Thinking of Jerry
I first met Jerry 40 years ago when he and Thora bought the Book Store on Bastion in 1978, an event which began a great literary adventure for the two of them as well as for as all the other book lovers in Nanaimo. There had been a previous bookstore in that location, but it was clear that now a great new era would take place because of Jerry and Thora, their vision for the store, their deep love of books, and their extraordinary support for writers.
What first struck me about Jerry in those early years was his curiosity and his interest in each person who came to the store. He really wanted to know who we were, what we liked, what interested us. He was happy to talk about books, but also wanted to know our thoughts about politics, the community, our work, our lives, and what we did for amusement. Fun was always a big part of Jerry’s life and he encouraged others to lighten up and enjoy a bit of fun.
When they moved across the street a few years later, there was more room for much more fun. There was the extensive children’s section upstairs where Thora ensured there were always plates of cookies on the shelves, cookies that were happily consumed by parents as well as their children, and there was the downstairs which was home to many extraordinary readings by well-known authors. Both Thora and Jerry were always open to suggestions for writers who might be brought in from the rest of the country or beyond, and they also offered generous support and visibility for local authors and aspiring authors. Thora hosted literary events supplying delicious appetizers and fortified punch, and Jerry picked up authors at the airport or in Victoria and drove them to the store, asking his curious questions and providing enthusiastic local lore in return. Many authors – I remember in particular P.K. Page whom Jerry chauffeured to and from Victoria for at least one reading – commented on how fortunate we were to have such a raconteur in our community!
Mike and I saw a great deal of Thora and Jerry through the intervening years and established some happy traditions. For many years, each Christmas Eve we would stop by the bookstore at the end of the evening, when the customers had mostly finished their last bit of shopping, for our exchange of gifts, a glass or two of wine, a consumption of Thora’s Christmas baking, and usually a last book purchase. Our daughter, Alison, worked at the bookstore for a few of her high school years, and she always treasured those Christmas Eves, before and after she was an employee at the store. While working at the store, Alison frequently had long chats with Jerry in which he queried her about her ideas and interests and gently challenged her on the rather rigid judgments she held at the time.
When Thora and I had our shared boat, Jerry was supportive of our picnic outings over to Newcastle Island and was ready to accompany Thora on many occasions. Although he and Mike had never wanted to buy a boat and didn’t get to spend much time on ours, they were both positive about adventures on the seas. I will never forget Jerry’s hearty laugh when we recounted the story of me getting my scarf caught in the motor, very nearly suffering a death like Isadora Duncan. Nobody could laugh like Jerry, and those who listened were made gladder even than he was himself.
Jerry seemed to change little during the decades I knew him. He did mellow a bit — gave up riding his motorcycle, stopped dashing off for trips to Cuba, and so on — but his curiosity and love of life remained undiminished. We had many good times talking about the special pleasures of living on Protection Island, and about its diverse population. People of all ages, their lives and stories, gave him great delight.
Visits to the Howells always involved wonderful meals prepared by Thora, and Jerry was very proud of knowing that their home was a celebrated “party house.” Thora’s reputation as a cook and hostess was well-known and well-deserved, with Jerry claiming credit only for his coffee. But I do want to note that, when I visited Thora a few times after her hip surgery, Jerry welcomed me and our dog Victor into the house. I suspect that Jerry wasn’t totally keen on dogs but he was always friendly to the two of us and, while I chatted with Thora, Victor at my side, he would appear from the kitchen with a nicely set tray on which there was two cups of coffee, two napkins, a plate of cookies, and two or three dog biscuits. He wasn’t known as a cook, but there was no doubt that he was always a very genial host!
In later years, after I’d left the island, I’d often have telephone conversations with Jerry. When I called he would exclaim, “It’s good to hear your voice!” and have many questions about how I was, what I was thinking, and what I was doing. If Thora was not home, we often had long chats about people, politics, events, and the vast array of subjects that interested Jerry. When asked how he was doing, his response was unvaryingly cheerful, even if he had concerns about various aspects of things going on in the world in sports or politics. “I’m…marvelous!” he was apt to reply.
He was a happy man. And he was, he said, right up to his last days, “The luckiest man in the world!”
Carol Matthews
Jerry Howell 