Life with intent. Isn’t that wonderful?

Greg and Elizabeth Gregory lived with curiosity, creativity, and deep intention. Their journey carried them from wartime England to the deserts of Utah and eventually to the Okanagan Valley. Even with their passing, their story continues through a generous legacy gift to Okanagan College that will impact students for generations. 

Greg and Elizabeth profoundly believed in the value of education, precisely because they had experienced its loss. While Greg served in the British Army during the Second World War, Elizabeth was forced to leave school at age 14, which left her with a conviction: education should never be reserved only for those who can afford it. 

War, sacrifice, and rebuilding showed them firsthand how easily access to learning can slip away, and the incredible doors it can open. This belief inspired their gift. 

After the war, Greg immigrated to Canada, where he met Elizabeth. Together, they built a rich life full of exploration. They camped across Utah’s vast deserts, collected fossils and arrowheads, sketched wildlife, and never stopped learning. 

When their daughter, Joy, was in her last years of high school, they moved to the Okanagan and fell in love with the region’s beauty and sense of community. Their neighbour and close friend Jean remembers them as people who embraced life fully. “They believed you should live with intent,” she says. 

Greg and Elizabeth

Though neither attended Okanagan College, they believed in its mission and wanted to help determined young people who were willing to work hard and build better lives. Through their will, they established an annual bursary for students facing financial barriers who are pursuing careers in the skilled trades. 

“Greg would have been gratified to know their gift was changing someone’s future,” Jean says with a smile. Elizabeth’s reaction, she believes, would have been simpler: 

“Isn’t that wonderful?”