Clive Piercy, owner of the Chateau Victoria Hotel, never looked upon himself or his businesses as anything but opportunities to help.
“We’ve always focused on the community and tried to give back,” said Chateau Victoria general manager Brenda Ollis. “ And Clive was always in here asking: ‘Can we make enough to make this happen?’ ”
Information on Chateau Victoria’s website lists causes such as Pacific Opera, Victoria Symphony, cancer research, AIDS assistance, poverty reduction and support for local charities.
Piercy, a Victoria business person, avid angler, outdoorsman and generous community benefactor died at home on Oct. 17, just months after being diagnosed with cancer. He was 81.
Piercy’s ancestral family was from Yorkshire, England and arrived in Victoria during the Klondike Gold Rush. Instead of prospecting, they made their start provisioning miners. Later, Piercy’s father started working in import- export and travelled to Singapore, where Clive was born.
When the Second World War erupted the young Clive escaped the invading Japanese with his mother and brother. His father was imprisoned and the family was not reunited until 1946.
Piercy was able to return to and grow up in Victoria. He graduated from Oak Bay High School. After he earned a commerce degree, he entered the mortgage business before going into property development in the 1970s and 1980s.
His son, Scott, said Piercy pioneered the concept of strata ownership in Victoria. As a developer, he was responsible for as many as 40 buildings.
But his most notable business legacy is the Chateau Victoria, which he and a partner bought in the mid 1970s. One of the hotel bars still bears the name “Clive’s.”
“But you would always see him at charity events, that says something about him,” said Scott.
“He was always giving back.”
For Piercy, the proudest achievement was the creation of the Piercy Respite Hotel, in the Hillside Seniors Health Centre. He made it possible with a $1-million donation in 2003.
The Piercy Respite Hotel offers temporary care for seniors in a setting that’s more hotel than health centre. The idea is to give families a break from taking care of an elderly relative, who can enjoy a nice holiday in the meantime.
Piercy said he got the idea during the years he cared for his elderly mother. He was financially secure enough to provide well for her, but he wondered about others.
“I believe I was given this money and good fortune to make a difference in the world and this is my opportunity,” he told reporters when the gift was announced.
About eight years later, another personal experience prompted a new gift. Piercy’s beloved wife, Ann, was diagnosed with cancer.
Ann was treated and survived, an outcome Piercy credited to her strength and positive attitude.
In 2011, he donated $250,000 to the B.C. Cancer Agency’s Vancouver Island Centre. A laboratory dedicated to predicting cancers early on bears the names of Clive and Ann Piercy.
Besides Ann, Piercy is survived by his sons, Scott and Ryan, two step children, Caroline and Charles Creighton, their spouses and 12 grandchildren.
A celebration of Clive Piercy’s life has been scheduled at the Victoria Golf Club, 5 p.m., Monday, Nov. 20.
rwatts@timescolonist.com
