A longtime Burnaby resident is being remembered by many as a “very strong, loyal person” who never shied away from lending a hand.
George Doering died on Feb. 7 at Burnaby Hospital at the age of 87.
He was born in east Germany and was the third of four siblings.
Doering was just 10 years old when the Second World War broke out.
Near the end of the six-year battle, when the Russians were making a push on the Eastern front, his family had to flee. His mother and brother left their home while Doering was still at work, digging trenches, but caught up with him later that day.
Thanks to memoirs Doering wrote following the war, his son Ron knows just how caring his dad was, even at the age of 16.
“When he was on his own, before he found his mother (and brother), he said, ‘I didn’t have to think about anyone, but I had both arms free to help others,’” Ron told the NOW. “This storyline of helping others has been prevalent throughout his life.”
Doering, who went on to become a machinist, immigrated to Canada in the mid-1950s. He came by ship, landing in Montreal, then took a train to Vancouver, where he spent a short time living with his sister. He ended up north in Kitimat, with only $10 in his pocket.
Work took him back to Vancouver, then California, Chicago and finally Burnaby in December 1968.
“With the ongoing Vietnam War, my father wanted to protect my brother and I from the possibility of being conscripted into the army,” said Ron of the family’s move to the Lower Mainland. “My father lived through one war. He didn’t want us to endure another war.”
Doering was forced to retire early in 1990 after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, which he beat.
He spent his retired years volunteering with local organizations, including the Burnaby Citizens Association, COSCO, New Vista Society, Burnaby Multicultural Society and the NDP.
He earned numerous awards: the Queen’s Commemorative Medal for community service (1993); Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal for community service (2012); Senior of Distinction Award for healthy living (2015); Burnaby Hero Award (2015); and the first annual award for extraordinary contributions to the community, presented by NDP MLA Raj Chouhan and MP Peter Julian in 2016.
Chouhan, who was a family friend of Doering’s, said he’ll miss his smile and twinkle in his eye.
“He never complained about anything. Every time I called him, he’d say, ‘Oh yes, I’ll be there.’ That’s the kind of person he was,” Chouhan told the NOW, adding Doering worked on every one of his campaigns, providing IT services (yes, he learned computers, too). “He has been a very strong, loyal person.”
Doering also taught Burnaby school trustee Katrina Chen, who’s running for the NDP in the riding of Burnaby-Lougheed, the political ropes.
“We shared a lot of stories together,” said Chen about her decade-long friendship with Doering. “I was a young immigrant, here by myself, so he always encouraged me. He always told me, ‘I know it’s hard, but keep working. I think through his stories, it really helped people like me who were so new, to let me know that if he could do it, I could do it.”
Chen added Doering showed up to every event.
“One year we were working at the Edmonds fair. I think he got the dates mixed up and I called him in the morning. I said, ‘Where are you?’ He said, ‘I’m still sleeping.’ I said, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll take care of things,’ but he still showed up right away.”
A week before he passed, Chen said Doering came out to show his support for her current campaign, and even made a donation.
“He was a close friend, a good mentor and a great volunteer,” she said.
NDP leader hopeful Peter Julian shared those sentiments.
Doering was the “poster guy” for Julian’s disability tax credit seminars.
“George came to the first one that I hosted and was able to get $13,000 retroactively,” Julian recalled. “For him, it became a bit of a crusade to let people know how to access money that the government owes.”
Julian noted he still talks about Doering in his presentations, or as he calls him, “my friend, George.”
“He had a fantastic sense of humor, boundless energy and always willing to help out,” the MP said. “We miss him profoundly.”
Coun. Sav Dhaliwal said he admired his straight-to-the-point approach.
“He was never shy when it came to the city, in terms of letting me know what was working, what needed to be changed. He would pick up the phone and say, ‘It’s stupid the way those lights are working or not working,’” the councillor recalled.
Doering was diagnosed with lung cancer last March and died of complications from pneumonia. A memorial service is set for Saturday, March 4 at the Hilton Vancouver Metrotown Hotel. It starts at 11 a.m. inside the Crystal Ballroom.
