It’s hard to quantify the impact Jeff Isert has had on Whistler’s community.
Whether in his capacity as a paid on-call fire fighter for 21 years with Whistler Fire Rescue Service (WFRS), as a building inspector for the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW), his 13 years as a volunteer ski patroller at Whistler Blackcomb (WB), or his role as a friend, father and husband, he often hoped those he met were “doing spectacular.” Jeff passed away Aug. 19, 2024, after being diagnosed with metastatic melanoma.
Joe Mooney worked with Jeff at WFRS and their relationship deepened when Mooney hired Jeff to work as a building inspector with the RMOW. To strengthen relationships, Mooney, Jeff and other co-workers would often meet at Gone Eatery.
Tuesdays at Gone (now Atmosphere) became a regular tradition for the group, where coffee breaks became moments to hash out problems and find solutions. Debriefs helped externalize issues and create healthy coping for stressful incidents.
Jeff would order a café latte – half coffee, half steamed milk. Sitting at a fourtop in the corner backlit by a large window, Jeff would use his innate talent to connect with others and make them laugh, no matter the circumstance.
“Everybody has their own way of coping but being able to work together as a group and having a little bit of dark humor helped – you’ve got to be able to chuckle a little bit,” he said. “That’s where Jeff was great. He had that ability to just lighten things up after an incident and calm everybody down afterwards.”
After Jeff became sick and was diagnosed with cancer, the coffee sessions kept up, eventually moving to Jeff’s home. Mooney relates them to a book, Tuesdays with Morrie, which centred around a professor diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) who meets up with a former student on Tuesdays.
“His Tuesdays with Moorie enlightened him and helped him out. And that’s what our Tuesdays were like with Jeff.”
Despite biopsies and bad news, Jeff would continue to show up with a smile and make time to respond to everyone who reach out to him, even if all he could muster was a thumbs up, Mooney recalled.
‘Super passionate’ ski patroller
It’s the same excellent bedside manner that Jeff brought in his role as a ski patroller.
Adam Mercer, senior manager for ski patrol at WB, expressed gratitude to Jeff for the joy, smiles and laughter he brought to the mountain.
“The guy was quite unique in his ability to bring joy into our work environment. He did the work of a ski patroller as a volunteer because he was super passionate. The environment that he created was just positive all the time. It’s remarkable when you have somebody coming into a work environment that is volunteering their time, that can bring so much joy. It’s really infectious,”
“I think as a human, he thrived on being able to help people when they needed help. Hence his work with the fire department and patrol,” he said.
Letters from Whistlerites
Numerous people sent their recollections of Jeff by email, where his infectious personality shone through. Here are some highlights.
Lucas Peterson remembered times shared together during the 2008 Beijing Olympics, facing -40 degrees and 50 kilometre per hour winds for eight hours a day. Jeff could get a laugh out of someone in that weather and at 5:30 a.m.
Tyla Emde met Jeff at Spring Creek parent advisory committee, where he kept people motivated and always showed up for his son Quinn’s school productions. Emde and her husband, Kevin, were cared for by Jeff after a car accident on the Sea to Sky highway and he “comforted us on our worst day.”
David Eaton remembers Jeff as “a stand-up individual who thrived on assisting others, while providing a positive and sometimes entertaining view.”
Dave Robinson highlighted Jeff’s zest for teaching others, his passion for riding motorcycles and his devotion to his wife, Adele and their sons, Roan and Quinn.
Jay Klassen wrote about Jeff’s ability to connect with others, the lifelong friendships he made and his commitment to Whistler’s community.
Clare Samuel recalled Jeff’s hugs (as did many others), his secret ski spots and visits for tea.
Robert Baker wrote about Jeff’s ability to give everyone a nickname and his tireless volunteering.
Venetia McHugh wrote about Jeff’s inclusivity and their last meeting.
“He had an endless curiosity about people and eagerness to engage. During our last visit with Jeff he spoke about time, about wringing out of each and every moment all the gifts that life can bestow, to pay attention to your special people and properly value the time you have together.”
