In Memoriam

James Harrison left us on Aug. 27 after 91 joy-filled years. He leaves behind his cherished wife, Ann, of 64 years, as well as his three children and six grandchildren: Stephen (Delphine - Isobel, James) of Aurora, Peter (Colleen - Samantha, Nicholas) of Ottawa, and Janet Hammond (Scott - Rachel, Sarah) of Raleigh, North Carolina. 

Jim was a dedicated son to Steve and Minnie, who were Ukrainian immigrants and he celebrated his heritage throughout his life. Along the way, Jim made many friends from his early years in Thorold and St. Catharines, to his time in Kingston, Pinehurst, Dunnville and Vineland. Jim was a long-time coach and builder in the local sports community and was inducted into both the Thorold and St. Catharines Sports Halls of Fame. In his early years, he was captain and MVP of the Thorold high school basketball team. He not only played senior baseball but also coached the Thorold Midget team to the Ontario Championships.

He developed the Sir Winston Churchill Bulldog Football program, coaching from 1964-1987, creating a long-standing legacy. He was also a dedicated coach to hundreds of student athletes in basketball and track for many years. Mr. Harrison was a respected physical education and health teacher to students at SWC, including AJ’s and those trying to reach their ‘X’.

Known as “Harebone” throughout the Queen’s community across decades, Jim was an all-star captain of the basketball team in the 1950s and later was a football coach for the Golden Gaels, including a 1992 Vanier Cup win.

Jim was an avid golfer always trying to “get it solved”. He enjoyed over 50 years as a member of Twenty Valley Golf Club in Vineland. Together, he and Ann enjoyed winter golf excursions, including time in Pinehurst, Myrtle Beach and Florida.

Whether you knew him as Jimmy, Jim, Dad, Digo, Uncle Jim (Lefty), Coach Jimmer, Sir, or Harebone, he was a wonderful husband, father and grandfather, a super “life of the party” storyteller, a skilled gardener, an eternal optimist and, in his later years, a kind, gentle person who loved his Blue Jays and Buffalo Bills.

He will be sorely missed, and forever remembered and loved by his family, friends and others whose lives he touched.

Anne began life in Port Hope, Ontario, the daughter of two Queen's graduates (Gordon BA'30/MA'32/BDiv'34/DDiv'57) and Caroline (McLaren) Porter (BA'31), growing into a young woman as vibrant as her red hair. Following studies in medicine and arts at Queen's, life's path took her to France, Switzerland, the idyllic islands of Maine and the Navajo lands of New Mexico. With her then husband, John Paris, she would have four children, exposing them to a unique and adventurous life.

Later, having earned her Master of Divinity Degree from Colgate Rochester and becoming an ordained minister, Anne settled in Buffalo, New York, before founding Paradise House, a halfway house for women recovering from addiction and incarceration. With the gentle support of her new husband and fellow minister, the Reverend Hugh Pratt, "Mizanne", as she was known with fondness and respect by her residents, would spend the next 26 years providing a home and bringing stability and meaning to the lives of the hundreds of women she touched through her work. This would often include reconnecting and reuniting families long torn asunder by life's challenges. 'The Buffalo News' would call her a “petite dynamo” and “an old world activist”, the City of Buffalo would name a nearby street Anne Paris Way, and her humanitarian work won many awards.

Anne passed away suddenly on May 18, 2023. She is remembered and greatly missed by her children Jona (Tompkins) (Jeff), James (Jenell), Jessica (Marc Wheeler) and Emily (Hoffman) (Michael), as well as sister Sheila (Smith) and brother Ian, and her many grandchildren, nieces and nephews, including Ross Smith (NSc'89/MPA'05), as well as many others, including lifelong Queen's friends. Pre-deceased by her parents, as well as her husband, Rev. Hugh Pratt, and sister Helen Porter (BA'70).

Eleanor Quinn (Sauer) Matthews passed away on Sept. 24, 2021 in Atlanta, GA. She leaves behind her three children, David Matthews, Jane Matthews-Hirsch, and Rachel Prioleau; as well as three grandchildren, Graham Fillo, Eliza Fillo, and Isabel Prioleau.

Born in Regina, Eleanor earned her BA/MA at Queen’s, where she met and later married David Matthews (BA’58). They moved to Atlanta in 1965, where Eleanor earned her master's degree in City Planning from Georgia Tech. She founded Marketek, Inc., helping hundreds of small communities recognize and achieve their economic potential. 

Beyond her work, Eleanor was passionate about animals. Growing up, she was a champion equestrian, and filled her life with countless pets: dogs, many cats, and even a beloved duck named Bob. Eleanor’s travels took her around the world, to India, Ireland, and Africa, where she developed an enduring love for cheetahs. 

It was hard to meet Eleanor and not be captivated by her beauty, intellect, and spirit. She was a force of nature, impossible to forget, and deeply loved by those who knew her.

