It is always with great sadness when we loose members of our District 7070 Rotary family. Everyone in District 7070 wants to expresses their deepest sympathies to our extended Rotary family. Please send your notices to Newsletter Editor Dave Andrews at dave.f.andrews99@gmail.com .....
BILL IRWIN - ROTARY CLUB OF WHITBY
On Friday, January 5, 2024, William (Bill) Irwin died surrounded by his family at Lakeridge Health Oshawa. Affectionately known as Dad, Papa, Mr. Bill or Uncle Bill, he has left a hole in the hearts of many, especially his wife of 61 years, Marion, his daughters, Kathy Woods (Peter) and Marg Stevenson (Ron), his grandchildren Kate Ingram (Caleb), Jeff Stevenson (Michelle) and Naomi Woods, and although she will only hear stories of Papa, his adorable 3 month old great granddaughter, Sophie Stevenson, his step-grandchildren Sarah Otter (Mike), Michael Stevenson (Amanda) and Jennette Lobban (Steve) and his six step-great grandchildren, Wesley, Evelyn, Nigel, Presley, Victoria and Anne.
Bill lived his entire life in Whitby, growing up ‘on the farm’ at Red Wing Orchards. He met Marion in grade 2 and they were destined to be together when he spent a whopping $0.75 in grade 7 at the ‘box social’ to buy the lunch Marion had strategically decorated with cinnamon hearts. Marrying in 1962, they quickly became a force with which to be reckoned, making a difference together in everything they tackled.
Bill practiced law in Whitby, touching the lives of many long-time Whitby residents and working closely with the Town of Whitby for many years on town files. He was an active member of the community, serving on the Whitby town council, on the Whitby Arts Board of Directors, and in The Rotary Club of Whitby.
Rotary was a huge part of Bill’s life. He contributed tirelessly as president, treasurer and secretary of the Rotary Club of Whitby, and was a champion for many community initiatives. Beyond Whitby, he was involved with international Rotary efforts, including the Polio Plus campaign, Rotary Foundation (Canada), and the District 707 International Service Committee, among others. Bill took his role as a Rotarian seriously, always showing up to volunteer his time, whether it was flipping pancakes, helping to clean up Consumers Road, or even just visiting the Food Truck Frenzy when his health prohibited volunteering. He lived the Rotary mottos – “Service Above Self” and “One Profits Most Who Serves Best”. He also gained lifelong friendships through Rotary and talked frequently of the difference it made in his life.
Bill made an impact on everyone he touched and was known for his intelligence, quick wit and especially his generosity. He loved nothing better than to share his home with global exchange students or to have friends join him at his cottage where he spent hours teaching them to waterski, taking them on sunset cruises, and making his home theirs. He willingly shared his time and resources, with quiet, generous support to the charities he most valued and to individuals who needed assistance. Challenged most of his life by depression, Bill became an advocate for mental health. In the days when nobody discussed it, Bill courageously spoke publicly and privately about the realities of depression and the importance of recognizing it as a health challenge as real as diabetes. He was an inspiration for others dealing with their own mental health challenges.
Finally, when we think of Bill at his happiest, we think of him water-skiing at the cottage, driving his 1960 Pontiac or another old car, being a ‘Mr. Fixit’ and tackling a new project, enjoying a home-cooked meal, or scratching the ears of a beloved dog. Most of all, though, we think of Bill with his family: as a loving father who was patient, doting and always there for his girls; as a grandfather who took his grandchildren for golf cart rides, played games with them and taught them to drive the boat, and; as a husband who loved Marion deeply and wanted nothing more than to be with her. In the past few years, Bill’s physical and mental health declined, and it made life incredibly challenging. While we already miss him deeply, we know that he is finally at peace, free of the suffering he experienced daily. We would like to extend our thanks to Bill’s caregivers, Jayne Rubins, Mehrzad and Nadia Hosseini, Maryam Khosravian and Jackie Frank who for the past few years have patiently and lovingly supported Bill with additional in-home care. We also want to thank the incredible staff at Lakeridge Health Oshawa. Under the trying circumstances of a holiday season and staffing shortages, everyone’s attention, care and professionalism was exceptional and Bill was always treated with love and respect.
