Dr. Michael J. Cripton 1934 - 2008 Dr. Michael John Cripton 73, died at ProTem Health Services, Gorge Rd. Moncton on March 27, 2008. Born in Montreal he was the son of the late John and Veronika (Tkachuk) Cripton. Dr. Cripton's first passion was in helping others. This ability first came to the fore when - as a boy of nine - he was placed in the Weredale boy's home of Montreal after his father (a Ukrainian-immigrant labourer) died and his family dissolved. He became a central part of the school and he was placed in a supervisory role at a young age. He often referred to the experiences and struggles that he had with the younger children (and children his own age and older) at Weredale at stages such as bedtime and lights out. His own children benefited from this wisdom at bedtimes! He clearly experienced the first pulls towards his lifelong passions of mentorship, leadership and volunteerism at Weredale. He remained involved at Weredale as a resident and councilor until his graduation from Dental School at McGill in 1957. He went on to practice general dentistry in Fredericton where he met his wife Nancy. After their marriage he returned to Montreal to study Orthodontics and then he moved to Moncton in 1961, becoming the second Orthodontist in the province of NB at that time. He was a passionate volunteer in his chosen profession of dentistry, where he held many professional, administrative and leadership roles in national and international professional organizations and governing bodies. He served as President of the Canadian and New Brunswick Dental Associations, President of the Canadian Association of Orthodontists and President of the Royal College of Dentistry of Canada. He was also active in international dental organizations including acting as President of the Pierre Fauchard Academy, delegate to Federation Dental International meetings and he chaired the Atlantic section of the American Academy of Dentists. Not surprisingly, one of the skills he was proudest of was his ability to run effective meetings! This was a reflection of his desire to accomplish all that could be accomplished in whatever he did. No task was too daunting for him whether professional or personal and this was the spirit he brought to all of his work. These many organizations and their memberships, and all the people that worked with him benefited from this spirit and his ability to inject it into his leadership roles. Mike was equally passionate about volunteering, helping and leading in civic duty and community service. He served as President of the Moncton Boys Club, Chairman of the National council of Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada and he was active in fundraising for these organizations. He was a fundraiser for the Easter Seal Campaign, President of the Moncton Rotary club (and had perfect attendance there for 43 years), a District Governor of Rotary and a Provincial President of the McGill University Alumni Association. He loved hockey and served on the Executive Committee of the New Brunswick Hawks. He was a bilingual Councilor at Large of the Moncton City Council from 1970 to 1974 and later served as chair of the 8000 seat Moncton Coliseum Commission. He was active in local business as well co-founding C103 FM in 1988. His contributions have been recognized by many awards such as the top Pierre Fauchard Academy award, and Distinguished service awards from the Canadian Dental and Orthodontic Associations. He was awarded the Queen's Silver Jubilee Medal in 1977 and the Builder of Youth award from the Moncton Boys and Girls Club. His greatest enjoyment and likely what he considered to be the greatest of these many honors he enjoyed until the time of his death, being "Boppy" to his seven grand children. He is survived by his wife of 49 ½ years, Nancy (Green) Cripton; son, Michael, Halifax; daughter, Mary, Halifax; son, Peter (Cara Inglis) Vancouver; son, David (Nadia Jenefsky) New York; and son-in-law, Harry Fitzgerald (Halifax); sister, Jennie Larose and her husband Jacques of St. Jean de Richelieu, QC ; and seven beloved grandchildren, Veronika and Max Fitzgerald; Hana, Cara, and Sasha Cripton-Inglis; Benjamin and Stella Cripton. He was predeceased by brothers Steve, George, and Billy. Visitation will be held at Fair Haven Funeral Home on Thursday, April 3, from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 pm. A Celebration of Mike's life will be held at 4:00 pm on Friday, April 4th, 2008 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 1005 Main Street, Moncton, NB. Memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer's Society of South East New Brunswick or a charity of the donor's choice. Arrangements under the care and direction of Fair Haven Funeral Home, 1177 Salisbury Road, Moncton, 506-852-3530. A book of condolences may be signed at www.fairhavenmemorial.ca