CRAWFORD, H. PURDY, C.C. - Peacefully after a long struggle and with his loving wife Bea by his side as she has been for 63 years. Purdy was born in Five Islands, Nova Scotia to the late Grace and Frank Crawford on November 7, 1931 and died in Toronto on August 12, 2014. He is predeceased by his half-brothers Haliburton and James MacAloney, his half-sister Viva Gilroy and his long deceased half-brothers William and Fred Crawford. Much loved by his family including his six children and 17 grandchildren: daughter Suzanne (Paolo Renzi) and grandchildren Robert and Evelyne; daughter Heather (Lawrence Ritchie) and grandchildren Jamie, Oscar, Isaac, Gabriel and Jacob; daughter Mary (Frank Pallotta) and grandson Andrea; son David (Julia Holland) and grandsons Sasha, Maxime, Noah and Lucas; daughter Barbara and grandsons Trevor, Sam and Adam; daughter Sarah (Paul Takeda) and granddaughters Grace and Hannah. Sadly missed by his in-laws Elizabeth MacAloney, Rudi and Bette Loeffler and Steven and Linda Corbett and his many close and loving nieces, nephews and cousins. Much gratitude to Purdy’s special caregivers especially Joy and Wagma and the excellent and caring staff at Mount Sinai and Saint Michael’s hospitals in Toronto. Purdy lived a life rich with beloved family, friends and colleagues. He was guided by the solid values of his Nova Scotia roots. Purdy was most joyful when he was working at his chair surrounded by the commotion of his grandchildren or leading a singsong with family and friends. This Five Islands boy set out on a mightily ambitious path, from his education starting in a two-room school house in Five Islands, to the four-room Bass River High School where his exceptional teachers opened his eyes to the world, through the halls of Mount Allison University, Dalhousie Law School and Harvard Law School and then on to Toronto and Montreal where he had full and rewarding careers at the law firm Osler, Hoskin and & Harcourt and as president, CEO and chair of Imasco Ltd. He served on numerous boards of directors including Imasco, Canadian National, PetroCanada, FootLocker and Maple Leaf Foods and industry committees such as the groundbreaking Crawford Panel on a single national securities regulator and as chair of the Pan-Canadian Investors Committee for Third-Party Structured Asset Backed Commercial Paper. Perhaps his greatest legacy was his uncanny ability to understand and champion the true potential of so many individuals who joined him on his path. He most enjoyed lending a hand to organizations that help people overcome obstacles and realize their full potential, be it a pioneering early education and intervention initiative of Centraide Montreal called 123 GO!, the Purdy Crawford Teaching Centre at Mount Allison University, the Aboriginal Business Studies program at Cape Breton University’s Shannon School of Business, the Multiple Sclerosis Society and many more health and community causes. Donations may be made to the Purdy Crawford Teaching Centre at Mount Allison University, the Purdy Crawford Chair in Business Law at Dalhousie University, the Purdy Crawford Chair in Aboriginal Business Studies of the Cape Breton University’s Shannon School of Business or to a cause of your choice.
To enable family and friends to gather, the family is waiting until August 26 and 27 for the Visitation and Service of Celebration, respectively. The family will receive friends at the Mount Pleasant Cemetery Visitation Centre, 375 Mount Pleasant Road, Toronto, 416-485-5572 (East Gate Entrance, east off of Mount Pleasant Road, north of St. Clair) on Tuesday, August 26 from 2 to 5 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. A service of celebration will be held at the Metropolitan United Church, 56 Queen Street East (at Church Street east of Yonge and Queen), Toronto on Wednesday August 27 at 1 p.m. A reception will follow at the National Club, 303 Bay Street (at Adelaide Street), Toronto. There will be a farewell service held at the Five Islands’ Peniel United Church in Five Islands, Nova Scotia at 2 p.m. on October 4, 2014. For online condolences and information: www.purdycrawford.com.