Eric John Dowd

January 15, 1931-December 25, 2010

With great sadness we announce the passing of our most beloved husband, father and grandfather on December 25th, Christmas Day, 2010 at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, Ontario after a fierce and determined 18-month fight against leukemia.

Missing him forever will be his wife Georgina (nee Jones), his daughters Katherine (David Eidt), Elizabeth (Yvon Desgagne), Charlotte (Richard Petts), his sons Tom (Corrine Maloney) and Dominic (Megan Davies) and his cherished grandchildren Patrick, Charlotte, Madeline, James, Sophie and Jude. Loving and devoted brother to Harry and Leslie and older brother Tom whom he laid to rest in Paris this past spring. Loved dearly by his family in Paris-Magda, Evelyn, Maria and Jean-Baptiste Eymeoud and Naomi and Steve in London, England. Eric will be dearly missed by his many brothers and sisters in-law and their families.

Family was his love and his life.

After a 65 year career as a journalist and political columnist, with 43 of these years spent as a member of the press gallery of the Ontario Legislature at Queens Park, Eric leaves behind a tremendous legacy of purpose and devotion to his craft which he pursued until his death.

Eric was the consummate journalist-endlessly curious and tenacious. In words and wit he was a formidable adversary unwilling to sacrifice his ideals of truth and justice to power, popularity or inaction. Eric loved words and recognized and respected the power inherent in them, always grateful for the privilege of having a forum to ‘speak’ them publicly. Eric never backed down and gained the respect and admiration of many for his conviction and fortitude.

As the “dean of the press gallery”, Eric leaves behind countless friends and colleagues at Queen’s Park where he would often work well into the night, long after the hum of the legislature had died and the grand hallways fell silent.

In his long career, Eric worked at The Canadian Press, The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Telegram, and was a contributing commentator for CBC Radio.

In 1971 Eric became a freelance journalist serving as a Canadian correspondent for many Fleet Street papers. He enjoyed his newfound independence, happy that he could write what he chose with little ‘editorial intervention’.

Among the many highlights of his career, Eric had the opportunity to pose questions to every Ontario Premier of the last (40) years, interviewed the Beatles in 1965 and riled Prime Minister Trudeau with relentless questioning during a press conference in the 70‘s.

Eric was humorous and self-effacing claiming like Groucho Mark that “he would never belong to a club that would have someone like him as a member”.

Eric was born in Birkenhead, England in 1931, the second of four boys. He served in the British Army after the war from 1950 to 1952, stationed at Allied Headquarters in Fontainbleu, France. In 1958 he joined his mother and brothers in Montreal and was joined later that year by Georgina where they married, later moving to Toronto and beginning their family.

We extend many warm thanks to Dr. Dale Dotten and the staff of Queen 2, The Medical Daycare Clinic and The Emergency Department at St. Michael’s Hospital.

A Service of Remembrance will be held at Trull Funeral Home 2704 Yonge St., (5 blocks south of Lawrence Ave.) at 11:00 am on Tuesday January 4, 2011.

The family is asking that if you would like to speak at the service on Eric's behalf to plrease allow the funeral home to know prior to the start of the service.

Some of Eric’s favourite charities were The Salvation Army, Covenant House and The Good Sheppard Mission. On line condolences may be made at www.trullfuneralsyonge.com.