������Ƶ

William Robert McKenzie passed away peacefully on Nov. 8, 2024, in his 99th year.

Bill is survived by children, Susan Silver (Richard Silver) and Kimberlee McKenzie (MBA’85) (Stephen Landry). Beloved grandfather to Andrew Silver (Meg Gemmill), Jennifer Silver (Shawn Lague), Michael Landry, and Alison Morrison (BCom’16) (Matthew Morrison). Proud great-grandfather to William, Anna, and Cameron Silver, James Lague, and Thomas Morrison.

Predeceased by his parents, Robert Malcom McKenzie (BSc’1912) and Ruth (Terry) McKenzie; his wife, Elizabeth (Betty) Jane McKenzie; and son, Robert Malcolm McKenzie; his sister, Frances Booth (BA’46) and brother Ian McKenzie; as well as childhood and lifelong best friend, Douglas Hartry.

Bill was born in Toronto on April 14, 1926. In his youth, Bill loved to play hockey and was part of the city’s championship team for many years. He attended Runnymede Public School and Humberside Collegiate. He was a proud alumnus and supporter of Queen’s, where he graduated in civil engineering in 1948 and rarely missed an opportunity to cheer on the Golden Gaels.

Bill started his engineering career with New York Central Railroad, moved to Ontario Hydro, then joined Dufferin Construction, where he progressed to the position of president and director until he retired. Bill was an accomplished business leader and was listed among the “Who’s Who” of Canada. He was active in the community and with many professional associations, including the Hospice of Peel, Queen’s and the University of Waterloo. Bill had 50 years of loyal service to Rotary International, and he served as president of the Hamilton Construction Association.

Bill was an avid golfer, curler, and longtime member of the Mississaugua Golf & Country Club, where he and Betty made many great friends and where he also served as a director and president. Bill was proud of his Scottish heritage and will be remembered for his kindness, generosity, and love of family – always putting family first.

Quick with a smile and a story is how Al will be remembered by many.

Married 62 years to Liz, together they weaved a life of meaning and adventure. Al grew up in Sharbot Lake, Ont., with his siblings Gord, Marg, and John. Their father worked as a school superintendent, and Al was an excellent student, destined for continued education. Moving to Kingston, Al received a BSc and MSc at Queen’s and a PhD in chemistry from the University of Alberta.

Liz and Al then made homes in London and Winnipeg, where they raised Kelly, Robert, and Graham, before moving to Westbank, B.C., where Al retired in the year 2000.

A chemist by education, Al spent his career in leadership positions in the food industry with Labatt’s, the Manitoba Research Council, the Canola Council of Canada, and BC Tree Fruits. Lake Country, B.C., was their home for the last 15 years, where Al worked on perfecting his grandfathering skills to Kyle, Emily, Isaac, Joshua, Abigail, and great-granddaughter, Vivian.

Always curious about the world, Liz and Al shared an appreciation of travelling, spending time in Europe and Asia, and for many years driving across North America with their 5th wheel to the seaside community of Lo de Marcos in Mexico. Summertime travel included trips back east, where they reunited with family, including nieces Margo, Heather, Cathy, and Sarah, as well as Liz’s extended family in the Maritimes.

A philosopher at heart, Al took immense pleasure in reading and sharing time with friends to chat about the world. Whether in the boardroom, grocery store, or coffee shop, Al appreciated connecting with all those around him, and listening to their stories. 

Al passed away at 85 years of age with his family and friends by his side. Al will be missed as a husband, father, brother, uncle, and friend.

We mourned the passing of our beloved Joe, ‘JoJo’ to his four grandchildren. Joe was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and friend. He was known for his unconditional love for his family, his kind words for everyone, his unwavering loyalty and work ethic.

Joe grew up in Hampton, NB, where he learned the value of hard work and helping others at his family's grocery store. He chose the Royal Military College in Kingston, where he graduated with high honours in Engineering, an experience that would create life-long friends. He then pursued law at Queen's and a master’s degree at Osgoode Hall Law School. He remained deeply involved with the Royal Military College and many local, provincial, and national boards throughout his life.

Joe met the love of his life, Georgie Fraser, during his final year at Military College. Their relationship blossomed despite the distance, with Georgie completing her nursing studies and Joe continuing his education. Joe was a devoted husband and father, always ensuring his family came first and providing unwavering support and love throughout their marriage. His dedication to Georgie and their children was a testament to his deep commitment to family values.

Joe's political aspirations led him to run as a Liberal in Fundy Royal in the late '70s, to no avail, and to come to within a whisker of winning the leadership of the NB Liberal Party in 1982. Ultimately, he focused on his legal career, which included roles as an in-house lawyer at JDI, Chair of the NB Forest Products Com������Ƶ and Intellectual Property practice of law.

