William “Gerry” Whitley (1944 – 2020)

Gerry Whitley was born in Vancouver and raised in Trail, British Columbia. He came to the Yukon in the 1960s and worked as an assayer at the Cyprus Anvil laboratory. He and his wife Mary and their two daughters, Moriah and Rebecca, moved to Whitehorse where Gerry was responsible for water licenses with the federal government. He became a strong environmentalist and monitored oil and gas exploration in the Eagle Plains, did wetland surveys near Watson Lake, and watched for colour changes downriver from the abandoned Faro mine site. He flew his Cessna 172 CFXJJ every spring in ice surveys that documented dramatic changes. He was a dedicated coach and competitor in Biathlon and also groomed the trails. Gerry’s interest in a lost American military plane from 1950 sparked interest that grew into a documentary movie, Skymaster Down. Gerry Whitley is remembered for his love and contributions to environmental protection, air search and rescue, and sport.¹⁾