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Dr. Sosamma Joyan (née Thomas) Mathew passed away peacefully on Sept. 9, 2023, at the Credit Valley Hospital, Mississauga, Ont.

She will be lovingly remembered by her soul mate, Rev. Dr. John Mathew (MDiv’75) and by our cherished son, Bram Thomas Mathew.

Joyan, born in Johor Bahru and raised in Singapore, was the eldest beloved daughter of Kalayanasseril C.T. and Lucy Thomas (Ayroor) of Singapore; treasured sister of her five siblings.

Joyan and John met at a national ecumenical conference during her studies at Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi. In 1974, they were married at the Singapore Mar Thoma Church and moved to Canada. Following her postgraduate studies at Queen’s, she served Kingston and Sudbury hospitals. 

She was a caring friend to many nieces and nephews. She enjoyed her travels around the globe. Kind, gentle, loving and held dear to many, she was known for her sweet nature. She lavished affection and deep friendship.

Joyan sang in the church choirs for decades; she was president of Place IV Ladies Club; enjoyed music and gardening; loved entertaining guests; and liked watching movies and home improvement as well as cooking shows. She demonstrated a deep desire to serve others with her undaunted spirit, generous compassion, ethical integrity, spiritual maturity and self-effacing wisdom. She inspired her colleagues by her faithful sense of calling and example to always give their best.

It is with broken hearts that we announce the peaceful passing of Paul Fedor from complications due to Parkinson on July 2, 2023. Beloved husband for 64 years of Jeannette; loving father of David (Terry) and Carla Cholette (André); cherished “Papa” of Paul (Tiffany) and Mélanie (Darren); great-grandfather to Spencer; and dear brother of Pauline (late Walter) and Terrie (Gerry). Paul will be sadly missed by nieces, nephews and friends. He is predeceased by his siblings, Stephen (late Kas), Mary (late John) and Billy.
Paul was a natural athlete, excelling in basketball, track and field and football. He played football for Queen’s and was a conference All-Star in 1957. Paul left Queen’s to play in the CFL. He was a first-round draft pick of the Toronto Argonauts in 1958, playing five seasons in the CFL for both the Argos and Alouettes. A serious injury shortened his career. Paul returned to Queen’s to complete his degree in 1962. Then, he received his bachelor of education from the  University of Toronto. He taught Phys Ed and math, until he retired from Huntsville High School in 1985. Paul and Jeni vacationed in the Carolinas during winter, where they enjoyed playing golf and cycling on the beach. He was an avid reader, bird watcher and was a skilled handyman, always willing to help out. With many cherished memories, Paul will be greatly missed by friends and loved ones.

Gary J. Isberg died suddenly at his home in Trail, B.C. on May 2, 2023. He was predeceased by his wife, Brenda, in 2021 after a loving marriage of more than 40 years. Gary was a devoted caregiver and companion to Brenda for many years of their time together, during which Brenda suffered from a debilitating illness. Unfortunately they had no children of their own, but they did have many nieces and nephews in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario, who dearly loved their Uncle Gary and have fond memories of many good times together. 

Gary was born in Ignace, Ont., and attended Lakehead University in what is now Thunder Bay, before joining Queen's in 1964 in mechanical engineering. After graduating in 1967, Gary began an impressive career as an engineer, corporate executive, entrepreneur and businessman. Starting as a Test Engineer with Pratt & Whitney Canada, Gary advanced to Project Engineer with Pioneer Chain Saws Limited. In 1975 he became chief engineer at Trail Manufacturing Ltd., a manufacturer of casual user chainsaws, which were branded by many OEM manufacturers and sold world wide. In 1982 Gary returned to Pioneer as president of the company, which manufactured professional and casual user chainsaws. Gary had developed business know-how and with that and his entrepreneurial instincts, he left Pioneer to start up Canadian Body Armour Ltd., which developed and manufactured bullet resistant vests for the police and security industry. This successful business provided the means to purchase Universal Gravo Plast (UGP) in 2005, where Gary was president and owner. UGP was a plastic injection molding company that specialized in short to medium runs using low-cost aluminum insert tooling. This was another very successful business, which Gary sold to new owners in 2013 when he retired (well almost) from the working world. 

Gary then “retired” to Trail, B.C., where he operated AGI by Design, a consulting business assisting new inventors with engineering drawings and prototype tooling. In addition to his engineering and business successes, Gary was creative, often tinkering with ideas, which led to several U.S. Patents. When Gary was not working, which was rare, he was an avid outdoorsman and expert canoeist. Gary will be remembered and missed by his nieces, nephews and many classmates for his great sense of humour, his friendly cheerfulness and his engaging smile. 

William James (Jim) Stirling passed away peacefully on Aug. 14, 2023 in Cobourg, Ont.
Jim was in his 99th year and lived each one of them to the fullest, right up to the end. Born in Hamilton in 1925 to Scottish parents, Jim lived a life of learning. After his participation in The Second World War as a navigator with the British Navy in the Fleet Air Arm, he returned to Canada and continued his university education with a degree in Engineering Physics. Jim had a varied and full career with AMF Atomics selling destructive testing equipment and then with Ontario Hydro at the Bruce Nuclear Generating Station, Westinghouse in Port Hope, Ont., and then on to teaching physics at CDCI East in Cobourg. 

During his teaching years he took the family to the U.K., where he participated in a teacher exchange. After this, Jim felt the call of the Law, which was when he returned to Queen’s to not only complete his Bachelor of Education, but a Law degree as well. 

He set up his new Law Practice in Cobourg with his beloved wife, Marjorie. Upon retirement, both Jim and Marge immersed themselves in Cobourg, the city they loved and spent their time with friends playing bridge, travelling, participating in Probus, and volunteering. Jim is survived by his three children, Cathie (Morris), Robert (Judy), and Lisa (Steve); and his seven grandchildren, Lauren, Jeff (Carolyn), Kate, Tom (Sarah), Colin (Julia), Peter (Kristen), and Erin; and his three great-grandchildren, Emerson, Elle, and Avery.

In the early afternoon of June 30, 2023, George Newton Hood passed away peacefully at the age of 67 by the side of his family. Survived by his high school sweetheart, Debbie (nee Bernadette DeBruyn) Hood; proud father of Mallory Hood Lakin (Robert) and Cole Hood (Kelsey); and loving brother to Nancy St. John (Brian).

Born in Hamilton, Ont., to his parents George and Mary, Hood spent his childhood and teenage years in the town of Milton, Ont., where his love of hockey began. In his time off the ice, he worked towards the achievements of Ontario Scholar and Valedictorian. In his later years he received the honour of being inducted into the city of Milton Hall of Fame.

He was a graduate of Queen’s and the University of Western Ontario. He

was the university’s Vice-Principal (Advancement) from October 1998 to December 2006. Hood led the university’s biggest capital campaign, the Campaign for Queen’s, which raised $262 million in support of infrastructure renewal and expansion.

He also led the Queen's SuperBuild Growth Fund effort, securing $52 million in provincial government funding.

Professionally, Hood considered himself a generalist. He tackled his many ventures with a zest for the task at hand.

Settling in Kingston, Hood was a son of the St. Lawrence River. You could most often find him with a cup of coffee and a newspaper at the water’s edge of their family cottage in Gananoque or boating the shores of the Thousand Islands.

Hood was abundantly fulfilled by his friendships, both personal and professional; be it those who shared his passion for the English language, whether written or spoken or those who he would meet for a pint at the Ports. Please raise a glass, go out on the river and share a laugh; he had a blast.