August 'Gus' Nylund

August 'Gus' John Stephan Nylund, 77 of Princeton, BC passed away on July 7, 2020 after a  prolonged struggle with Parkinson’s Disease.  He passed peacefully with all three of his daughters by his side.

Gus was born on September 20, 1942 to Verner and Winnifred Nylund in Langley, BC.  He was the only child of this union, however he did have two half-sisters, Dorothy and Shirley and a half-brother Buck.  Those that knew Gus would know that he did not have a love of reading, nor of school, so he left school before graduation to join the workforce. At the age of 16 he headed to Merritt, BC to work for his Uncle, John Nylund at Western Pines Lumber Company.  The lure of the city drew Gus away from Merritt and Gus headed to Vancouver, BC to work at the Molson's Brewery.  Shortly after arriving in Vancouver Gus did not find the city life to his liking and decided to return to work at the mill, this time in Princeton, BC.  While driving in town, he spotted and met his one true love, Lucy Grgich.   Gus and Lucy had a fast courtship and were married on October 27, 1962 going on to have three daughters Michelle (1970), Teresa (1974) and Diana (1976).  Gus and Lucy ran the Shell station in Princeton for a few years before starting GNL Logging which then became Green Post Logging LTD.  Gus and Lucy ran the logging business until  Parkinson's Disease took control of Gus’s body and he could no longer continue.  Dad’s love of the bush is something that he has passed down to all of us.  Gus loved the companionship of his fellow loggers and logging truck drivers after a full day in the bush, they would gather to tell stories and have coffee at the Tastee Freez.  Memories of him and the guys having coffee are something we will all cherish.  Gus was a force of nature, determined to protect and provide for his family and give them a great life and a childhood filled with camping trips at Shuswap Lake and fishing adventures at Adams Lake. Dad loved his boat and seeing the joy it brought to all of us when we were waterskiing or just enjoying the lakes, being on the water made him very happy.   Boating and camping with his family and extended family were highly anticipated getaways that he looked forward to every summer. His family meant more to him than anything else in the world, something we felt but he never mentioned often.  Gus was a forever logger and  loved to talk about logging and even in his last months would comment on how he could improve the views at Ridgewood Lodge if he could just have a chainsaw to remove a few of the trees out back. His warm hugs and charismatic smile will be fiercely missed by all.  Gus was surrounded and outnumbered by the ladies in the family but it never bothered him, he would wait patiently for his turn in the bathrooms without complaint.   We all know he was secretly thrilled to have the companionship of both of his son-in-laws and they held a special place in his heart.

Gus was predeceased by his Dad, Verner and his Mom, Winnifred, his half brother Buck and his half sister Dorothy. Gus leaves behind his loving wife Lucy, his pride and joys, daughters Michelle Nylund, Teresa Krause (Steven), Diana Hanik (David) and his five beautiful grand-daughters Cassidy Westran, Shelby Bothe, Katie Hanik, Brooke Hanik and Amanda Hanik.  Brother- in-laws Louie Grgich, Joe Grich and sister-in-law Ruza Markanovich; as well as numerous nieces & nephews    The family would also like to acknowledge his second family, the staff at Ridgewood Lodge, the housekeeping staff and the guardian angels of the kitchen who cared for Gus for the past three years.    Without their love and support his days would have been much harder, so to them we are extremely grateful and humbled by their dedication to the residents.  We share our grief with all of them and in lieu of flowers the family will accept monetary donations to assist with the construction of the staff Gazebo at Ridgewood Lodge Princeton General Hospital.  Donations can be sent in trust to Valley First Credit Union, Box 190, Princeton BC V0X1W0  for the account named Gus’s Gazebo.