William Scale Hendrie passed away on Feb. 26, 2023. He leaves behind his wife, Helen Kampfmuller; son, William Brett Hendrie (Dr. Sarah Wilson); sister, Liz Forseth (Dave); and nephews, Adam, Will and Michael Forseth. He will be sadly missed by grandchildren, Catherine and Evelyn Hendrie; former wife, Maia Sutnik; and other nieces and nephews. Will was predeceased by his mother, Betty Hendrie Aikenhead; and father, William Brown Hendrie. 

Will was born in Hamilton, where his family settled in the 1840s. He attended Hillfield Strathallan College, Lakefield College School and Queen's, graduating with a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Civil Engineering. After graduation, Will worked as a programmer at Ontario Hydro's new computer division. A few years later, yearning for adventure, Will moved to New Zealand, where he enjoyed a short but memorable stint as a sheep wrangler. He also worked in Sydney, Australia, managing a computer operation. From there, Will began a globe-spanning, backpacking trip that inspired a lifetime of stories. Will's travels sparked a passion for taking photos; his work won accolades from competitions including the Commonwealth Photo Exhibit.

An inveterate inventor, Will was the proud holder of two U.S. patents. In 2004, his tire inflation indicator was named one of North America's top 100 inventions in a competition co-sponsored by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. 

Throughout his life, Will had a generous heart. He supported many charities and volunteered on the board of directors at the Canadian Mental Health Association, Toronto, and at his church, St. Andrew's Presbyterian, also in Toronto.

James was born on Feb. 13, 1929 in Regina and died peacefully on May 31, 2023 at St. Peter's Hospital in Hamilton with Patricia, his beloved wife of 42 years, by his side.

James was predeceased by his parents, William Barnett Harrison and Francys Ruth Harrison (Sunstrom); his brother, J. Eugene R. Harrison; his first wife, Margaret Barclay Harrison (McJannet). 

He was father of Jeanne Harrison (Eric), Lauchlan Harrison (Laura), Francys Harrison (David), Christopher Harrison (Alison), and Penelope Harrison; grandfather to Sarah Willman (Dennis), Sophie Harrison-Saxe (Anthony), Louis Harrison-Saxe (Khala), Janice Theodoropoulos (Joey), Ian Harrison (Justeen), Jemma Harrison (Adam), William Harrison, Thomas Harrison; and great-grandfather to Tristan, Leo and Evelyn Willman, Audry and Hazel Saxe-Cameron, Anna and June Saxe, and James Theodoropoulos.

James did his earliest schooling in Flin Flon, but the onset of the First World War brought James to Toronto, where he and Gene Harrison (brother) attended Pickering College. He went to Med School at Queen's. He married Margaret McJannet on May 18, 1951.

James managed to cram a lot into the following decades. He got a baby girl, a medical license and a plane ticket to Korea. James served a year with Canada's Peacekeepers and returned to a posting in Halifax. James and Margaret had three more kids, before going to Cold Lake. On the return to Kingston, Marg and their five kids took the train. 

The road trip back to Esquimalt with five active kids in a Rambler station wagon was legendary. As a physician and administrator in the Canadian Air Force, he had many postings in Canada throughout his 40-year career. Making the journey back to Kingston in 1970 with seven people in two cars was second nature for the family. The family loaded up the cars and all the gear needed for a six day glamping trip — all James had to do was sit back and drive without the veins popping out in his neck.

In the 60s and 70s, James became a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada - specialist internal medicine. James was, by then, a Lt. Colonel and Hospital Commandant of CFB Kingston. He was also teaching at Queen's and Marg went to St. Lawrence College. In 1972, he purchased a sports car — I'm not sure what came first, the Red Datsun 240-Z or the mid-life crisis.

The Peacekeeping tour in ‘75 to Egypt gave James and Margaret the space to work through a marriage separation. The reconciliation was unsuccessful and when James returned, Marg stayed in Kingston with Penelope. He went to Winnipeg with Francys and Christopher, where he was Command Surgeon for Air Command HQ and a full Colonel. James met Patricia K. McDonald (CDR, NC, USN Ret.) at a conference in the Spring of '79 and married Pat in Annapolis, MD, on Aug. 28, 1981.

James and Pat moved from Winnipeg to Ottawa in 1982, where he was director, medical treatment service. After four years at National Defense HQ, James retired to Hamilton and enjoyed a scholarly life with books, computer programs, music, and hosting annual family wine tours. He wintered in Isle of Palms, SC, at Pat's beautiful beach home — a magnet for family of every generation. For 32 years, Jim and Pat lived in Lauchlan’s house. James' keen, gentle interest was a steady force on his grandchildren to their lasting delight and lasting gratitude.

James was a gentleman. As dementia robbed his memory and ability, his humour remained resolutely cheerful and untouched. When he couldn't remember the years in Hamilton, Lauchlan explained that he'd lived in this house for three decades and the white car parked outside was his. In darker periods after watching TV news, James would “receive” orders to a new dangerous front, and he would become agitated about another move. Patricia would tell him he “received orders” to stand down. He was to stay home. Other officers now had the duty to take up the orders and keep the family safe. Goodbye James. Godspeed and fare thee well.