On Saturday, January 20th at 2:00 p.m. at Whitby Baptist Church, a celebration of life was held followed by a reception with more time to visit. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Neil Murkar Charitable Foundation at this link. When making donations, please ensure that you click on “Add Dedication” and make the donation in memory of Bill Irwin so that the funds are directed as Bill wished.
ELIZABETH GREW - ROTARY CLUB OF BELLEVILLE
It is with sadness that we announce the death of our mom Elizabeth Grew on December 18, 2023. Her family is thankful that she is now at peace, following a lengthy illness. Elizabeth's life was marked by a strong desire to impact the communities and world that she lived in. Her faith was important to her. As a lifelong member of the Anglican Church she volunteered locally in the churches she attended and the broader church, serving as a synod delegate and a fundraiser for the Primate's World Development Fund (PWRDF). She found strength in her relationship with God and received wonderful support from the church community. Born and raised in Brooklyn, Nova Scotia, she attended Dalhousie University, Kings College, where she met her husband of 47 years, Tim, and made lifelong friendships at university that she has sustained to this day. Her relationship with her home province grew stronger over the years as she was able to maintain that connection with regular visits with her sister, her nieces and their families. Elizabeth and her husband lived in several communities, notably Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Caracas, Venezuela, Thompson, Manitoba, King City (Toronto), Ontario, and finally Belleville , Ontario. Elizabeth and her husband Tim volunteered in many ways. Service to their communities was a significant aspect of their life and they treasured the many relationships they developed. They also believed in political activism and sharing your voice, and as lifelong supporters of the NDP, they volunteered and engaged politically wherever they lived. Annual Christmas cards from all these connections from the past were treasured every year. Elizabeth also found meaning in her work. She started her career as a social worker at the Mental Health Centre in Antigonish in the late 60's. Later in Thompson, Manitoba she started working for Employment Canada, a career she continued in Toronto and Bellville for more than 25 years. Elizabeth and Tim moved to Bellville near the end of their careers and retired there. They enjoyed a wonderful retirement and once again fully engaged in their community. Most notably, Elizabeth embraced the community of St. Thomas Anglican Church and the Bellville Rotary Club, both of which sustained her. Her desire to improve the world around her never stopped and she treasured that work until her illness took away her ability to engage.
Family was another treasured aspect of Elizabeth's life. She enjoyed visits with her daughter Claire and her family in Seattle, and visits with her son Jason and his family from Ottawa. As well as connections with her nieces and their families. Elizabeth enjoyed a wonderful marriage, a loving family, a meaningful career and a life of activism. Her illness took much of that from her in her final years and today we are thankful she is at peace and we rest with the knowledge that she is now with God, her husband and her family and friends who have gone before her.
Preceded in death by her treasured husband Rev. Tim Grew; her parents John and Caroline Clarke; her sister Eileen Nickerson; and her brother James Clarke. Elizabeth is survived by her daughter Claire Grew-Williams; son Jason Grew and his wife Karen; grandsons Quinn Williams, Kevin Williams, and Noah Grew. She is also survived by sister-in-law Suzanne Grew-Ellis and her 6 nieces and their extended families whose relationships she treasured; Andrea Gaynor; Elizabeth Prime; Donalda Milford; Susan Nickerson; Kathy Nickerson; Linda Doucette.
Donations in memoriam are welcome to St. Thomas Anglican Church, Belleville, the Alzheimer Society of Canada, the Primate's World Relief and Development Fund or a charity of your choice. A service in her honour was held at St. Thomas Anglican Church, Belleville, on Saturday, January 13, 2024 followed by a reception in the church hall. Funeral arrangements entrusted to Burke Funeral Home (613) 968-6968.
RAY KLINGINSMITH - PAST ROTARY INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT
Ray Klinginsmith, the 2010-11 Rotary International president who made it his focus to help clubs become bigger, better, and bolder, has died at the age of 86.
