Terry left us suddenly on Friday, August 21. He will be lovingly remembered and deeply missed by his daughters, Leigh (Ray), Kerry (Todd), his granddaughter Jamie (Aidan), his brothers David, Dwight (Louise) and sisters Carole (Bruce) and Nancy (Guy) as well as his many friends.

Terry was born in Ottawa in 1941. His father was a non-commissioned officer in the Canadian Armed Forces, and the postings came steadily. The family moved to Trenton, Ontario, then to Calgary, Alberta, before returning to Ottawa. The chance to see the breadth of our country nurtured an early and great love of Canada. It may well be where his lifelong love of geography began.

In Ottawa, Terry attended Nepean High School and Carleton University. He was slow to appreciate his potential as a student, so athletics were his focus in those years. An exceptional athlete, he loved to regale his girls with his athletic battles in basketball, football, wrestling, badminton, gymnastics, diving, and swimming.

After completing his undergraduate degree, he taught high school and coached winning basketball and football teams. Undaunted by a learning disability, he returned to university, completing a master's degree at Carleton and then a PhD at the University of Waterloo. Even many years after he and Lib Gibson had parted ways, he remembered with gratitude her steadfast support and encouragement in completing his dissertation — from editing to statistical modeling.

Terry was an original back in the early 70s, when he was a stay-at-home dad to Leigh and Kerry. One of his specialties was the creation of the backward lunch–a lunch consisting of donuts and nothing more! As an at-home parent, Terry and Leigh would ferociously debate politics over the morning newspaper, and again as they listened to CBC Radio later in the day. At lunch hour, he played countless games of crib with Kerry. He was an excellent card player and he usually won!

Terry was an integral part of Jamie’s early life. Kerry became a single parent soon after Jamie’s birth. Terry was always there to join them both on outings around the city, babysit at the drop of a hat, pick Jamie up from school and simply be the most loving and supportive grandfather ever. Kerry will be forever grateful for his love and support as she raised Jamie on her own.

Terry was Jamie’s grandfather, it’s true, and he was so much more than that. Terry was Jamie’s unwavering and ardent fan. He was extremely proud of all her accomplishments from learning to print her name to earning her master's degree this spring. The two of them were thick as thieves, going to shisha bars together, having a smoke in the park, discussing family dynamics and being there for each other in good times and bad. Terry and Jamie were best friends, it’s as simple as that.

Terry was a teacher at heart. He was an excellent teacher to students at Malvern and Bayview Glen, and ultimately led the Humanities Department at Bayview Glen. There, students simply couldn't get enough of him. They were drawn to his ability to explain how to learn — a skill he had likely mastered for himself in an era before supports for learning challenges — and to inspire critical thinking. The roar from students nearly brought down the house when he retired. Long after leaving the classroom, students visited “Doc” and reminisced about how he had supported them on their academic and personal journeys.

Any reflection on Terry's life would be remiss without mentioning two other great loves: cigars and Talcott Parsons. Terry loved his cigars, which were a double-edged sword for his health. Several years ago he made a vow not to smoke in his condominium. As a result, he took three long walks a day — rain or shine — while he puffed.

Talcott Parsons was the subject of his dissertation. While Parsons fell out of fashion in sociology, Terry remained dedicated and even named his first pug Parsons. In his retirement, he returned to the project: yoking the best of sociology and geography to understand the organization of space. Just weeks before his stroke in 2024, he completed an article synthesizing this decades-long work.

His gregarious nature ensured he was quick to make friends. There are too many to name, but several require special mention. Geoff, a teaching colleague, continued to visit Terry every two weeks after his stroke, reading him the newspaper and discussing current events. Igor Felendler walked with Terry almost every day for over a decade, logging countless miles in the Summerhill neighborhood. His companionship and their daily walks helped Terry recover from several health setbacks. For years, the two held court at a local Aroma Espresso Bar, forging a remarkably tight-knit community of friends in Canada's largest city. Ron Brown, another teaching colleague, was his closest friend. Ron, his late wife Angela, and later their daughter Genevieve invited Terry to countless family dinners where he was warmly welcomed. At his retirement residence, Willie Neubaum was Terry’s tablemate. In addition to good conversations, Willie kept an eye on and helped Terry during meals, which was much appreciated by this family.

A significant stroke in March 2024 meant Terry spent his final years in a seniors' residence and, eventually, in long-term care. Despite always swearing he never wanted to end up in a place like that, Terry made the best of his new circumstances. When he made some smart aleck remark with a twinkle in his eye, you knew the Terry we all knew and loved was going strong. Terry had many faithful visits and calls from family and friends while in his seniors’ residences. Kerry, Todd, Leigh and Jamie were dedicated to keeping him in contact with his friends and the city he loved. He was always game for a “push” as he called them, especially if it involved a cigar and a stop at a cafe. They took him to football and basketball games, museums, visits with friends, among other outings. He even joined in Jamie’s recent birthday gathering in Ramsden Park, celebrating with her friends for several hours and enjoying himself thoroughly. Terry was engaged with life until the end.

Please join us for a celebration of Terry’s life on Saturday, September 19 from 3-6pm at 1 Balmoral Avenue, Toronto, Ontario. (Reception & refreshments 3-4pm, Tributes & Memories 4-5pm). For those unable to join in person, the celebration will be live-streamed. The live stream link will be available here closer to the date of the celebration. Please check back.