George Reed Sanderson NELSON

GEORGE REED SANDERSON NELSON After a life well lived but far too short, Reed passed away on December 27, 2020, at the age of 61. His wife, Jill and daughters, Meredith and Jennie are heartbroken to lose such a great husband and father. He leaves his loving mother, Frances and sisters, Francie and Tibbie (Fraser Clark); Jill's parents, Rosemary and Dick Crawford; and her brothers, David (Barbara) and Rob. Reed is missed by many wonderful aunts and uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews, and friends. He was predeceased by his father, David Nelson. Reed was an avid athlete and dedicated himself to excellence in whatever he did. With grace, power and speed he moved through the ranks of the Toronto hockey leagues, eventually becoming a coach. At Forest Hill C.I., he was a prefect and played on the competitive golf and hockey teams, and as a young adult, played for the Granite Club in the Toronto & District Men's Squash League. At his family cottage on Lake Simcoe, he golfed at Big Cedar and Big Bay golf clubs, and was an enthusiastic participant in the annual regatta. He really found his groove with running, completing two marathons and many, many 20 - 30K races, off and on road. He loved to run, especially with his Granite and Second Cup groups. Reed's many friends from all areas of his life remember him as a "class act", thoughtful and kind, empathetic and wise, with a sense of humour that would leave people in stitches (especially during long morning runs!) He had an incredible memory, especially for sports history, birds, and music from Gregorian chant to indie rock - his knowledge base was huge and eclectic. Reed provided guidance and goofiness to support his daughters through their athletic, academic and professional endeavours, helping them to develop intellectual curiosity, confidence, and independence. Reed's lifelong love of music led him to the church of St. Mary Magdalene, which became a second home. Over 24 years Reed took on many roles including Churchwarden, Vestry Clerk, Server, and Sub-Deacon. But it was in his role as Sub-Cantor of the Ritual Choir where Reed found his greatest joy. He became passionate about singing chant and devoted his legendary self-discipline to become the singer he wanted to be. A graduate of the University of Toronto, Reed went on to become a CPA-CMA and spent most of his career at RBC Capital Markets. In 2018 Reed joined OSFI as a senior supervisor in the small and medium size banking group. Despite the relatively short time he spent there, he was valued as a colleague and made firm friendships with some wonderful people. With courage, perseverance, and the incredible support of friends and family, Reed lived with and defied advanced pancreatic cancer for 17 months. There were so many health professionals in the Princess Margaret Cancer program who gave us more time with Reed, including Drs. Raymond Jang, Michael Allen, Rebecca Wong, Ahmed Al-Awamer and Eric Massicotte (TWH), as well as the many fine people behind the scenes at UHN. In particular, we are grateful to RNs Jennifer Petronis at PMH and Irene from Paramed. Reed was able to be at home in his last weeks, thanks to the compassionate support of the Temmy Latner Centre for Palliative Care, especially Dr. Susan Thouin, and the nurses and PSWs from SE Health (especially RNs Ziwei, Mark and Sarah). At his request, a service to honour Reed's life will be held when Covid restrictions are lifted, so we can all gather. If you wish, donations can be made to one of the following: www.ThePMCF.ca, the Wallace and Margaret McCain Fund; www.tlcpc.org; or www.stmarymagdalene.ca.