Boyd, Ian
Ian Boyd
March 20, 1939 (Montreal) - November 19, 2024 (Guelph)It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of Ian’s passing on November 19, 2024.
The sadness is overwhelming but the gratitude for what we have had is immense. The end was peaceful, surrounded with love with his kids and grandchildren by his side.
Ian was known for his boundless curiosity, which manifested itself in many passions and a genuine interest in the lives of his friends and family. If you knew Ian you knew his answer to this question: “Do you eat to live, or do you live to eat?” Sometimes he used this as an ice breaker when meeting new people and may have even employed it as a barometer for if they could be friends.
To be honest, this entire obituary could be themed around food, but the reality is that his interests were so diverse. A friend recently said: “your Dad had more interests and skills than anyone I know!”
Ian was born in Montreal but spent most of his life growing up in North Toronto. When he was 13, his father bought a property on Six Mile Lake in Muskoka. The family spent the summer living in a Bunkie on the property while they built the main cottage. Summers at the cottage were filled with fishing and boating, but his real passion was water-skiing, and he quickly honed his talents on one ski. Later in life he took great joy in making his final turn and creating a massive spray that soaked the entire dock and everyone sitting on it!
Ian attended Carleton University in Ottawa, where his 6’5” frame got him a spot on the Varsity basketball team. But even more fruitful from his Carleton experience was his time spent working as a Sports Editor for the university paper, where he met another editor named Sandy and there began the beginning of a long and wonderful life together. After getting married in 1964, they lived in Toronto until 1975, when they built a home in Belfountain and started a new adventure with country life.
At “Maple Ridge”, Ian flourished in his role as lumberjack, bearing a red bandana, chewing Redman tobacco and putting his giant yellow McCulloch chainsaw to work. The kids grudgingly had to haul all the wood up the hill to stockpile the fruits of his labour and fill the boxes beside the three fireplaces. He established an extensive maple syrup making production and took the family on expeditions to pick fiddleheads and wild leeks. With the Bruce Trail on the doorstep, the family took advantage of beautiful hikes and epic cross-country skiing adventures, with Ian breaking the trail and the rest of the family (and a beloved lab) trying to keep up! He also built a custom-made basketball net, where he played endless games of “21” with the kids.
In 2005, Ian and Sandy, who were now empty nesters, decided to downsize and move to the Village by the Arboretum in Guelph, where they made a whole new set of friends and took advantage of the many activities offered there. They were so grateful to be part of such a vibrant and thriving community. They often reflected that it was the best decision they ever made.
Ian leaned in to participate in a plethora of activities, with a particular fondness for “Link Masters”. What he founded as a sausage-making club, expanded into an impressive operation that included investment in a custom smoker that was used to create many delicacies, including bacon, ham hocks, brisket and the annual favourite, smoked salmon. Additionally, Ian took a leadership role in “Food for Hungry Men”, a program designed to help the men in the Village learn some basic cooking skills. Of course, with Ian at the helm, the “basics” were elevated to “gourmet” recipes, and he instilled in the participants the joy of cooking! He also stepped up to take leadership of the Village Herb Garden, spearheading an expansion and leading the team that maintains it each year. Thanks to Ian, the herb garden has become a valuable resource for the community and many residents delight in the fresh herbs available to them. Beyond food-oriented activities, Ian was an enthusiastic and regular Snooker player, opening another channel for friendships. Just recently, he worked with a friend to start a Cribbage activity group, which immediate became a huge success.
In this past week, as his friends found out that Ian was in hospice, a flurry of messages arrived, with appreciation for Ian’s leadership, patience, teaching, friendship, kindness and support. As Ian put in a note to his friends: “we didn’t realize we were making memories, we were just having fun!”
Ian took great pride and joy in his 3 children, their spouses and his grandchildren – Lesley (Paul Bedard, Jack and Sarah); Christopher (Angela, Mia, Lily) and Michael (Jenn, Hannah, Maddy, Abby). He was in his element as “Poppa”, always curious about the kid’s various activities and genuinely interested in the details of their lives. He enthusiastically cheered them on in their sports activities, took them on in card games (everyone loved Wizard!), backgammon and cribbage. He was a regular “Wordler” and was always the first out on a text thread with his result. He and Lesley also played almost five thousand games of online Scrabble in the last few years. At the celebration of life for Sandy, he engaged the grandchildren in a cooking class, Pasta Bolognese, which included teaching them how to make homemade pasta and instructing them on some fundamental knife skills (he had an appreciation for sharp knives and a fine chop!).
A devoted husband for 59 years, Ian and Sandy had many adventures together. They loved to travel (their favorite places being Tuscany and Young Island in the Grenadines). They would play backgammon every day after lunch, going through many spiral bound scoring logbooks. They also enjoyed playing golf and tennis together. Ian and Sandy set a high benchmark for a loving marriage and partnership, one that Lesley, Chris and Michael deeply respect and aspire to honour. When Sandy got Alzheimer’s in 2017, Ian did an incredible job being her devoted caregiver, enabling her to stay in the home, which was her wish.
Last year, Ian was diagnosed with Stage 4 Melanoma. He remained incredibly optimistic through his year of treatment, and great appreciation goes out to the staff at Grand River.
Taylor Gutcher, who had helped with caregiving for Sandy, stepped up to help Ian, and our deepest gratitude goes out to her. Our family would also like to express appreciation to the team at Hospice Wellington, who made Ian’s last days comfortable and peaceful. An extra special thanks to Dr. Cary Shafir, who has been a beacon for our family as we have navigated the challenges of this journey; her experience, empathy and advocacy were invaluable to our family.
A celebration of life will be held later this year.
“Say not in grief, he is no more. But live in thankfulness that he was.”
In lieu of flowers, contributions to Hospice Wellington would benefit the many families who are given comfort and dignity in their last days of life.
The family welcomes your memories in the comment section below.
