GUY WARNER UPJOHN

Guy Warner Upjohn, BA, D.S.Litt. (honoris causa), Trinity College, University of Toronto (November 30, 1932 – January 1, 2026) With gratitude for his life and with great sadness, we share the news of Guy's death in Toronto. He was, and the family is, deeply grateful for the personal support workers and medical team who cared for him through his long challenge with Alzheimer's, allowing him to remain at home with Sandra, his beloved wife of 70 years. Guy brought curiosity, determination, charm and humour to everything he did. His working life divided into two careers. His first was as manager and then president of the Hunter Rose Company, where he earned a reputation for leadership and natural generosity in the Canadian book manufacturing industry. The second was as a volunteer, following his passions in the book arts community, and working with the Friends of the Library at Trinity College. He fundraised, collaborated on exhibitions, and with his desktop publishing know-how produced a multitude of ephemera and promotional materials. He also hauled books. A lifelong love of the natural world led Guy and Sandra to purchase "The Stone House" on 150 acres of bush and beaver ponds near Bracebridge, ON. Guy relished the opportunity to reclaim the house despite the lack of electricity and running water, and the failing interior. He and the family spent many happy years rebuilding and exploring the local flora and fauna. The desire to protect the land and make it available to others led to much of the property becoming the publicly accessible Upjohn Nature Reserve, part of the Muskoka Conservancy. Guy's concern for environmental protection continued through his volunteer participation in the Hay Lake community, where he and Sandra extended their off-grid adventures at their lake cabin. From facilitating executive decisions and local policy to building sheds and docks, he always did what was needed. 25 years of canoe trips with Sandra took Guy into many places he loved in the Ontario backcountry. Yearly reading of Shakespeare's plays, Homer (in Greek), along with music and theatre were ongoing sources of joy. He was a doer and maker, taking pleasure in working with his hands: designing, building, fixing and finessing. Whether he was constructing bookshelves, an outhouse, designing a birthday card, rebinding a book, chopping wood or repairing a watch with a sledgehammer, he brought his full self to whatever he took on. Husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle, brother, neighbour and friend, Guy fashioned a life well lived, leaving a loved and remembered presence and a sorely felt absence. Guy is survived by his wife, Sandra; children, Ian (Barbara) and Rebecca (Don); grandchildren, Thomas (Mara), Emmett (Vanessa), and Harris (Alexandra); and great-granddaughter, Selene; also, his brother-in-law, Crawford; and nieces and nephews, Jamie, Robin, Susan, and Charlie and their families. His sister, Wendy, predeceased him in 2015. In his remembrance, in lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Trinity College Friends of the Library, the Muskoka Conservancy or a Charity of Your Choice. A celebration of life for Guy will be held April 19, 2026, 2:30 – 5 p.m. in the Combination Room at Trinity College, University of Toronto, 6 Hoskin Avenue.