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Irvin Louis Greer (Slim) was born Oct. 30, 1924 in Vancouver,
British Columbia, to William Greer a wanderer with a lust for
the solitude life  of the north, and Katherine Van der
Kampf who had emigrated from Holland by ship to Nome, Alaska
where she had met Jake.
Jake's father, Samuel Greer, owner of the Kisalano Beach area in
Vancouver, eventually became embroiled in a land ownership
battle with the Canadian National Railway and the stubborn
Irishman ended up wounding the local sheriff over the issue.
After his lawyer and all their documents went missing, Sam ended
up jailed and poor after losing everything against the mighty
CPR. Greer Street near Kitsilano is the only reminder of a once
proud Greer family estate.
Slim's Dad wanted nothing of the painful memories and sought out
a quiet life far way from the big city. Slim was raised in a
quiet and remote cabin on the outlet of Big Buffalo River on
Great Slave Lake, NWT. He and his family lived off the land,
trapping, hunting, fishing and trading with the local native
people. As a young boy, Slim spent many a night alone under the
stars on the trap-line with his dog team. Slim grew up outdoors,
he learned basic schooling from his mother. Slim had two
brothers who both came to tragic ends before he left his parents
homestead to make his way in life.
Slim's first job on his own was a deck-hand barging freight on
the MacKenzie and Liard Rivers. His last trip of the season up
the Liard River was going poorly due to low water. Behind
schedule, the river started to freeze still 70 miles from their
destination of Fort Nelson. The crew had to winter the boats,
make sleds and walk upriver once adequate snow had fallen.
Traveling in pairs, the pulled their goods for three days to
reach town. They all eventually made it out and were eager to
collect their long overdue pay cheques.
After odd jobs in Fort Nelson, Slim hired on with the U.S. Army
in 1944. He worked on the construction of the Alaska Highway as
a truck operator and later as a carpenter at various camps
between Fort Nelson and the Watson Lake/Liard area. While
building the residential school in Lower Post he met his wife to
be Serena. In 1951, he moved up to Whitehorse to work on the
construction of Whitehorse Elementary School. Serena's work as a
cook was done in Lower Post, she came up to see him one last
time and say good-bye before heading back to Vancouver. It was a
long goodbye as they were married shortly afterwards in
Whitehorse and never left the Yukon. They settled into family
life on Black Street and had three children.
Slim worked for several years as a carpenter at the Canadian Air
Force Base. After the base closed, he worked on his own as a
general constructor building the original Old Crow community
store and later, partnering with Keith Simpson, building houses
in Riverdale in the early ' 70's. He finished his working career
as a supervisor for YTG's Building Maintenance department.
Slim was the true 'Yukon Jack of All Trades'. He was adept at
all housing related trades  and mechanics.
There wasn't a challenge that he wasn't up to. At the age of 69,
with his limited education, Slim studied hard to pass his
pilot's written and flying exams. He loved to fly and co-owned
aircraft with his son, Bill. Slim also loved boating and fishing
and for many years kept a boat on the ocean in Skagway. He
served as Commander of the Yukon Power Squadron in the early '
90's.
He is survived by his wife, Serena; who passed away shortly
after. His son John (Linda) (Julia and Tom); his daughter Laurie
(Clive) (Maria, Rachel and John); his son Bill (Lorrie)
(Brittany, David and Janelle) his great-grandchildren Andrew and
Daniel Greer, sons of Tom (Amanda).
In later life, Serena suffered from dementia and Slim did his
best to keep her at home and in familiar surroundings. When at
last this became too much for him his heart was broken to see
his wife forced to live in an elderly care facility without him.
Slim passes away suddenly February 23rd, 2007, after succumbing
to a short illness.
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