James Walter Koerner

KOERNER, James Walter James W. Koerner passed away in Victoria, B.C. on 30 October 2017 after a lengthy illness. Jamie is survived and greatly missed by his brother Stephen, sister Marianne Bianco (Rodolfo), nieces Francesca and Giuliana, uncle Michael Koerner (Sonja), cousins Lisa Wilson, Bjorn Wiksten (Barbara), Pehr Smith, Elizabeth Viksten, Jacqueline Koerner (Robert), Michelle Koerner (Kevin), Erik Yeo and other family members scattered throughout North America and Sweden. He was predeceased by his parents Nicholas and Karin Koerner and cousins Alexandra Koerner Yeo and Karin Viksten. Jamie was born in Vancouver, B.C. on 1 May 1957. He was affected from birth by a developmental disability which occasionally slowed him down but never stopped his infectious sense of humour nor his indomitable spirit. After moving with his family from Vancouver to Victoria in the late 1960s, Jamie became a resident at the Cedar Lodge facility in Mill Bay. Later on when the Lodge was relocated to nearby Cobble Hill he went along with it. During the mid-1970s he joined the Skeleem Community Village for disabled persons where he lived until it was closed down in the late 1980s. Thereafter he lived in several group homes around the Victoria area. In 2004 he moved into one managed by Sharon Vandoremalen where he spent some of the best years of his life. In 2011, because of increasing health problems, he moved to Feltham House, a twenty-four hour staffed group home operated by the Independent Living Housing Society of Greater Victoria (ILHS) where he continued to live in a happy and caring environment. A big part of Jamie's life for over twenty-five years was the Garth Homer Centre where he was an enthusiastic and well-liked participant in their day programmes. Jamie was also a talented artist and became one of the original members of ArtWorks creating art there for many years before transferring into the Pathways programme. He continued to join in their activities until only several weeks before his death. The family would like to thank the staff and Jamie's many friends at the Garth Homer Centre, the ILHS staff and fellow residents at Feltham House, GPs Dr. Greg MacDougall and Dr. Kate Kuss and, during his final days, the staff at the Royal Jubilee Hospital ICU as well as 5 North in the Patient Care Centre. There will be a memorial service later this month. In lieu of flowers, donations please to the Garth Homer Society and/or the ILHS.