Sardis – From Sardis Falcons Instagram – RIP to long time Sardis Athletics supporter, fan and former Administrator and Coach Jack Covey
Jack was born April 17,1931 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan to Laurie and Jessie Covey. Jack passed away at the age of 93 years on October 16, 2024, at Chilliwack General Hospital with his family by his side.
Mr Covey had an equally large impact with both Chilliwack secondary school and Sardis secondary school.
It was Covey who brought Sardis Schools athletic department into existence in 1956 when it was still called Sardis junior secondary school.
Mr Covey established the school colours and got the initial uniforms and the crest.
A quote from a past Newspaper article had Jack state “I taught and coached 150 boys in that school, and coached soccer, basketball and track and field.”
In 2010, Covey proudly watched his grandson Michael don Falcon green in high school as he starred for the Sardis senior boys squad.
He was often remembered by many people for having been their swimming instructor, teacher, or coach. In 2009 Jack was Honoured at the Sports Heroes Banquet in Chilliwack and in 2015 he was inducted into the Chilliwack Sports Hall of Fame in recognition for his service in the sports community.
You will be missed Mr Covey (Coach Covey)
Thank you for all you did for Sardis Athletics!
From Chilliwack Progress on line obituary: Elliott John (Jack) Covey
April 17, 1931 – October 16, 2024
Jack was born April 17,1931 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan to Laurie and Jessie Covey. Jack passed away at the age of 93 years on October 16, 2024, at Chilliwack General Hospital with his family by his side.
He leaves behind his wife of 67 years Maureen, and his children Joanne (Rick) Lamb, Graham (Julie) Covey, Mary Ann (Harlow) Burrows, Ian (Jungsuk) Covey. His grandchildren Sean (Joyce), Jennifer (Dawson), Jenelle (Kyle) , Clayton (Cali) , Michael (Adelle) and great grand children , Wade, Wyatt, and Frankie. His two sisters Edna and Doris (Morris).
Jack moved to BC after his high school years to attend UBC where he obtained his B.PE, B. ED and M.ED. He began his teaching career in the Chilliwack School District and eventually becoming an administrator (AD Rundle, CSSS, SSS) 1955-1992. He was involved in the Community belonging to numerous associations (Cultus Lake Swim Club, Chilliwack Fraser Rotary, Valley Huskers, Kinsmen, Gwynne Vaughn Park, and YMCA) over several decades.
He was often remembered by many people for having been their swimming instructor, teacher, or coach. In 2009 Jack was Honoured at the Sports Heroes Banquet in Chilliwack and in 2015 he was inducted into the Chilliwack Sports Hall of Fame in recognition for his service in the sports community.
There will not be a service at his request but has asked that you choose an organization in your community to either donate your time or your financial support.
The family would like to thank all the medical professionals involved over the years with Jack’s health – Dr. Jessica Kennedy, Dr. Niki Alizadeh Vakili, Dr. Chum (Abbotsford Kidney Care Clinic), Heritage Chiropractic and the numerous nurses and doctors at the Chilliwack General Hospital who attended to him with care and compassion.
From Randie Scott:
RIP JACK COVEY
Some of the most memorable times spent at Chilliwack Senior Secondary School in the later 1960s are when I was with the Frontiersman Football Team. I actually started on the team when I was still across the street at CJSS but my size allowed me to mix it up with the JVs. It was Coach Jack Covey who invited me to come over from the Junior High School to help out with equipment and operating the Tuck Shop and then added me onto the line for some scrimmages and then games.
When actually in Grade XI at CSSS I got on the team legitimately, almost always playing ‘Big D’ as a linesman. For the years I played football it was a great time and many of my friends. The Frontiersmen Football team jackets were much coveted and worn with pride and I remember when Coach Covey slapped me on the back and said he was glad I was a Frontiersman. Wearing the blue and gold afforded the guy in it a measure of status.
Frontiersmen Football was very well served by Coaches Covey and Scott (no relation) who always worked well together. As I recall everybody on the team got chances to get out and play. Sure, the stellar players got the most time but First or Second String or Spares, everybody got field time. Coach Covey loved getting the team doing warm-up drills of field laps, power sprints, repeated line snaps, pass-receive drills, blocking practice, hitting the dummies, side-deke drills or some other means of getting everyone moving as a team. The plays were generally kept fairly simple (sometimes I think they were as simple as some of the guys who had to carry them out). He was a great encourager.
I seem to remember one of the most fun away games was played in Kamloops. We all went up in two school busses and it was a blast chugging through the Fraser and Thompson Canyons swapping jokes and clowning around. We were all billeted out overnight but came back together for the game. Coach Covey told me that he liked ‘how I wrote’ an asked me to write up the game results and then phone the CHWK Radio news line and then the Chilliwack Progress Sports reporter. This was long before e-mail and cell phones – a verbal report was made on a cassette tape and then transcribed from there. I appreciated Coach Covey’s encouragement.
CSSS Frontiersmen Football had a special relationship with the BC Lions thanks to Coach Covey’s contacts and networking. Several times the school football team received of The BC Lions’ discard equipment and uniforms whose colours matched the Frontiersmen. Jerseys, pants, socks, pads, balls, helmets and lots of practice gear all came in handy.
Thanks to Coach Covey and his contacts, the BC Lions supported the Frontiersmen Football Team in other ways too. In 1970, my last year playing, Coaches Covey and Scott were working to put on a CSSS Frontiersman Football Father-Son Banquet. When Coach Covey contacted Lions General Manager Denny Veitch (who ran the BC Lions franchise in the 60s), the one-armed dynamo immediately said yes to coming out and bringing Ted ‘Golden Leg’ Gerela and Rick McHale with him. They all agreed to be the featured speakers.
At that time I also helped out as the Team Manager and Mr. Covey asked me to be the Master of Ceremonies for the banquet which was a great success and ran quite smoothly with everyone having a terrific time. I remember that almost the entire team and their dads came out to fill the large CSSS Cafeteria which students helped convert into a banquet hall. Coach Covey knew my father had passed away only a few months earlier and he encouraged me to invite my Uncle Grant Francis came out with me. Mr. Covey knew how hard the loss of my dad was for me and often spoke to me about how things were going and encouraged me to ‘keep busy’. Coach Covey knew my father was friends with the Food Service Instructor Mr. (RCA Capt.- retired) Phil Moore who were in the army together. The Coach asked me to help coordinate with Mr. Moore who, with his staff and volunteers put on an incredible spread. The visiting BC Lions helped out with the presentation of the year’s trophies of MVP (Offensive), MVP (Defensive), Most Inspirational Player and Rookie of the Year. I really enjoyed being emcee for the event and am grateful to the Coach for his personal interest in my situation.
Frontiersmen Football was an important part of the school and helped provide some enduring memories for all who were associated with it in any way. Coach Jack Covey was a huge part of my positive memories of High School and I am especially appreciative of his empathetic encouragements at a difficult time in my life.
My favourite quote from Jack Covey: “I hope my former students and players would say I’ve affected their life in a positive way and made them feel part of a team,” he says. “You never know what’s going to happen when you drop that stone in the puddle.”
I am forever grateful that Coach Covey ‘dropped a stone’ in my puddle.
In 2015 Jack Covey was very deservedly inducted into the Chilliwack Sports Hall of Fame. It was recognized that Mr. Covey’s ‘fingerprints were all over the Chilliwack sports landscape’ for many decades in a variety of sports.
