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Alex Gordon Verge — 67, of Hubbards Nova Scotia, set sail for new adventures on March 14, 2025, with plenty of loved ones there to see him off.

On January 17 1958, Alex challenged his twin sister, (Elizabeth) Jane Verge, to the first of many competitions, and lost by two minutes. Born to Margaret Ellen Verge (MacKinnon) and Wylie Foster Verge, Alex and Jane entered the world via the Grace Maternity Hospital. They were adored by everyone in their large, loving family, including their older brother Wylie Hugh Verge. The younger Wylie prided himself on his caregiving skills, even bringing his new twin siblings breakfast in bed (by pouring a bowl of Corn Flakes — and milk to go with it — directly into their crib).

Alex and Wylie would have many more adventures together, and only rarely fought over the good snow shovel. But despite the snow shovel injury that Wylie may or may not have received, Alex was a trusted younger brother who was always ready to offer a helping hand. In 1965, when Wylie went away to camp, Alex and Jane covered Wylie's paper route for him, and mostly did a good job, unless you count the part where Alex gave Jane wrong directions — an error that resulted in an angry neighbour and a need for a quick escape.

We can trace Alex's lifelong passion for finding and keeping potentially useful objects back to a new development that was being built in North Dartmouth when Alex and his siblings were young. After finding a useful pile of two-by-eights, Alex decided to build a two-story fort and twelve-foot raft by the dock at Little Albro Lake. Together, the siblings spent hours and days swimming, ice skating, and even a bit of snowmobiling — until there was a crash. Wylie Sr put a stop to it after that.

That's when Alex started spending a lot more time at Ski Wentworth, where he'd been skiing since shortly after the Corn Flake Incident. Wentworth was a second home for Alex. While his parents and siblings, aunts and uncles, and cousins could often be found on the hill, his Wentworth family extended well beyond those relatives. Over the years, he competed on the race team, taught skiing, volunteered, and enjoyed many wings and cinnamon buns.

Alex also enjoyed travelling, especially with his grandmother, Alice MacKinnon. Together, the pair went all over the world, including Africa, Scotland and Bermuda. But his grandmother wasn't the only adventurer in the family — his aunt and uncle, Elizabeth and Vincent Lambie, were avid sailors and Alex and his cousin Gordon (G.G.) Hart were their crew of choice when they needed to cross the challenging seas between Nova Scotia and New England.

Gordon and Alex were frequent travelling partners, and they never let little logistical issues hold them back. In 1976 — Alex, Gordon, Gordon's brother Hugh (Hughie) Hart, and two friends travelled two a 6-day orienteering event near Montreal. Travel costs could have been prohibitive, but true-to-form, Alex simply piled everyone into his three-passenger Toyota pickup.

Alex learned Retail Management at NSCC (I.W. Akerley campus), and then promptly began working as an entrepreneur in the fields of property maintenance and forestry. This work, which he would continue for the rest of his life, allowed him to do what he loved most — spending time outside and meeting new people.

He met the love of his life, Sharon Arleen Barkhouse at a Club Ski 30 event at the Lower Deck in Halifax, where they were set up by a comedian, who spotted them sitting beside each other and made a series of jokes comparing them to Ronald and Nancy Reagan. While the context around these jokes remains a mystery, the important part is that Alex walked Sharon back to her car later that night — and asked for her phone number before he left.

That was the beginning of their next 35 years together, a move to Hubbards, and the start of a new extended family for Alex. This included Sharon's son, Michael David Sawler, who shared Alex's deep love for skiing and the outdoors. Michael enjoyed hiking, biking, and soccer with Alex, and they enjoyed plenty of journeys together, from camping to a memorable trip to Virginia where they explored a mineral mine and boogey-boarded at Virginia Beach. But more than anything, Michael remembers Alex's deep love for his mother, and the fact that he was always there, whenever and wherever Michael needed him.

Over the years, Alex put down deep roots in Hubbards where he continued to enjoy his passion for sailing, served on the board of the Hubbards Community Waterfront Association, helped with pancake dinners, and assisted any neighbour who looked like they could use a helping hand.

2004 was a momentous year for Alex, Sharon, and Michael. Although Alex and Sharon had already enjoyed a loving, committed relationship for a couple of decades, they decided to make it official in March 2004. Two months later, Alex's family expanded again when Michael married Sal Sawler. Alex would spend many years attempting to improve Sal's skiing, but Sal proved to be one of his greatest ski instruction challenges. He did like their coffee though.

Within a couple of years, Alex became a grandfather, first to Sebastien (Ross) Sawler and then to Simon (Michael) Sawler. His grandsons were one of the great joys of his life and he devoted much of his life to spending time with them, whether he was teaching them how to build things, taking them sailing, watching soccer games, or helping them finish their leftovers. Fortunately for Alex, Sebastien and Simon turned out to be much better skiers than Sal, and the family spent countless weekends at the camp at Wentworth.

More recently, Alex developed a passion for photography, an interest that his sister Jane encouraged when she gave him a new camera to practice with. He would take pictures of anything and everything, from stunning landscapes to interesting septic tanks. He also loved walking with dogs, and was fortunate to have known many dogs who loved to walk with him too, whether they were his own, Jane's, or Michael's.

Everyone who knew Alex knew they could count on him, whether they needed some help getting their boat out of the water or they just needed someone to cheer them up with an off-the-cuff joke. He was loved by so many, and will be deeply missed.

His family wishes to thank the staff at the Victoria General Hospital, who took excellent care of Alex in his final weeks.

Arrangements are in the care of MacDiarmid's Funeral Home and Crematorium. A celebration of Alex's life will be held at 2 pm on Sunday, March 23, 2025 at the Black Point and Area Community Centre in Black Point, Nova Scotia . In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his name to Dartmouth General Hospital .