Samuel A. Rea Jr.

SAMUEL A. REA, JR., died on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011, after a two year struggle with incurable brain cancer, which he endured with unfailing grace and courage. Born Nov. 10, 1944, in Indianapolis, Ind., he grew up in Fort Wayne, and attended Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard University in 1966. He earned his Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard University in 1972 and joined the University of Toronto faculty in 1971. He wrote four books and dozens of scholarly articles on Labour Economics and Law and Economics, focusing on torts, contract law, and insurance. From 1982 to 1983 he was the Civil Liability Fellow at Yale Law School. He served as a consultant to the Federal government on matters related to unemployment insurance and pensions and frequently appeared as an expert witness in Canadian courts. He took early retirement from the University of Toronto to found Northport Systems Inc. Northport developed Fugawi, one of the early programs for displaying digital maps based on GPS positioning. The program has been sold in 130 countries and is well-known in the marine and outdoor recreation markets. He was an avid skier and, with his family, enjoyed the camaraderie at Mansfield Ski Club. He and his wife, Wendy Thompson are members of the Royal Canadian Yacht Club and raced and cruised extensively for the last 40 years. Together they sailed 20,000 miles during the 2005 to 2009 winters, as they explored the Caribbean and the East Coast of the US in their 50-foot sailboat, 'Maestro'. He loved music and was active in the Harvard Glee Club, the North Toronto Players, the Orpheus Choir, the Hart House Singers and the Annex Singers. He performed with the Harvard Glee Club Alumni Chorus in Japan and Hawaii. He was a wonderful husband and friend to Wendy; devoted father to Sarah Rea; and father-in-law to Jim Griswold. He was the beloved son of Eleanor Appel Rea Golden and the late Samuel A. Rea; cherished brother of Barbara Rea Pearson and Polly Rea; half brother of Scott and James Rea; stepbrother of Charles Golden, Beth Raymond, Ann McCann, Catherine Golden, Chip Zimmerman, and Bob Zimmerman. A celebration of Sam's life was held on Friday, Dec. 23, 2011 in Toronto.