Jan. 29, 1933 — Dec. 11, 2023.
Beloved husband, father and grandfather, Dad was a lover of classical music, opera, sports and nature, a tireless fisherman, canoeist, trusted physician and above all, a wonderful family man.
Dad grew up on Hinton Avenue, in Ottawa, playing hockey and football. His father, a grocer and orchestra violinist, instilled in him a passion for music as well as nature. In fact, Dad could name any type of tree and most of the birds in Canada. His passion for nature was so strong that he contemplated a career as a forest ranger.
He chose medicine. Dad graduated in medicine at the University of Ottawa in 1958, then joined the RCAF from 1959 to 1963 as a medical officer. He opened his family medicine practice in 1965. When he retired from family medicine he then worked another 10 years in the federal government as a medical consultant before retiring from medicine completely.
He married our mother, Denise Coderre, in December 1957, had four children and enjoyed over 65 years of life together. Dad and Mom bought their first family home in the Playfair Park neighbourhood in 1967, where we grew up playing hockey, football and badminton with Dad. Not to mention skiing every winter.
Dad and Mom then built the cherished family cottage in 1972, where the whole family enjoyed swimming, water skiing, canoeing, fishing, campfires, picnics and hiking, as well as many parties with extended family, neighbours and friends. And let’s not forget badminton. Very agile on a badminton court, Dad could slam a serve or response that was impossible to recover. So he built his own badminton court on the back lot of the property. The challenge was always to see who could beat him. The cottage was Dad’s happy place, where he spent as much time as he could until the end of his active life.
Dad will be missed so much. He is survived by his wife Denise, nee Coderre, his children Ann, Mark, Claire (Frank) and Julie (Barron), and his grandchildren Alanah, Meagan, Maxwell, Oliver and Logan. He is survived by his sister Helen.
In his final stages, what soothed Dad most was classical music. He spent his days listening to his favourite opera arias. But if he could have had it his way, he would have been sitting in a boat with rod and lure, listening to the soothing sounds of the loons floating on the lake.
“Come when the leaf comes angle with me,
Come when the bee hums over the lea,
Come with the wildflowers—
Come with the wild showers—
Come when the singing bird calleth for thee!”
— Thomas Tod Stoddart
Dad, you were a kind and gentle soul. You taught us the value of respect and resilience, and the importance of laughter. You have always been there for us. We will never stop loving you and keeping you alive in our hearts. Rest in peace, our beloved father. And if there is a heaven, then you’re surely gone fishin'!
We would like to give special thanks for the care and support given to our father by the dedicated staff at the Montfort Centre de soins de longue durée.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to the Alzheimer Society of Canada are appreciated.