The celebration of life for a beloved community member is being planned for this fall.
Bob Purdy (Robert Donald Purdy) passed away on Jan. 29, 2018 following a courageous battle with cancer.
Purdy, who earned the nickname “The Paddler,” was the founder of World Paddle for Planet Day, and was passionate about drawing attention to the protection of our waterways.
The Purdy family is planning a casual celebration of life to remember him in Ucluelet on Sept. 29, 2018.
Carey Missler, who is helping with the arrangements, says that a visit to a beach like Wickanninish, and hopefully a fire, will be part of the celebration. An indoor gathering will take place later on at a venue in Ucluelet that has yet to be decided.
The family is announcing their plans in advance in hopes that people wishing to attend from afar can make arrangements for accommodations ahead of time.
Purdy did many things to promote change in the way we treat the planet, and starred in a documentary called The Paddler in 2015. He went to the Okanagan Lake every morning with his stand up paddle board for 12 months to spread awareness the importance of looking after the planet.
The community held a Paddle Out event organized by Dorothy Jordan, Paul Mend and Carey Missler at Okanagan Lake the week following his passing. About 50 people showed up to honour Purdy and say their goodbyes at Rotary Beach in Kelowna.
Paddles for Purdy also took place in Vancouver, Tofino and Mexico.
If you are planning to attend the Celebration of Life, please RSVP to dotjordan@gmail.com by July 6, 2018.
Counting the days until I get back home! #Ucluelet #Tofino https://t.co/8gCbVv520G pic.twitter.com/7B9q0tJdsu
— Bob Purdy (@paddlesurfer365) July 4, 2017
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