Peter GIFFORD

1934 - 2024

Died peacefully at, home with his wife and best friend of 64 years, Marilyn, by his side. Peter was the proud father of John, Paul and Laura, and proud "Papa" of Carson, Emily, Katie, Mathew, Jake, Maggie, and Ameilia. Peter was born on March 19, 1934 in Toronto and attended John Ross Robertson Public School until he moved to New Brunswick at age 12 to attend Rothsay School, where he graduated in 1950 with a scholarship to attend Royal Military College in Kingston. He graduated from RMC 1955 and moved to Toronto to attend Osgood Hall Law School, graduating in 1959. That same year, Peter met Marilyn. They married in 1960 and moved to Guelph, where Peter joined Kearns-McKinnon. He practiced family and corporate law for 54 years, retiring at age 80. When asked what he liked most about being a lawyer, Peter said, "helping people solve their problems," and because there would be no end to people's problems, he would always have work. It's a sentiment that captures both his compassion and his sense of humor. People liked that about him. When his children walked around downtown Guelph with their dad, they couldn't get anywhere quickly because people stopped them talk to Peter. And Peter loved introducing and reintroducing his children to people he knew. In the days following Peter's passing, the phone calls and emails poured in from people who knew him – his friends, his children's friends, his clients, his law partners, his bridge partners, his golf partners, his neighbours, his doctor, his barber, and the funeral home director. And they shared variations on a theme: that they "loved" him, "really liked" him, "trusted" him and "relied on him," and "enjoyed being around him." They appreciated his advice, his sense of humor, his humility, his humanity – his big, warm heart. He was this person to his very last breath. It was his heart – worn out from 90 years of being big and warm – which finally gave out. And it was his heart – big and warm – that his children will remember. Their dad was always home from work before dinner to greet them with big warm "bear hugs." He even bear hugged the dog-the legendary Tosca, aka "The Wonder Dog." Peter asked his children questions about their days and continually provided wise counsel as they navigated their lives. He would often call them in the middle of the day for no particular reason – to say hello, to hear their voices. Those phone calls are cherished memories. In his final days, Peter talked about going back to some of his favorite places – Georgian Bay, The Beaver Valley, Stratford. A memorial service will be held at St. George's Anglican Church in Guelph, on June 6 at 1:00 P.M., with visitation at 12 noon and a reception after the service, both at the church. In lieu of flowers, please provide a donation to music at St George's Church. A service will be held at St. George's Anglican Church in Guelph on Thursday, June 6, 2024 at 1:00 P.M. There will be a visitation at the church at 12:00 noon, and a reception following the service. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the music program at St George's Anglican Church, where Peter and his family were members of the congregation for many years. Funeral arrangements under the direction of the Brombal Funeral Home, One Delhi Street, Guelph. Share online tributes and condolences at www.brombal.ca