In 2001, Joe was able to fulfil his calling for public service when he was appointed to the Senate of Canada, serving for 19 years until his retirement in January 2020. His Senate work allowed him to pursue national change, and drawing on his diverse background and amiable personality, he was able to do just that, working with all sides of the Senate.

Despite his extensive travels and marathon runs in nine different locations, Joe's favourite place was always Belleisle Bay. His family cottage was a hub of hospitality and joy, hosting numerous gatherings, including the annual ‘Belleisle Bay Invitational’ golf game and many dinners featuring his famous caesar salad at a long table. Always welcoming friends and family, this is where Joe’s hospitality truly shone.

Joe is survived by his wife of 52 years, Georgie (Fraser); his children, Emilie (Matt) and Fraser (Jessica); and his four grandchildren, Oakley, Audrey, Jasper, and Juniper. He is also survived by his sisters, Elaine and Wanda, and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and half siblings.

Joe will be remembered for his positive outlook on life, his kindness, and his dedication to his family, his community and his country.

It is with great sadness that we acknowledge the passing of Dr. James Eaton Beveridge (age 77) on Nov. 24, 2024 at his home in Kenora, Ontario. Born in London, Ontario on March 10, 1947, he was the eldest son of the late Dr. James M.R. Beveridge and Jean (Eaton) Beveridge.

He was predeceased by his son, Jamie and older sister, Catherine (Katz). Jim grew up in Kingston, Ontario. He attended Acadia University where he excelled as a student and an athlete in football and hockey. After graduation, he completed his M.D. at Queen’s Medical School while playing varsity hockey for the Golden Gaels.

After completing medical school (Queens ‘71) he did a rotating internship at the Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria BC. He accepted what was supposed to be a temporary appointment in Kenora, Ontario in 1972. Jim fell in love with Lake of the Woods and became a vital part of the medical and social community.

During his decades of practice at Lake of the Woods Hospital and the Paterson Medical Centre, Jim shaped the medical community and continuously pushed all his colleagues to be the very best and most dedicated they could be. He considered family medicine to be a calling and was ‘on call’ for decades day or night for his patients and the medical community despite no pay or contract. He provided full-service family medicine including inpatient hospital work, emergency medicine, obstetrics, oncology, palliative care and surgeries. He dedicated his life to providing care for each and every one of his patients, making house calls, delivering babies, healing and guiding families through life and death. He was known for delivering thousands of babies, including multiple generations of families, and worked closely with the midwifery team; if anyone asked for suggestions for baby names, he would say ‘James is an excellent choice’! He had various formal leadership roles over the years including Chief of Staff but was always a mentor and teacher to medical students, residents, and colleagues. Over the course of his career, Jim was involved in the chemotherapy program and was instrumental in establishing palliative care at the Lake of the Woods District Hospital. He could often be found doing hospital rounds with one of his golden retriever dogs for ‘therapeutic’ reasons.

Jim also had special relationships with the First Nations Communities, establishing links and ties early on, even before there was a pathway or a formalized way to do things. He simply spoke to people, found out how he could help, and gave things a shot. His work helped forge the way toward health equity that we are still struggling to achieve today.

Despite many personal health problems, he remained in active practice until his reluctant retirement in 2018, a mere 46 years after his arrival. Even in retirement, many patients would come by his house for informal advice from ‘Dr. B.’ and former colleagues continued to call him to discuss complicated cases. His expertise and memory did not slip even in the week before his death. He never stopped caring for and about people, leaving important and indelible imprints on his extended family and the community. It is felt that his career marks ‘the end of an era’.

Jim pursued many activities and hobbies, including masters swimming, squash, sailing, fishing, golfing, and duplicate bridge. He was a founding member of the ‘breakfast club’ and enjoyed bringing new and old friends together in the community with his dry but witty sense of humour. He loved to explore Lake of the Woods in his wooden boat, drive around town in his antique Austin-Healey, watch local wildlife such as deer, birds, foxes and raccoons from his home, and spend precious time off relaxing at his remote cottage in Sioux Narrows. He enjoyed visits to his ‘den’ from friends, colleagues, and neighbourhood children. In later years, his health slowed him down, but never his competitive spirit and love of family and community.

Jim is survived by his wife of 44 years Geri (Bellefeuille), children, Tonya (Doug Yaholkoski), Alexis (David McCutchon), Julia (Travis Cunningham), and Hannah (Graham Busch); grandchildren, Morgan, Darcy, Ronan, Duncan, Ewan, and Madeline. Jim is also survived by his first wife, Nancy Caldwell-Dailey, and siblings, Sandy, Bob (Bea), Duncan (Margo), Bill, and Betsy (Kim) and 22 nieces and nephews, who came to know Jim fondly as “U.J.”

His family would like to acknowledge the incredible medical community that supported him with his health conditions, and in particular Dr. Murray Workman and the paramedics who attended his house on the day of his death.