A lifetime of service

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This article was published 05/07/2025 (406 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Stéphane Dorge always knew his father Gerry as a man of honesty and integrity.

Stéphane could recall shopping at Canadian Tire with his dad. He was eight or nine and had allowance money to spend. He couldn’t tell you what he bought with it but could vividly recall the experience and its impact.

“The cashier gave me back too much money, maybe $5 too much,” he said, with the childhood excitement of having bonus money to spend.

“We left the store and I told Dad, ‘I’ve got extra money.’ Dad said, ‘We need to go back there and return that money. That person has to balance their till. You don’t make money on the backs of others.’”

Those words stayed with him and reminded him of the kind of person his father always was and the kind of man he’d want to grow up to be.

Gerald (Gerry) Dorge died on Jan. 13, 2025, at the age of 80.

Raised in Ste. Agathe in rural Manitoba, Dorge loved working on the farm. His love of reading and learning began early on, instilled by his mother.

“He would share a lot of the stuff he read, which was a good life lesson,” said Stéphane. “His mother would make him read all the classics — Moby Dick, Tom Sawyer — he remained curious until the very end.”

After a move to Winnipeg in his teens, Dorge met Raymonde, with whom he built a family and a life of love and companionship that kept them happily married for 57 years.

The entrepreneur eagerly embraced leadership roles, in which he thrived. Through the busiest of days, he made time for reading history and politics and — most importantly — two or three newspapers, including the Free Press, the Globe and Mail and the New York Times.

He was involved in multiple business ventures, including Country Kitchen restaurants and Canadian publishers. Highly committed to the Francophone community, he was editor-in-chief for La Liberté and held the position of CEO for Entreprises Riel. He took great pride in the long-lasting business and personal relationships he created over the years.

“His legacy is that sense of service,” said Stéphane. “My dad sat on a lot of boards. What he taught me was, ‘Don’t sit around and do nothing. If you believe in a cause, go and serve.’”

Lifelong friendships are a gift and to have one last 61 years is rare. Denis Hamel had that privilege.

Shortly after Dorge was diagnosed with lung cancer, Hamel remembers seeing the quote, “The older you get, the more you realize it’s not about who knows you the longest, it’s about who makes you feel seen, heard, understood, appreciated, supported and loved.” Hamel forwarded the quote to Dorge and told him he checked all those boxes.

A few months before Dorge died, Hamel recalled a memorable visit with his friend.

“We talked about how long we had known each other and all the projects and crazy things we had done. At that time, we both thought he might have two to three years to enjoy life. Towards the end of the visit I said, ‘Gerry, you know I love you.’ His reply was, ‘I have known you for a long time. You know I love you too, and why did it take us 61 years to say that?’”

It was the summer of 1964 when Hamel met Dorge and a few others who were invited to a meeting and tasked with organizing a section of the Young Catholic Workers in Manitoba.

“That was the beginning of a lifelong friendship for all of us,” said Hamel. “This is also where Gerry met Raymonde, the love of his life, at one of the dances. We organized dances and bowling events for young Catholic workers who were from small towns around the province,” he said of their common interest in being of service to community.

“Gerry was serious, focused and intense. He had a huge influence on my life as he was my confidante and adviser. Gerry had a thirst for knowledge and convinced me to join him to take the Certificate in Management course at the University of Manitoba and then to get our professional CIM certification. Gerry used his skills as a coach and mentor for many of his employees and friends.”

When Dorge was in the process of buying a printing business and didn’t want to buy the building that came with it, he came up with a plan to make it a successful endeavour for his old friend, too.

“Gerry knew that my brothers and I were looking for a place to expand our business and he put a deal together where he bought the printing business and we bought the building.”

The community-minded businessman was a Rotary Club member, on the board of the Caisse Populaire, Recycle Manitoba and the Weekly Newspaper Association, among others. At Lumière des Prairies, his last place of employment, he developed long-term funding for the centre and organized three successful fundraising events.

His commitment to community service and volunteerism merged with his passion for work and remained at the centre of his life until he retired last year, just before turning 80.

“He was always very busy,” said his daughter, Lisa Dorge. “Growing up, he wasn’t around a whole lot.

“My dad… there were two sides of him; half of him was business that went to work in a suit. On the weekend, he’d be in sweats and a baseball cap driving a tractor. Two different people melding together.

“My best memories of him are summers and weekends. We went to Montreal, Texas — we saw the mountains. We did a lot of road trips in our camper. Every summer, we would travel as a family. He was really happy and very fortunate to see all of his grandchildren graduate and one grandson get married.”

Dorge loved spending time in his mother’s birthplace, St. Lupicin near Notre Dame de Lourdes. It’s where he delighted in summers with his family.

“My dad loved nature, he loved camping,” said Lisa. “Weekends and summers we would do a lot of that: camping, boating, fishing. He and Mom had a cottage and a trailer. He loved mowing the lawn and every grandchild got a ride on the tractor.”

Outside of his love of community, it was his love of family that remained front and centre throughout his life: his grandparents, his parents, his wife, children and grandchildren. Dorge maintained an appreciation for preserving history, ancestry and cultural heritage.

“He loved deep, meaningful conversations,” Lisa said. “He was very personable. He really believed in kindness, in good manners and strong etiquette. People spoke very highly of him, his generosity and his love of people — his heart of gold.”

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca