Ian was a highly accomplished person with a winning combination of qualities: intelligent, ambitious, and self-disciplined. He was also a very kind person who treated people with respect and often gentleness. A loving and involved family man, he is survived by his beloved wife of 53 years, Colleen, his children; John (Jorie), Bridget (Greg), and Rebecca (Greg), six grandchildren, his two older brothers, Paul(Roz) and Keith(Michelle), and many nieces and nephews.
Ian was born in Vancouver. He was a talented athlete who played basketball, football, first-division rugby, squash, and tennis. He also did some mountaineering. His success in these sports was all the more impressive considering that he had been born with a disability on one hand that prevented a normal grasp on a ball. He earned a law degree from the University of British Columbia in 1969 and practiced as a barrister in Vancouver for the next twenty years, rising to the top of his field in labour law. He was appointed to the Supreme Court of B.C. in 1989, where he served for five years before joining the B.C. Court of Appeal, where he worked until his retirement at the end of 2017.
He had a keen intellect and read widely. One of his favourite places to read was in the sanctuary of his cabin on Savary Island. He also loved golfing, gardening and woodworking.
He cared about social justice and looked for ways to put his religious and social values into action in the community, for example, he was a volunteer in a shower program for homeless people.
In the last decade of his life, Ian suffered from various health problems, but he retained his work ethic, sense of humour, thoughtful approach to others and an abiding trust in God. He will be sadly missed.
A funeral mass will be held on Saturday, March 2nd at 10:30 AM at St. Edmund’s Church in North Vancouver. 545 Mahon Ave, North Vancouver, BC V7M 2R7, http://www.stedmundsparish.ca/ . By request no flowers.
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