate family members. Much of his life was spent in small towns, parks, and near streams and marshes in Canada, as research regularly pulled him into the field. Animals were not only the subject of his work but a constant presence in his life. His Cowichan Valley property, where he lived with his wife, Linda, and their two daughters, supported a cast of snakes, turtles, lizards, farm animals, and rescue dogs and cats, reflecting Pat's conviction that careful observation of - and respect for - other species mattered. He was married for 54 years to Linda, his partner in parenthood, travel, and everything else. He was affectionately and interchangeably Dad, Father, Padre, and Pops to his daughters, and Grandpère to his grandsons. Though they understood his flaws, to his family, Pat was larger than life. He valued curiosity, humour, and debate, and loved music, dancing, sharing a drink and a story, and finishing every day with a book and a McIntosh apple. He leaves a gaping hole in the lives of the immediate family members he leaves behind: Linda, Jacqueline (Craig), Gillian (Christopher), and Thomas, Matthew, and Samuel. Donations in Pat's memory may be made to a graduate scholarship fund being established in his name at the University of Victoria.