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Edward WALKER Obituary
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Memories and Condolences
for Edward WALKER
5 Entries
Carla Salvador
June 21, 2023
Ted was a gentleman and a scholar. Not a pretentious, persnickity purveyor of high falutin´ pronouncements. Not an exclusive elitist. But a generous, friendly, hard-working man who went about his business with no fuss or muss, expressed his thoughtful and thought-provoking opinions calmly (and often with wry humour) and could be counted on as a reliable and engaging companion - at dinner, for a walk, discussing a book or TV show, and working in an election campaign (on the most unintellectual of tasks!).
I met Ted in 1974, soon after Sandra and I started to share an office in Victoria University, the one within the University of Toronto. Our "boss" had told me of her pending arrival and mentioned that her husband was the Dean of Men at Victoria College. Acquiring an office mate was one thing, but one so highly connected to the college powers-that-be was quite another. Perhaps because of my experience as a graduate student abroad, I had come to associate a certain disdain among some university leaders for the great unwashed and, in Canada, I had had no interaction with my own college leadership.
Sandra, however, proved to be an entirely delightful office companion. Almost immediately, she became a friend, and I was privileged to meet Ted, and feel included as one of the gang.
As soon as we got involved in election campaigns that gang included denizens of Regent Park, graduate students, other academic colleagues, teenaged children of other friends, a few elected school board trustees, the odd city councillor, pickup basketball players, plain old citizens, landed immigrants from all over and a lot of curious people who just wandered into the campaign office and stayed to answer phones and manage paperwork. While we were all devoted to the cause (of course!), I suspect that in a lot of cases people stayed to do office work because of their attraction to Ted´s sense of humour and conversational gambits.
Dinners with Ted and Sandra ran the gamut from Swiss Chalet chicken (the only "fast food" acceptable to the cats) on the living room sofa to a very special (and, no doubt, expensive) dinner for 4 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Sandra´s 21st birthday at a famous Toronto restaurant that was about to close. On that occasion, I recall Ted reassuring our server that the recommended dessert (chocolate mousse in a chocolate cup, but not too chocolatey!) could not possibly be too chocolatey because there was no such thing. The 4 of us, already more than full from delicious starters and main courses, shared 2 desserts and they were, indeed, not too chocolatey.
Ted´s fondness for cats has been noted. But some of us know he was also fond of dogs - big, skinny, long-legged, goofy dogs much beloved by Sandra. And at least accepting of Sandra´s beloved horses. At the least, he tolerated without complaint Sandra´s need to ride horses, own horses, and perhaps even live with her horses. A challenge for a man who was basically a city boy.
Once they moved to Nanoose Bay, Ted asserted his city-boyishness and rented an apartment in Oak Bay so he could do city things for half of each week - primarily, audit courses at the University of Victoria (Canada´s other Vic!) and meet other early-bird retirees for conversation at a local cafe. Now, many of us tell ourselves (and frequently others) that we plan to spend our retirement learning about all the subjects we never had time to pursue during our working lives. Some of us even do some of that. But I have never heard of, much less known, anyone who did so with such zeal as Ted. I wouldn´t be surprised if he took more courses at U Vic than anyone else ever in its history. He also, for a number summers, went off to England for a combination holiday and further academic investigation. But whenever he was not abroad, Ted continued to spend time with Sandra, the cats and the dogs at Nanoose Bay, and also generally did the shopping and shared the other domestic responsibilities.
Ted was also famous for having brilliant, practical ideas that he always failed to monetize (how he would have frowned at that word!). I remember particularly his recommendation that everyone should have 2 dishwashers and many fewer kitchen cupboards. And portable signs labelled "clean" and "not clean yet." That way the dishwasher would never need to be unloaded until the clean dishes were needed for the next meal. You should see the looks I still get from people when I suggest this solution to the problem of getting the kids or a husband or someone (anyone!) to empty the dishwasher. Although I don´t even have a dishwasher, this still sounds to me like a solution with possibilities.
I missed Ted and Sandra when they moved from their sophisticated city home in Etobicoke to very suburban Newmarket! But then, all of a sudden, they were off to Vancouver Island (somewhere I´d never been and had never thought of visiting). But, before too long, Ted had acted on Sandra´s expressed desire to take a cruise to Alaska and found a perfect week-long holiday for her and me! Inevitably, that led to many more occasions when I visited them, not just at Qualicum Beach but later in Nanoose Bay. They also made it possible for me to stay with their good friend, Jacqui, in Oak Bay. And Ted spoiled me with a few more dinners out in various places around Victoria and Oak Bay, where the food was almost as good as the companionship.
Nothing lasts forever, of course, but only the really good things seem to be too short. Although Ted had a long and interesting life, there are many of us who wish it could have been longer.
Carla Salvador
Freya Godard
June 20, 2023
Dear Sandra,
I was saddened to read of Ted´s death but glad to know that he was spared a long and debilitating illness. He was one of my most memorable French professors at Mac, and your notice brought back happy memories of the course I took from him, which was not only highly informative but also punctuated with entertaining and illuminating anecdotes and digressions. And I seem to remember an oral exam in which he did most of the talking.
Sandra, I´m so sorry you´ve had this loss. I send you all my sympathy.
Diane Dyer
May 31, 2023
I am sorry to hear of Ted's passing. He was a memorable bright light. At McMaster, I found him a supportive colleague, and after he moved to Vic, we enjoyed entertaining and sometimes acerbic conversations on many topics. Sandra, my sympathy to you as you continue to cope with his loss.
Anne Papmehl
May 30, 2023
So sorry to hear of Ted's passing. I took his practical French course in 1984-85 and later became friends when I worked at Vic College, and would occasionally meet for lunch. He was a wonderful professor, had tremendous mastery of the French language and was a real bon vivant. We also shared a love for cats. My deepest condolences to you, Sandra.
Cam Tolton.
May 29, 2023
So sorry to learn of this sad loss, Sandra. Many good memories from long ago.
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