It is with great sadness that the family of Kenneth Harvey Pearson announce his passing, peacefully and surrounded by love, on Thursday, April 4, 2024, just 5 days shy of his 88th birthday.

Ken will be lovingly remembered by his daughters Lesli (Pearson) and Lara (Bussey), sons-in-law Derek (Bussey) and Dean (Vinden), grandchildren Lauren and Breanne (Vinden), Jacob, Olivia, Tyler, and Cameron (Bussey) and Samantha, Trace and Jameson (Mendel), his beloved sister Butch (Dianne Noxon), his niece Nicole (Paul Guy), nephew Craig (Dr. Lori Schleicher) and their families. Ken was predeceased by his adored daughter Tracey (Vinden) and his dear wife of almost 60 years, Barbara (Rynders).

Ken enjoyed a successful career in publishing, working for McGraw-Hill (Australia), UBC Press (Vancouver) and Grolier Ltd (Toronto) before finding great professional joy founding his own publishing firm, Umbrella Press, where he developed several recognized book lines. Most notable is his involvement in the Where’s Waldo? franchise, being the first to publish author Lawrence Hill and development of a series of books about the contributions of different cultures to life in Canada. But, while proud of his professional successes, Ken was most fulfilled by the many friendships around the world that his work allowed him to enjoy.

In addition to his professional and family life, for many years Ken was an active member of the East York Rotary Club and involved in the development of affordable and supportive housing for teenagers at risk.

Ken was a keeper of friendships. His childhood friend Jack Egan always held a solid spot in his heart. He valued his friendship with Dianne Murdoch and her family. David and Toni Field, who Ken and Barb met while living in Australia, became cherished forever friends and were of great counsel guiding Ken, as well as Lesli and Lara, through these last few difficult years. One of the last conversations he and Lesli had was about his buddies from his toddler years. Without hesitation, he named about 12 boys from his first 5 years and giggled reminiscing about some of the Monarch Park gang. After a life focussed on business and family, he reconnected with childhood and university friends in his most recent years. He loved being part of the Farm Gang with the extended Murdoch, Pryor, Hodgson and Vaillancourt families. He loved golf and cherished his golfing buddies in later years. He loved everything about Fletcher Lake and was thrilled that Lara will continue the PHPH at the cottage. Finally, his Rivercourt family: he loved living on this special street for more than 50 years. There was no chance he would live anywhere else. It wasn’t even up for discussion.

Ken loved PHPH. He was an avid golfer and skier and was thrilled that Trace and Jameson took up both sports. He loved long daily walks around the neighbourhood, his stationery bike and lifting weights. He loved “making work” at the cottage; he was especially keen on “mov’in the wood pile”. He relished watching his grandkids doing whatever they loved … never missing a game, concert or graduation. He felt a special bond with Lauren and Breanne, filling in when Tracey died. He believed in creating memories and treated Lesli and Lara to countless trips … to Vegas many times, Greece, Turkey and France. He and Barb loved to host Lara and kids every March break during the years when they rented in either Myrtle Beach, NC or North Port, FL. So many amazing memories were shared at the golf course, the pool, local park, Blues Jays pre-season games and Abby’s famous donuts. He had great respect for Dean and how strongly he dealt with many challenges, especially raising such great women. He never missed a sporting event on TV. He was an avid reader, GameBoy player and Lesli’s backgammon partner. He loved that Jameson chose to attend Western University, his alma mater, and he was thrilled when grandkids chose to take a Philosophy course. Imagine his joy when both Lauren and Samantha majored in Philosophy! He was thrilled that Jacob had met Tracey and had been looking forward to their wedding this fall.

Ken never fully recovered from the deaths of his daughter Tracey (1996) and, most recently, Barb (2021), both from cancer, both thankfully only suffering illness and pain for a relatively brief time. His family is grateful that he never suffered and are comforted thinking that he is perhaps now having some PHPH with them, somewhere. And, although we don’t know why it didn’t occur to us over all these years and he certainly never acknowledged it, we believe we can now finally lay the mystery of Donny Donut to rest.

A special thank you to the staff at Michael Garron Hospital where he received outstanding, compassionate care during his final days.

A private service for family will be held at a later date.

Memorial donations in Ken’s name may be made to the organization of your choice, including The Canadian Cancer Society, The Parkinson’s Foundation and Michael Garron Hospital. Please refer to the “Donations” tab above.