Errol James Lawson

Errol James Lawson was born August 5, 1942, in Oshawa, Ontario, and passed away peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, on May 23, 2025, at Eagle Ridge Hospital in Port Moody, B.C. Errol was loved and will be greatly missed by his wife, Millie, his sons, Jesse and Lance, and all of those who loved him dearly.

Errol grew up in Timmins, Ontario. He studied education at the University of Toronto, earning his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. For 15 years, he was a teacher, guidance counsellor, and vice principal in the Niagara region.

He married Angela (née Minacs) in 1966. They spent 25 years together and had two sons, Jesse and Lance. During this time, they built a beautiful modernist wood home on the Niagara River. Angela and Errol were partners in life and business, leaving behind teaching to become entrepreneurs in fashion and retail.

In the early ’90s, Errol and his family moved to the mountain resort of Whistler, British Columbia, where he first established his lifelong love of the West Coast of Canada. There, he owned Whistler Village’s popular video store and enjoyed talking to celebrities who’d stop by when they were in town.

Marrying Millie (née Murielle Faucher) in 1996, Errol found love again. He spent 30 of the happiest years of his life with Millie, first on the Ottawa River, before returning to Coquitlam, B.C., a place he felt most at home.

Music mattered deeply to Errol. Johnny Cash was his favourite, alongside Gordon Lightfoot, Fleetwood Mac, Joni Mitchell, Judy Collins, and many others. He enthusiastically enjoyed state-of-the-art sound systems and shared his love of movies, especially Star Wars, with his sons.

Errol played basketball, tennis, skied, and snowboarded, but his greatest passion was watching football. He supported the B.C. Lions faithfully. He liked tennis legend Jimmy Connors the most, and watched hockey and baseball whenever he could.

Inspired by actors Burt Reynolds and Tom Selleck, his signature mustache became a personal trademark that endured throughout his life. Errol was also known for giving big hugs, the biggest ones you’d ever get.

Errol ran many other businesses throughout his life, keeping him busy until retirement. He was a people person and generous with his time, always helping others. He supported his youngest sister Christine early in her career, and showed unwavering dedication to his sister Lise during her battle with MS. Errol volunteered, wrote newsletters, and gave back through mentorship and support groups.

As a person, he was true to himself, authentic, humble, discreet, respectful, and never judged others. He loved family reunions, took sincere interest in people's stories, and could tell a good one himself. Despite life’s challenges, Errol had wit, inherited from his big brother and best friend Norm. A man of good heart, he was a loving husband, reliable father, and supportive brother. He was proud of his sons and tears often filled his eyes when he’d see them.

Facing health challenges later in life with remarkable courage and with hope, Errol never gave up. In his final days, despite difficulty speaking, he promised his son Lance he would look after Millie, saying without a doubt, "You bet I will.”

Happiest at home, by the grace of God, Errol is now "Home, home at last."

Errol was predeceased by his parents, Norman and Eléonore (née Boisvert), sister Danielle Gibbons, and brothers Norman Jr. and André. He is survived by his wife Millie (née Murielle Faucher), sons Jesse (Amy) and Lance (Ashleen) and their mother Angela; Millie’s children, Melanie (Stephen), Chad (Laura), Mark (Michelle), and David (Brynn) (children of late André), sisters Rosanne (Simon) and Christine (Rocco), sister-in-law Lynn (late Norman Jr) and nieces and nephew Emily, Rachel, and Joey (children of late Norman Jr.); brother-in-law Gary (Barb), nephews Jack (Amanda), Derek (Karen), Brent (Leslie); nieces and nephews Asha (Ty) and Martina (Alex) (children of Christine)  Jérémie (Heather)  and Céleste (Matthew), (children of Rosanne);  and nephews Kyle, Christopher (Marcia) and Jordan (sons of late Danielle); Millie’s grandchildren Emily, Eric (Sierrah), James, and Rose; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law Denis (Debby), Céline (late Jean), Estelle (Denis Durocher), Angèle (John), late André Faucher, and Guy (Natalie) and nieces and nephews Michael (Sarah) and Daniele (Brad),       (children of Denis Faucher),  Isabelle (Mike), (daughter of Céline ), Jean-François (Julie), Marc-André (Valérie), Dominic (Janine), (sons of Estelle), Assendro, (son of Angele), Valérie, (daughter of late André Faucher) Myriam  and Emmanuelle, (daughters of Guy) as well as many other nieces, nephews, extended family, and dear friends.

Special thanks to the Eagle Ridge Hospital ER and medical teams, Dr. Richard Ogo, Dr. Nathan Wong, Dr. Miles Horton, Dr. Cameron Dehoney, and Dr. Christina Zhang of VCH Movement Disorders Clinic at UBC. We are grateful to Tri Cities care aides from Fraser Health Authority and Bernard of Rivers and Valleys Home Support, along with Jayson, Jeofrey, Joyce, Maryjane, Mayzette, Ruth, and Ivan, who cared for Errol in his final years. We wish to sincerely thank Father Maciej Wos and Rev. Ján Kuneš.

The funeral mass will be held at 12 pm PT on June 13, 2025, at Saint Clare of Assisi Parish, 2888 Delahaye Dr, Coquitlam, B.C., followed by a reception in the church hall. The mass will be live streamed. Visit www.stclare.ca or St Clare of Assisi, Coquitlam on YouTube.

Condolences may be sent at https://www.burquitlamfuneralhome.ca/obituaries/errol-lawson 

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Parkinson Society B.C. at www.parkinson.bc.ca