In Memoriam

David Emmons Torrance, age 69, passed away peacefully at home on Sun., Nov. 8, 2020, surrounded by his loving family.

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, he was the son of Elizabeth Emmons Torrance and the late Daniel James Torrance, M.D. He earned his degrees from Washington and Lee University, Brown University, and his PhD from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. Kingston held a special place in his heart, for this is where he learned to sail, where he started teaching history, and where he met and married his beloved Elizabeth. He was a respected professor and scholar, and David published a significant work on Lord Selborne in South Africa and made many contributions to ongoing research on British imperial policy.

More than anything, teaching was his passion, and he enjoyed every day of his career in the History Department of Mount Allison University. He had a unique ability to be able to draw out the very best from his students. He instilled a drive for knowledge, laughter, and integrity in all who knew him. Above all, he cherished his time with his family. In addition to his mother, David will be profoundly missed by his wife, Elizabeth, his children, Beth, Margaret, Alice, Charles, and his brother, Jim Torrance (Cindy), and Jim's children, Tina and Danny. He will also be lovingly remembered by his extended family, his nieces and nephews, his friends, his colleagues, and his students.

We are so grateful for the care and compassion that David received from the Extra-Mural Team and from all his health professionals. At 2 pm on Fri., Nov. 13, a funeral service will be held at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Sackville, N.B. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, David's funeral service will be by invitation only, but it may be watched via Live-stream by visiting David's obituary on www.jonesfuneralhome.ca. After the internment, a reception will be held at David's home from 4:30-8:30 pm, 1 British Settlement Road, to which all are welcome as we follow the N.B. government's rules for COVID. In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of David may be made to the David Torrance Fund at Mount Allison University. Cheques can also be sent to University Advancement, 62 York Street, Sackville, NB E4L 1E4. Arrangements are under the care and guidance of Jones Funeral Home, 70 Bridge Street, Sackville (506-364-1300). Sharing of memories and condolences may be sent to the family by visiting David's online memorial at Jones Funeral Home or through the Jones Funeral Home Facebook Page.

James died Dec. 13, 2020 at home in North Kawartha, Ont., aged 83. He passed away very suddenly and without pain when his heart simply, quietly, gave out. Jim is survived by his wife Molly Moldovan, children Jill (Artsci’82), Pete ( Sc’85), and Sylvia, grandchildren Jane Thomson (Artsci’00), and Alex Thomson, and ex-wife Mary Ellen Baker (Arts’59). Jim is also survived by his loving dogs, Roscoe and Kanya.
Jim studied civil engineering at Queen’s, where he developed strong lifelong friendships and an enduring love of engineering. After university, Jim worked in the construction industry in Montreal. He had an unceasing passion for construction, continuing his work in the industry right up to the day he died. Some of the more notable projects he was associated with were Habitat (1967) and the Olympic Stadium (1976) in Montreal and a villa called “La Belle Creole” (1967–69) in St. Martin. He also drove projects in Toronto in conjunction with Lett Smith Architects: the Princess of Wales Theatre and the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery.
Jim’s biggest gift was his enormous cheerful personality and a passion for life that included everyone around him. He was, in equal measure, respected and loved by those who entered his orbit through his various pastimes and work experiences. The friendships he made remained strong and enduring.

Ken, 93, died Jan. 27, 2021. Ken grew up in Burlington and like so many young men, didn’t know what he wanted to be. After Grade 13, seeking adventure, he went out west to work in a logging camp then hitchhiked home a year later to study history at Queen’s. Already a member of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, he participated in the model parliament and sang and danced in the annual student revue. Queen’s ignited a lifelong passion for history, and Canadian history in particular, which he shared with high school students for 35 years in the classroom and beyond. As history head at Laurier CI, he initiated annual board-wide conferences for senior history students in Scarborough on pressing issues of the day – China, Quebec, US-Canada relations – and became known as Mr. History Conference. Straight out of teacher’s college, he married beautiful “Babs”, Alice Irene Caldwell (Arts’51, BA’63), whom he first encountered at Queen’s, and had four children. He was a lifelong NDPer who worked in every election campaign until he was 88, ever optimistic that one could make the world a better place. He and Babs retired to Port Hope and for 30 glorious years they shared their pool, garden and scotch with friends on the back porch. For a while, they were active in the Arts’50 alumni association. Curious, energetic and enthusiastic, Ken devoured books, loved music, took stunning photos. He had a sly sense of humour and liked a good argument. He died on the same date Babs did 14 years earlier. As he liked to say to departing visitors, ‘Fare Well.’ He is survived by children Martha (BA’75), Chris, Pam, and Wendy; grandchildren Lucie (BA Hons.’13) and Johanna Simco, and Ben and Maxine Tancock.

