Jack Herbert 1933-2024
Heritage Lower St. Lawrence lost a friend recently with the death of Jack Herbert on October 9. Rimouski resident for the past decade, he and his partner Teri Dion were regulars at Heritage functions in Metis and Rimouski. Jack was born Jean- Jacques, as comfortable in French as he was in English. He built Daytona Motors into the largest retailer of motorcycles in the province. He was a champion skeet shooter and was the coach of the Canadian Olympic team at the Montreal Olympics in 1976. He was pre-deceased by his first wife Myrna and son Bryan and is survived by daughters Lynn and Jaye, three grandchildren and four great grandchildren. Jack was well-known in the region for his quiet philanthropy. When Heritage asked him recently for a donation to the community hub project, he immediately said yes, contributing $11,000. The number is no accident; Jack supported the Heritage project to build a war memorial in Métis-sur-Mer and the November 11 Remembrance Day service and Veterans’ lunch for the past several years. He enthusiastically supported the Fleurs d’armes / War Flowers exhibition and followed its openings from Les Jardins de Métis to Ottawa, Montreal and the Canadian Vimy National War Memorial in France. Jack loved the province of Quebec, but he found Quebeckers to be ungenerous. He thought that those who had achieved success should give back to their communities. At events and fundraisers, he would match whatever was raised with humble bravado. It was his way of giving. His generosity inspired and continues to inspire. Thank you Jack for your friendship and support. (HLSL President Alexander Reford)