Klinginsmith first became involved with Rotary in 1960 when he was a Rotary Scholar to South Africa, an opportunity sponsored by his hometown club, the Rotary Club of Unionville, Missouri, USA. It was during his eventful year in Cape Town that he first heard the phrase “wind of change,” which referenced the rapid advances in society and would go on to shape his thinking about Rotary’s need to adapt.
His presidential theme in 2010-11, Building Communities — Bridging Continents, sought to capture what Rotary is best at doing and what it needed to continue to do to embrace change in the world.
“These four words aptly reflect who we are and what we do as Rotarians,” said Klinginsmith at the 2010 International Assembly for incoming district leaders. “We are a unique and a premier organization, certainly one of the best in the world. We build the spirit and resources of our local communities in an important way.”
He added, “There are only a few who may not agree that Rotary is the best in the world at linking people of goodwill around the globe and then gaining their cooperation and support to make the world a much better place to live and work.”
Klinginsmith also talked about the need to make clubs bigger, better, and bolder, reflecting his belief that it was the clubs that improve lives.
“More than anything, Ray was an amazing agent for change,” said Tom Thorfinnson, former chief strategy officer for Rotary International and RI vice president during Klinginsmith’s term. “He really felt Rotary needed to continue to evolve and adjust and look at new ways to move forward.”
Thorfinnson also remembered Klinginsmith as being a hard worker. “I’d have emails waiting at 5 a.m. And after board meetings, we would hang around and work on things for a couple hours.”
Klinginsmith joined Rotary in 1961 and was a member of the Rotary clubs of Unionville and Macon, Missouri, before joining the Rotary Club of Kirksville, Missouri, in 1974. He served on the RI Board of Directors from 1985-87 and was a trustee of The Rotary Foundation from 2002-06 and again from 2012-16. He was trustee chair in 2015-16. He was the first Rotary Foundation program alumnus to become RI president.
He received The Rotary Foundation Citation for Meritorious Service in 1983-84 and the Distinguished Service Award in 1995-96. He and his wife, Judie, were Major Donors, members of the Bequest Society, and Paul Harris Fellows.
Klinginsmith received his law degree from the University of Missouri at Columbia and practiced law in Macon and Kirksville for more than 50 years. He also served as general counsel, dean of administration, and business professor at Truman State University in Missouri. He was the founding member and first president of the Chariton Valley Association, a nonprofit that provides services to people with developmental disabilities in northeast Missouri.
In a July 2010 article in The Rotarian (now Rotary magazine), Ralph Cupelli, a past president of the Kirksville club, reflected on Klinginsmith’s dedication to supporting those with disabilities and his tireless approach to problem-solving. Cupelli noted that when Ray and his wife could not find adequate services for their developmentally disabled son, Ray worked to implement laws and establish the Chariton Valley Association.
“That is his modus operandi: See a problem, figure out an action you can take to solve it, and work on it until it is solved,” Cupelli said.
Klinginsmith himself was fond of using the phrase “cowboy logic” to explain his simple approach to problem-solving, taken from country singer Michael Martin Murphey’s song by the same title. At the 2010 assembly, Klinginsmith entertained incoming leaders with versions of the song and his interpretations of its application to Rotary.
Outside Rotary, Klinginsmith served as a board member and president of the Great Rivers Council of the Boy Scouts of America, as president of the Macon Chamber of Commerce and the Macon Public Library, and as a lay speaker for the First United Methodist Church in Kirksville.
Klinginsmith was preceded in death by his wife, Judie. He is survived by his son, Kurt, of Kirksville, Missouri; his daughter, Leigh, and her husband, Bob Perkins, of Liberty, Missouri; and grandchildren Morgan (Perkins) Dawson, Sydney Perkins, and Grant Perkins. Memorial contributions may be made to the Truman State University Foundation, 100 E. Normal Ave., Kirksville, MO, 63501 (write “Ray & Judie Klinginsmith Nursing Scholarship Fund” in the memo line), or online.
— article by Rotary International's Arnold R. Grahl