Skip to main content

Spring Creek’s Biggest Heart – Faces of Spring Creek

Jerry Chakowski – Spring Creek’s Biggest Heart

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of Jerry Chakowski.

A few months after Spring Creek launched its new Heart of Canmore campaign – Jerry took it upon himself to create a huge red heart wrapped with Christmas lights … a heart-warming act that says a lot about the kind of guy Jerry was.

True to character – quiet, humble and hardworking – Jerry downplayed the gesture. “I was putting up Christmas lights around the neighbourhood and thought, ‘It would be nice to make a heart out of lights.’ I was going to make a small one, but then I figured ‘Why not make a really big one?’ So I did.”

Jerry’s big heart was an apt symbol for well, Jerry’s big heart. As any member of the Spring Creek team will tell you, he was always ready to lend a hand and help out in any way he could.

THE PATH TO CANMORE

Jerry was born here in Canmore. So were his parents. His grandfather came to Canada from Austria in 1910, and in 1912 he settled in Canmore to go to work in the coal mines. The Chakowski have been here ever since. He moved away for a while in his early 20’s – he went to BC to work in other mines. “But coming back to Canmore was just a matter of time,” he told us.

THE PULL OF CANMORE

He loved hiking in Canmore’s mountains. According to Jerry, they were spiritual places for him. He loved the great hiking trails…Grassi Lakes, Exshaw Creek, Cougar Creek, up Spray Lakes into Kananaskis County. Growing up, his Dad would often take them fishing early in the morning, and in the summertime, they practically lived at Spray Lakes.

In winter, they spent a lot of time on Canmore’s ponds. Jerry’s Dad, Andy, played professional hockey in the 1940s – in the American League with Chicago’s farm team in Kansas City, and one season with Chicago in the NHL. Jerry would tell us, “He had me skating even before I could walk!”

THE PATH TO SPRING CREEK

Jerry joined the Spring Creek team in 2011. Since the mines closed, he’d been doing a lot of construction work around Canmore, and because of his experience in concrete work, Spring Creek developer, Frank Kernick, brought him in to work on some homes in the neighbourhood. Frank eventually invited Jerry to join the team to help out with maintenance at Spring Creek and in the RV park.

When interviewed for an article in 2015 publication of THE HEART OF CANMORE, Spring Creek’s annual magazine, Jerry toned, “This is one of the best jobs I’ve ever had. I do so many different things in the day, the time just flies. And everyone on the Spring Creek team gets along. Everyone helps everyone.”

We sadly say goodbye to this big heart. We will miss you here at Spring Creek, Jerry.

Thanks to all that joined us as we remembered Jerry at The Drake with the Chakowski family, Sept 4, 2019.

 

 

 

As Mentioned In

View Media

Spring Creek is the heart and soul of Canmore.

We will continue to uphold our high, uncompromising standards in everything we do, now and in the future. We maintain our standards and spirited community atmosphere by building high-quality homes, never cutting corners, curating our community businesses, creating genuine connections with our staff and businesses, hosting community events and more.

Our amenities unite the need of our residents and business owners with the excitement of the Canadian Rockies they seek. We want to nourish our genuine connections with our residents and business owners to uphold lasting relationships within our neighbourhood. We want our community members to answer their calls of adventure but be able to establish roots in their mountain homes.

We want Spring Creek to be the guiding roadmap for Canmore’s growing future.

This will close in 0 seconds

We see…

  • Ourselves continuing to exceed expectations as the recognized and respected community development in Canmore.
  • Ourselves leading the way for a more sustainably-built future, and setting the standard to make a greener future in development a reality.
  • Ourselves achieving recognition for our community beyond Canmore and the Rocky Mountains.
  • Our future, established by history, as long-lasting and integral to the growth of Canmore.
  • Our community becoming a true destination for homeowners, vacationers and future employees seeking the thrill of mountain life with the security of a home and close community.
  • Ourselves as a master neighbourhood, completing our community development within the next 10 years.
  • Spring Creek as a place where ownership means far more than owning a home with a mountain view, but rather as being a part of something bigger.
  • Each individual that lives, works and plays in Spring Creek connecting with one another as a part of an enduring, inclusive and adventurous community.
  • Ourselves staying true to the core values that are at the heart of our brand, leaving a lasting impression within our community for years to come.

Spring Creek is built to last, maintaining our standards for quality long into the future and upholding our legacy. We are a community that is welcoming to all and honours our connection to the people and land that make us who we are. As timeless as the mountains, Spring Creek will stand the test of time.

This will close in 0 seconds

Integrity

Our integrity is what keeps us authentic to what makes Spring Creek so unique and special. We want to stand by our values and what makes us “Spring Creek”. Our integrity means never compromising on quality, standing by our values, and being honest with who we are, what we represent, and where we come from, always.

Regenerative Sustainability

Traditional sustainability is not enough; regenerative is our future. We take care of our environment and aim to set regenerative sustainability standards as a leading example in our industry. As the first Built Green®-certified development in Canada, we surpass benchmarks set before us and always look to raise our own green standards. From recycling building materials to implementing geothermal heating before it was common practice, Spring Creek focuses on innovative ways to lead in sustainability. We don’t just meet environmental standards, we aim to exceed them. We value the natural world that surrounds us, and we want to preserve its unparalleled beauty for our future and for those to come.

This will close in 0 seconds