It is with deep sadness but with gratitude for a life well-lived that we announce the sudden passing of Graeme Sutherland, who passed away peacefully on April 26, surrounded by the love of his family and friends.
Loving husband to his wife of 49 years, Renate (née Bidner), father to his cherished sons, Ian (Meghan) and Peter (Pasquale), and special grandad to Lauren whom he adored, caring brother to Emeline (John), dear brother-in-law to Astrid (Jim) and Dieter (Betty), and esteemed uncle to Jamie, Peggy, Tim, Chris and Christian. Born in Shawinigan, QC, to parents Margaret MacDonald and Hugh Sutherland, formerly of Amherst, Nova Scotia,
Graeme was raised in Montreal West, where he developed life-long friendships. A graduate of Queen's University and MacDonald College, he spent 32 years as a high school math teacher and school administrator for the former Protestant School Board of Greater Montreal (now EMSB).
In retirement, Graeme enjoyed serving as a director of the former Robinson Residence for Retired Teachers, singing in his church choir and with the Cantabile Chorale, and travelling the world with Renate (and occasionally with his sons). He was an active, contributing member of his church community at Cedar Park United – a community in which he found great joy and nurtured many friendships. A teacher, a mentor, a man of deep faith, an amazing storyteller and puzzle-solver, and a great family man, friend, and wonderful neighbour.
Thoughtful and patient, Graeme was also a terrific listener and always showed tremendous respect, empathy, and kindness. An avid reader and a lifelong learner, he was curious about everything and took a keen and sincere interest in the lives of all those around him. All who knew him will remember his smile, terrific sense of humour and contagious laugh. He will be dearly missed and will be forever in our hearts and thoughts.
The family would like to extend their gratitude to Dr. Badawy and the ICU medical team at the Montreal Neurological Institute for the compassionate care he received in his final days. In lieu of flowers, donations in Graeme's memory can be made to Cedar Park United Church in Pointe-Claire (cedarparkunited.org) or to a charity of your choice. A Celebration of Graeme's life will be held at Cedar Park United Church at a later date when we can all gather together.

John William Shirokoff died tragically on Jan. 9, 2020. He is survived by his siblings, Peter Shirokoff (Sc’77), Patricia Ghent (Artsci’78, Ed’79) and Catherine Evans (Sc’83), and extended family.
John was an associate professor in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science at Memorial University for 20 years. There, he became known as a dedicated teacher, mentor, and researcher. He made significant contributions in the areas of materials science, corrosion, and asphaltène characterization. He was especially known in the scientific community for his work in asphaltène characterization, for which he received the Prince Mohammad bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud Prize for Scientific Excellence.
More recently, Dr. Shirokoff’s research focused on corrosion of materials. He was collaborating with major industrial partners, including Bombardier and Suncor. To address the devastation caused by wildfires, he collaborated with Bombardier to find ways to improve the properties of metals in contact with saline water to allow water bombers to scoop water from the ocean. He was a firm believer in experimental research. His work was recognized with a number of awards and major research grants. In addition to his research that had an impact on humanity,
John was a rare and amazing, polite personality who took the time to talk to the people around him. Colleagues, staff, students, and friends remember him for different reasons, but everyone will remember him as someone who always had something interesting to say and often with a twinkle in his eye.

Francis Douglas Pollock, 82, died Oct. 21, 2020, after a lengthy battle with cancer. His more than 40-year career as a family physician was spent in Kelowna, B.C., first with the Underhill Clinic, then later with Group One Medical, of which he was a founding member.
Doug was much appreciated in the community for his long-term dedication to the well-being of his patients. He enjoyed a full life with family, colleagues, and friends and avidly pursued gardening, skiing, travel and music, especially opera. He had fond early memories of several summers spent working at the Queen’s University Biological Station. Doug is survived by his wife, Beth, nee Emslie, his daughters, Heather, Alison, and Susan and their families, and his sister, Eleanor Pollock Dills (BA’61). His father, Harold Stockwell Pollock (BSc’32, MSc’32), had a distinguished career as a professor of Electrical Engineering at Queen’s.