According to his daughter, Jim Gouk couldn't sit still – right to the very end.
The long-term West Kootenay Member of Parliament and aviation industry consultant passed away on May 27 at the age of 79 after a three-year battle with cancer.
The Gouk family moved to Castlegar in 1976 when Jim took a job as an air traffic controller.
But one job wasn't enough for Gouk. He also started a construction business, building over 70 homes in the region, and worked as a realtor. And then there was politics.
Gouk made his first foray into political life in 1977, shortly after moving to Castlegar. At the age of 31, he was elected to the first of two terms he would serve as a Castlegar city councillor.
In 1993, Gouk made the move to federal politics and was elected to the House of Commons as the Reform Party MP for Kootenay West–Revelstoke.
Over the next 13 years, during a time of shifting riding boundaries and changing party names and alliances, he represented the West Kootenay—Okanagan riding (1997) and the Kootenay—Boundary—Okanagan riding (2000) under the Canadian Alliance banner and then the Southern Interior riding (2004) with the Conservatives.
Gouk's daughter Wende Andermatt says he put his heart and soul into his campaigns and always pledged to be "the most accessible Member of Parliament the riding has ever had.”
To accomplish this, he held hundreds of town-hall meetings across his riding and maintained an "average guy" attitude.
He also was bold in sharing his love for the Kootenays.
In a tribute to Gouk in Parliament on May 30, MP Rob Morrison read the words from Gouk's first parliamentary speech.
"Those who are from the Kootenays know how incredible it is. Those who are from other places are mistaken in believing that theirs equals it."
Gouk was also well known for his active role with the local Rotary.
But it wasn't just local Rotary causes that caught his attention, Gouk also participated in international trips and campaigns. For example, to promote awareness about the efforts to eradicate polio, Gouk once rode his bicycle 3,444 kilometres, over 39 days, from Castlegar to Phoenix, Arizona.
"Our dad lived a life full of adventure, laughter, love, and purpose," said Andermatt. "And he loved to talk."
In fact, Andermatt says Gouk was still giving speeches up until the month before his death.
"He also loved to have a really good debate," said Andermatt. "He loved it if someone was there to stir the pot."
After retiring from politics in 2006, Gouk continued public service with roles on numerous transportation-related boards such as Nav Canada and the Rocky Mountaineer.
In 2016, Gouk tried to retire for real and relocated with his wife Ann to the Lower Mainland to be closer to family. But Andermatt says he wasn't very good at retirement and continued to be involved in consulting as well as numerous other efforts and activities.
When writing his obituary, Andermatt says she was struck with amazement that one person could do so much in one lifetime.
"He was just always trying to make a change or trying to make a difference. He knew what really counted and what really mattered."
In the end, Gouk asked that one of his oft-repeated sayings be engraved on his gravestone.
"It's a life well lived."
