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Wilmer Crawford
May 22, 1928 - September 3, 2015
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<div itemprop="description"><br />Wim died peacefully on September 3, 2015 following a brief illness at age 87. He leaves his beloved wife Mary (n&eacute;e Lang), daughters Sarah (David Kirkwood), Ann (Dan Blais) and Jane (Brian Hayes), grandchildren David, Joseph and Noah, and Robin, Ellen and Neil, as well as many nieces, nephews and friends. He was pre-deceased by his parents Thomas and Rhoda (n&eacute;e Hornby), and his brother Oakley (Vi). <br /> <br />Wilmer lived his life to the fullest, with family always the priority. He was born into very modest means in a working class family in Oshawa, his own father dying when Wim was twelve. Wilmer attended Oshawa High School from where, as a natural athlete, he was scouted by Les Prince and Ivor Wynne and offered a football scholarship to attend McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont. He became a valued member of the McMaster Marauders football team, taking a one-year hiatus to return to Oshawa to work on the assembly line at GM. Following his return to Mac, he met and fell in love with fellow student Mary Lang, and thus began a lifelong romance and adventure. <br /> <br />Wilmer had a long, happy and successful career in the investment business. Recruited by Canadian investment dealer McLeod Young Weir after university, Wim and Mary moved to Winnipeg where he learned the business and began to make his name. As McLeod grew, Wim was offered leadership roles within the company, moving the family to Hamilton as branch manager and then to Montreal in Expo year, 1967, eventually running that office. In later years in Toronto he was on the Board and Executive Committee of ScotiaMcLeod. Over the years, former colleagues have told our family that Dad was highly respected by all as an honest, decent man &ndash; &ldquo;a real gentleman&rdquo;. <br /> <br />Wim served his community and quietly supported numerous charitable and not-for-profit organizations, serving as a board member of Canadian Psychiatric Research Foundation, and treasurer of the Muskoka Lakes Assoc. He served on the board of McMaster University and was the founding Chairman of the McMaster Lettermen&rsquo;s Association. He was inducted into the McMaster Hall of Fame in 1992. <br /> <br />Wim and Mary cherish their many close and enduring friendships, forged in their early days at Mac, and in Montreal, Toronto and Muskoka. <br /> <br />To his family, Dad, Grandad, Uncle Wim, &ldquo;Wimby&rdquo;, set an example of what it is to be a loving and good man. He treated everyone with respect and kindness, and was inordinately modest about his considerable accomplishments, always thinking about the other person. His life was dedicated to creating happiness and security for &ldquo;his ladies&rdquo; (Mary, Sarah, Ann and Jane). When tough judgement calls need to be made, members of our family often ask themselves WWWD (&ldquo;what would Wim do?&rdquo;). <br /> <br />The immediate family will hold a private interment at Mt. Pleasant Cemetery, following cremation. Donations to the Alzheimer Society of Canada would be gratefully received at 1-800-616-8816 or alzheimers.ca <br /></div>