Lynn Ann STEWART

1955 - 2019

LYNN ANN STEWART June 28, 1955 - November 16, 2019 To sum up a life - impossible. Perhaps a brief outline of the journey a remarkable woman has taken. The task is still daunting. I start to write this and imagine my wife Lynn coming to my side, watching me put pen to paper and saying, "You're not going to make that about me are you?" Always self-effacing, but also unhesitant and unrelenting in her curiosity about the people she encountered, and pretty much everything she came across in her world. Lynn Ann Stewart was born in Murray Harbour, PEI in 1955 and despite spending little time there after the age of 16, that village remained a part of who she was. The eldest of six children, Lynn grew up surrounded by the love of her mother Shirley, stepfather Lorin Brehaut, and her beloved grandparents Jim and Gladys Harris. Lynn's insatiable appetite for books and learning led her from a two room schoolhouse, where she finished second in the province on her final exams, to skipping grades in high school. While in high school, Lynn narrowly survived a car accident in Boston and was told, as a paraplegic, she should limit her prospects. But Lynn dismissed this notion and found encouragement in many places; she vividly remembered hockey stars Bobby Orr and Derek Sanderson of the Bruins, calling her at the hospital in Boston and encouraging her to stay in school. No limits were accepted then or any time since. She was a member of the Canadian para-Olympic team in 1976 and won a bronze medal. At sixteen, she started travelling and never stopped, attending 5 universities from coast to coast in this country and one in Belgium on a scholarship. With a PhD in Clinical Psychology from York University she soon started a lifelong career in forensic psychology working for Corrections Canada. Initially, she worked at Warkworth Prison, then in a District Parole Office in Toronto providing direct counselling to offenders and was instrumental in promoting the use of evidence-based programming throughout the community. From there, she began working at a national level, developing new programs based upon the research of what is effective in reducing re-offending. This led her to pursue the remainder of her career as a senior researcher where she published numerous papers that contributed to improving the ways in which offenders are assessed and treated. More recently, she conducted research on the link between impulsivity and criminality that was the central focus for an episode of The Nature of Things where she appeared on CBC in 2017. She also worked briefly at Holloway Prison for Women in London, England and has been a consultant for many years for Her Majesty's Prison Service. Her expertise led to many engagements at national and international forums as an ambassador for the Canadian correctional system. She leaves behind a professional legacy of diligence, intellectual curiosity, leadership and compassion. For most of Lynn's working life she resided in Mississauga with her loving family; husband John and daughter Claire. It was a life devoted to learning and kindness towards others which inspired her daughter to become a psychiatrist. Lynn's nieces and nephews will remember her frequent visits to the island where they had to account for the plans they were making for their future. Advice on how to achieve their goals followed - in detail. All done out of the formidable love she had for each of them, combined with a desire to stay connected with her family and with the greater community of Murray Harbour. A village she always thought of as home. Lynn faced many protracted stays in hospital over her lifetime with great courage and a tenacious optimism. On each occasion she spoke up for the rights and respect that fellow patients deserved. While she bravely underwent a demanding treatment regimen to fight cancer in the latter months of her life, she made the most of it by engaging her nurses with the same interest and concern for their lives as she had for her own; several decisions on everything from career advancement to changing boyfriends were resolved with her advice. Respect, admiration and friendship were found everywhere. The passion was hers, the humility - assisted by a lesson or two from her mother. Lynn is survived by her husband John, daughter Claire and stepfather Lorin. Also, her brothers Jim, Lorin and Scott and sisters Paula and Lori. If she could leave an inspirational thought behind for others, I know it would be for us to be mindful of, as Stephen Pinker eloquently noted, the "better angels of our nature." She will be deeply missed by family, friends, colleagues, and everyone who had the privilege of being in the warmth of her presence. Please make donations on her behalf to: Macphail Woods (macphailwoods.org).