Avis de décès de Hugh Wallace

WALLACE, Hugh Edwin March 22, 1941 - April 19, 2016Hugh Wallace was born in Montreal on the spring equinox of 1941 and died 75 years later on a small 4.5-billion-year-old planet in a universe 91-billion light years across. Aware of humanity''s deep ancestral lineage of air-breathing fishes and primates, he was grateful to have experienced a life on this Earth and held on to his one-shot opportunity with curiosity, love and tenacity. With a belief that all people, by merely existing, were successful and deserved respect, he lived his life with the simple credo of treating others as he would want to be treated. He admired everyone and was envious of no one. He was born with an aptitude for mathematics and design and interpreted the world through numerical explanations, including his state of well-being, which was always 110 per cent despite enduring health challenges. In his youth he received recognition for his mathematical abilities, which led him to a degree in mechanical engineering and being elected as class president at McGill University. As someone who grasped the infinite and infinitesimal of time, an entrepreneurial career free of timesheets became an obvious lifestyle choice. Hugh ran his aptly named company, Quasar Mechanical, from his home surrounded by nature, which he designed and built oriented to the points of a compass. In 1965 he married Evie, his greatest ally, who enabled him to lead a fulfilling life to the end. He provided unconditional love and modelled raw authenticity to his children Glenda, Scott and Jennifer and whole heartedly embraced Mike, Deb, and Brian into the family. He had deep affection for his eight grandchildren, Nick, Charlie, Ben, Anna, Lily, Sophie, Simon and Jamie, and wished he could have been part of their still unwritten chapters. Hugh''s childhood was characterized by running barefoot, fly fishing, stargazing, building and racing hydroplanes, and designing better mouse traps, themes that ran through his days. His multiple sclerosis never tampered his zeal for life, and his optimism allowed him to take advantage of what life had to offer: family, friends, adventure and the outdoors. Stories of his spirit include a dog-sledding journey in the Arctic with limited mobility, being lumped around in a wheelbarrow to make off-beaten areas accessible and winching himself on and off a sailboat in atolls of the South Pacific to enjoy the beauty of a coral reef. Hugh was surrounded by a loyal community of long-standing friends who continued to include him in travel, conversation and care-giving to his last days. The family is very grateful to Hugh''s physiotherapist Lucia, who three times a week for six years, kept him mobile, and the Cochrane homecare team which provided exceptional service through the later part of his life. Following Hugh''s wishes there will be no memorial service. Instead, Hugh wanted you to sit outside for a few minutes contemplating the sounds of nature in his honour. Hugh listened to exactly 1000 CNIB talking books and was fascinated by the vitality of wetlands. In memory of Hugh, donations can be made to: CNIB c/o Library Services, 1929 Bayview Avenue, Toronto, ON M4G 3E8 (1-800-563-2642)Ducks Unlimited, PO Box 1160, Stonewall, MB. R0C 2Z0 (1-866-384-3825)http://www.ducks.ca/how-to-help/donate/