The man responsible for the development of the Garibaldi Highlands and Garibaldi Estates neighbourhoods has died at the age of 94.
Squamish pioneer land developer and dear friend to many Squamish residents Pat Goode passed away on June 3 in Langley. A memorial service was held in Surrey last Saturday (June 12).
Born and mostly raised in England, Goode graduated as a chartered accountant in London, England and later joined the Royal Air Force during WWII as a navigator.
He moved to Canada in 1949 and settled in Vancouver. He moved to Squamish in 1960 and became a land at the forefront of developing the Garibaldi Estates and Garibaldi Highlands communities.
Bent Mortsenen moved to Squamish in 1961 and when he arrived Goode was well into his developments in the Highlands.
"He helped a lot of people getting started," said Mortsenen. "A lot of people had difficulty affording lots and he let them make small down payments and then he would carry the balance at a very reasonable price.
"It helped a lot of people get set up because there wasn't much money up here then and he wanted to see Squamish go."
Krisztina Egyed and her family have been friends with Goode for nearly 50 years.
"He was a visionary and a perfectionist with a wicked sense of humour, a quintessential gentleman and a true friend," she said, adding that he was "instrumental for a lot of people owning their first homes.
"Pat told me he regretted not naming the Garibaldi Highlands Boulevard the Pat Goode Boulevard and hoped that it could still happen," said Egyed.
"Pat's life was devoted to community service, and he received numerous citations for his diverse contributions from environmental preservation before it was recognized as a concern," said Egyed.
"Pat became a legend in his own time, and even today decades after he moved away there are young newcomers to Squamish who are familiar with his contributions to our community."
Leo Schnurr, one of Goode's oldest friends, worked with Goode on the developments in the Highlands. He said Goode was quite the character and knew all the right people to make sure his projects went through.
"He was a big wheel and he knew all kinds of big wheel politicians," said Schnurr. "But I've known Pat for 50 years and he was also a great friend."
Schnurr's company, L & A Equipment, worked with him for the entire development and he is convinced Goode named the streets in the Highlands after a similar area in Scotland.
"He was that kind of guy," he said. "He was also the guy who got the whole Terminal going by bringing up some pictures of a gorgeous Holland terminal and putting Squamish scenery in the background of it. Then he would take it to the politicians and he knew enough big wheels to get things going."
Goode instigated numerous environmental projects in the Squamish area and was appointed to the Board of the National Second Century Fund of British Columbia, a society that purchased property to preserve wildlife.
One project he helped accomplish was to purchase property along the Adams River to preserve the salmon spawning. He also encouraged the government to set up a fish hatchery in the Squamish when he saw the fish struggling to navigate a river.
Goode also received the Order of Diocese of New Westminster for his work with the Anglican Church.
His wife, Louise Goode, described her husband as a complex man.
"His life was a series of chapters always looking for fulfillment," she said. "He wasn't timid undertaking new projects and was fiercely independent. But while he was demanding, he was also hardworking, caring, sensitive and generous."
She said her husband attacked every cause or project he worked on with the same admirable tenacity and would not let go until he had seen it through to a successful and meaningful completion.
"What he loved most of all was to be able to work for the betterment of society," she said.
