From the 2019 Canada Winter Games Committee

The 2019 Canada Winter Games is saddened to hear of the passing of Gary W. Harris on February 15. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.

⁣⁣⁣⁣Gary W. Harris had a long-standing history of giving back to his community through volunteer and philanthropic activities. In 2015, Gary made a significant donation to Red Deer College, which was essential for the development of the college’s newest athletic facility and the legacy facility of the 2019 Games- the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre. In 2018, Gary made another significant donation in support of the development of the Gary W. Harris Celebration Plaza, another legacy of the 2019 Games.

From Red Deer College

We were sad to lose our dear friend, Gary W. Harris, on February 15. Over the past five years, our College, our city and the 2019 Canada Winter Games were recipients of his generosity, his support for athletics and his belief in community. For Gary, however, these gifts were just the tip of the iceberg, and his impact has been decades in the making.

Gary’s ties to our College ran deep. As a former student, he understood what it meant to leave this community to finish a degree, and he supported our quest for University status. Recently, he established a scholarship for Education students, to honour the legacy of his mother, a former teacher. As a King, he supported our student-athletes by attending games and alumni events. The Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre stands as a prominent reminder of his generosity, and his absence is felt across our College.

Throughout his career, Gary was a teacher, a lawyer, a businessman, and a philanthropist in the truest sense. We will continue to hold his wife Ruth, his family and his friends in our hearts as we mourn this loss and reflect on his legacy. We’re proud to have called him a true friend, and we’ll miss seeing him on our campus and in the stands.