Kevin HAVERTY

1937 - 2019

KEVIN HAVERTY SR. September 27, 1937 - March 19, 2019 'May the road rise up to meet you...' Kevin Sr. passed away peacefully on Tuesday, March 19th with his devoted and beloved wife, Myrna and son, Kevin Jr., at his side. He leaves daughter-in-law, Liz Power of Toronto, ON; sister, Therese Haverty-Cleary; brother-in-law, Joe Cleary of Georgetown, ON; his sister, Imelda Coffey of White Rock, BC, and their families. His family included sister-in law, Patricia Xavier and brother-in-law, Lloyd Xavier of Toronto, ON; and sister-in-law, Joybelle Fonseca of Mumbai, India; and their families. A strong believer that "life is the journey, and not the destination," he was determined to enjoy his life fully and in his own way! A lover of books, good conversation, sports and food, Kevin was authentic before anyone ever sought authenticity as an experience rather than a character trait. You could love him or leave him and he was satisfied with either outcome. Regardless, you could not help but enjoy his company and the wink of his eye as he let loose with something funny or an outrageous quip to see which kind of humour you possessed. You were not his sort if you did not have one. Born in Dublin, Ireland in 1937 to Thomas and Mary Haverty of Dundalk, Kevin attended Shelagh National School and St. Mary's College Dundalk (The Marist), preparing him for his career which began at The Hibernian Bank. Thereafter, Kevin left Ireland in 1959 for London, England to join The Standard Chartered Bank. In the early 60s, following postings in Aden and Ceylon (now South Yemen and Sri Lanka), he was transferred to Bombay where he met a vivacious and engaging young lady who captured his heart. Myrna became his wife soon after and they embarked on an adventure that took them back to Ireland, then on to Canada where they settled in Toronto with their son, Kevin Jr. Kevin's work in Canada started at the Bank of Montreal. He would eventually move to IBM, where he spent 33 years in Canada and Australia, to work on projects including the launch of Chargex (Canada's first national credit card), and with a division of IBM that ran the technology platforms of 84 international governments and sovereignties. His role gave him the opportunity to indulge his and Myrna's life-long love of travel, spanning the world many times over, living in Toronto, New York and Sydney, Australia, before before returning to Canada in 2000. For those who loved him, he could sometimes be challenging, showcasing his occasionally stubborn and sometimes opinionated Irish feistiness. He was nonetheless a gentle and spiritual soul, always generous of spirit - especially with his time and empathy, as many friends and acquaintances have shared since receiving news of his passing, providing great comfort to his family. An avid reader, he consumed words, news and opinion voraciously and loved to chat about the latest goings-on, be they business, political or sport, especially rugby, boxing, and squash. A remarkable fighter, Senior, as he was called by his family, experienced several health challenges in latter years that many would not have recovered from. He still continued to enjoy traveling with Myrna, and often with his son and daughter-in-law, sharing the 'craic' with his many supportive and steadfast friends, watching the 'footy,' and reading the latest new releases from the library, for which he was usually first in line. An Irish 'Wake' Memorial Service to celebrate his life will be held on Saturday, April 6, 2019. Email: liz_kevin@mac.com for details. Private family burial. For those who wish, donations in memory of Kevin may be made to St. Michael's Hospital Foundation and/or Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto.