In Memoriam

Norris Hamilton Ready passed away in April in Surprise, Arizona, at 93 years old. Norris practiced anesthesia at The Ottawa Civic, Ottawa; John C Lincoln Hospital, Phoenix; and Hillcrest Baptist Hospital, Waco. 

He was an avid private pilot, golfer, and skier. Norris was a long-time member of the Flying Physicians Association, flying his own plane to many interesting places. After retiring, Norris started woodworking and specialized in wood turning. He was an active member in the Arizona Woodturners Assoc (AWA) and American Association of Woodturners (AAW) and taught wood turning at his local wood club. In 2019, wood turning became too physically demanding, so he started oil painting. 

Norris is predeceased by his first wife, Susan Belle Blackwell, and survived by his wife of 42 years, Leslie; son, Brian (Sindy); and daughter, Lynn (Steven Silbiger).

Susan "Sue" Elaine Mainse (nee Punkari) passed away suddenly on Sunday, April 28, 2024, at the age of 69. She will be greatly missed by her beloved husband, Brad; children, Gregory and Jennifer (Brenden); and rescue pup, Kiki.

Born to Betty Cook and Aimo Punkari on Aug. 12, 1954, in Oshawa, Ont., Sue spent her formative years alongside her brother, Robert. She embarked on her academic journey at Queen’s with her cousin Joan Delavigne (Arts/Ed'73), graduating from the School of Rehabilitation Therapy in 1977. 

After graduating, she worked as a civilian physiotherapist at the Canadian Forces Base Lahr, Germany. Her professional path led her to Oshawa General Hospital, and later, after marrying the love of her life, Brad, on Sept. 28, 1985, they moved to Ancaster, Ont., to start a family.

Sue dedicated her life to helping people as a physiotherapist and worked for Hamilton Health Sciences until her retirement in 2009.

A devoted and proud mother, Sue celebrated Jennifer's achievement of a BComm from McMaster University and Gregory's recent attainment of his P.Eng. designation following his B.Eng from McMaster University.

Throughout her rich life, Sue pursued numerous passions. She found solace in the pages of books, reveled in the tranquility of cottage life at Steenburg Lake, and immersed herself in the study of languages such as Finnish, German, Swedish, and Icelandic. A devoted lover of dogs, she treasured her companions Pat, Patsy, Honey, Rusty, Dusty, Georgia, and Bella, who await her in heaven. Her departure leaves a profound void, felt deeply by her family, friends, and current beloved pups, Kiki, Lilly, and Henry, who will miss her dearly.

Sue’s legacy of boundless love, unwavering compassion, and generous spirit will endure, forever illuminating the lives of all fortunate enough to have been touched by her grace.

Professor John F. Malcolm passed away peacefully on Sept. 10, 2023, in his home in Davis, CA, at the age of 92. Originally from Canada, he spent most of his academic career in the Philosophy Department at the University of California, Davis. There, until he retired in 1994, he was central to its program in ancient philosophy. He is remembered for his brilliance, his love of classical scholarship, his old-school, exacting professorial standards, his generosity, and his highly unconventional sense of humour. He was an avid traveller and skier, with a special fondness for beautiful classic automobiles. He also played classical music on his keyboard. In addition to being a historian of philosophy, he also extensively investigated his family history in Scotland, Ireland, and Canada, tracing it as far back as 1602.

Professor Malcolm’s major academic work was his 1992 book, Plato on the Self-Predication of Forms: Early and Middle Dialogues (Oxford University Press), but his scholarship went beyond philosophy. Fluent in ancient Greek and Latin, he also studied Russian and Sanskrit. Shortly before his death, he was studying a text on the Hebrew language. His students and colleagues would agree that he was one of a kind. His uniqueness extended to his writing his own obituary, which follows:

“J. Malcolm was born in Regina, Sask., in 1931. He lived in Storthoaks, a small hamlet in the south-eastern part of that province where his father was a United Church minister on a mission field. In 1936, he (an only child) and his parents moved to eastern Canada, eventually settling in Bailieboro, Ont., a small community near Rice Lake. After graduating from high school in Peterborough, he went to the alma mater of his parents, Queen’s. He received his Bachelor of Arts in 1952 and then spent two years studying abroad in St. Andrews, Scotland, and Marburg, Germany. He returned to Queen’s for a Master’s (on Kant’s ethics) and, after a year in Rome, went to Princeton for his PhD in Greek philosophy under Gregory Vlastos. 

His first teaching position was at Huron College, London, Ont. After three years there, he went for a year to Oxford to study with G.E.L Owen. Then he taught for two years at the University of Alberta in Edmonton and from there came to the University of California at Davis, where he remained for the rest of his academic career. His main areas of interest were the metaphysical doctrines of Plato and Aristotle. He was a regular participant in a reading group on ancient Greek philosophy at Stanford/Berkeley and at Davis.

“He had no children and for most of his life was unmarried. While at high school, he would spend several months a year on a farm, and, as an undergraduate, during the four month summer vacation, he was employed at such jobs as replacing railroad rails and rotating aluminum remelt furnaces. In light of these experiences, he successfully avoided any extended physical labour thereafter. His vision of the best life attainable by human beings was one of privilege without responsibility – an ideal more to be recognized than realized.”

It is with broken hearts that we announce the passing of Desmond Lawrence on March 24, 2024, at home, surrounded by his children.

Desmond was predeceased by his beloved and adored wife, Mary (Murray) in 2022. Des is survived by his three children – most loved father of Mary Anne (Brian), Shannon (Artsci’83, Ed’84) and Matthew. Beloved and cherished Poppa of Matthew (Natalie) and Mark Wright and Alexander Hensman; and loved great-grandfather of Liam James; and dear brother-in-law of Vincent Murray (Gail) of Cherry Valley. He is remembered fondly by cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends.

Des was predeceased by his parents, Laurie (Shannon) Hensman and Arthur Hensman; his sisters, Johanna Elizabeth and Mary Joan Armstrong; brother, Arthur Leo; and brother-in-law, Bob Armstrong.

Des was born in Toronto, but grew up in Picton, graduating from Picton Collegiate in 1952. He earned a degree in chemical engineering from Queen’s. Des spent his career working for DuPont Canada in Kingston. He retired from DuPont Research in 1993. Throughout the years, Des was an active member of the Alumni Association, assisting in the planning of numerous Class of ’56 Science reunions.

Des was devoted to his wife, Mary, whom he met while attending school on Waupoos Island in 1939. He enjoyed working on many projects including building the family cottage with his wife, Mary, in 1968. They designed their current home on the Cataraqui River in 1986. Hobbies and interests included: boating, sailing, curling, playing bridge, photography, and always lending a hand to help others. Researching the family history was a passion for Des and Mary. They spent many years researching and shared the information with their family. In addition, Des was an active member of the Knights of Columbus, with Holy Name of Jesus Church, Council #11886.

Des lived an exceptional life – the focus being his faith and his family. He was an extraordinarily generous and giving person, always putting the needs of others before himself. 

He will be remembered for his wonderful sense of humour, sharing many stories and jokes passed down from his parents and other family members. He will also be remembered by his family as the “man who could do everything.” No task or problem was too difficult for him. Des will be forever missed by all of those who had the privilege of knowing him.