Paul Grignon
May 5, 1948 – Dec. 16, 2024
In memory of Paul Grignon, loving husband, father and grandfather, who died at home on Dec. 16, 2024. In the last half year, Paul experienced body parts wearing out and knew he was in his final chapter.
Paul was one of the original homesteading hippies of the 70s on Gabriola. He had left the big city of Toronto to find a beautiful place to live on the west coast, which he and 2 friends found in the fall of 1973 upon landing on Gabriola. Having read Mother Earth News magazine in Toronto, Paul knew he wanted to learn how to build a life from the ground up. So with his wife Tsiporah, they lived for the first 4 years on Gabriola according to the “chop wood carry water” philosophy. After getting electricity and a well, Paul built a home for his family, continued planting a garden, and was the car mechanic. He loved to cook for his family and others, and is especially known for Indian cuisine.
Paul was brimming with creativity and vitality. With local hippies, he worked at tree-planting for 7 years until an injured knee forced him off the slopes. He met the challenge of supporting his wife and 4 children by selling paintings, doing signs for businesses, and painting many murals in Ucluelet and Nanaimo in the 1980s. He was a versatile artist, who created posters for events, did editorial cartoons, videoed artistic performances, and assisted Tsiporah with events as her tech man. As a fine artist, he is acknowledged for faithfully depicting seascapes and the beauty of Gabriola and the west coast, and he enjoyed being part of the gallery tour for years.
Paul volunteered for the community hall, the APC and was President of the Museum Society. He was a founding member of Heartlands Conservancy, a group in the 1990s dedicated to saving the forest on Gabriola. And he offered his artistic services to several environmental groups on Vancouver Island.
And still there was more to do – his brain kicked into high gear in the field of monetary reform. In 2006 he released the first of a trilogy of animated movies called Money as Debt, explaining how money is created, which immediately went viral. The others followed in 2009 and 2011. He continued to produce shorter videos, all online on his website (moneyasdebt.net), as well as information about Producer Credits, which he believes is a just and fair system of exchange. (producercredits.net)
Paul is survived by his wife of 50 years, Tsiporah, and 4 children: Dan, Shira (Tim) Tobias (Toby) Niki, sister Margaret, sister-in-law Natalie, and grandchildren Nikola, Hannah, Gabriel and Jude. He was very proud that his children all knew how to work hard and are happy in a rewarding life.
There will be a Celebration of Life for Paul at the Community Hall on Sat. Jan. 25th at 2:30 pm – doors open at 2.
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