We are saddened to announce the death of Harvey Anchel. He died at the Juravinski Hospital with his son David at his side. For over 55 years, Harvey was the beloved partner, husband and best friend to his wife Gillian, the cherished father to his three children, Tasha (Tzen), Tara (Mark) and David, and adored 'Poppa' to his five grandchildren, Leo, Ana, Eli, Sam and Jake. Harvey was predeceased by his treasured parents Irving and Anne Anchel. He will be deeply missed by his dear sister Rhoda (Morty), nephews Michael (Lisa), Jeffery (Martina), and their children, and Robbie, as well as his many dear friends and extended family. Harvey graduated from McGill University in 1962 and went on to McMaster University to earn a PhD in neuropsychology. He continued his research as a post-doctoral fellow at the Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles. Returning to McMaster in 1971, he joined the Department of Neurosciences in the Faculty of Health Sciences. Harvey was one of the founders of the Behavioural Medicine Unit at St Joseph's Hospital, established in 1977 to assess and treat people suffering with chronic disabilities. From 1977 to 2015, Harvey was involved in interdisciplinary rehabilitation services, initially as Director of Clinical Services at the Behavioural Medicine Services and later as the President of two companies he established, MRS Health Services and Matrix Health Services. Throughout his career, Harvey worked hard to help his patients live better, more productive lives. Outside of his academic and professional pursuits, Harvey lived an active and fulfilling life. He was an accomplished skier and shared this passion with Gillian, their children and grandchildren. After many years as a camper and counsellor at Camp Pembina, Harvey acquired a lifelong love of backpacking, wilderness camping and lake and whitewater canoeing, activities which took him and Gillian to the Sierras, Washington State's Cascade Mountains, Killarney and a memorable trip with friends down the Nahanni River. In more recent years he took up golf again and found much satisfaction in the challenges and friendships that this game often creates. Harvey enjoyed foreign travel, always well researched ahead of time so that he could wander off on his own instead of having to be part of any group arranged tour. He never tired of visiting his favourite city, New York, most recently tramping across half of the Lower East Side to eat a smoked meat sandwich at Katz's! While he loved all these activities, he would always say without any hesitation that the most important thing to him was his family. Outside of his family, Harvey's friends were next in importance. He had a reputation for being a storyteller. His anecdotes often drew from his experiences growing up in a large extended Jewish family so that his friends felt connected to people they had never met. He could be counted on to enliven social gatherings with his quick wit, often ironic but never sarcastic. His voice is now silent, and it will be sorely missed. But there was a serious side to him as well. He enjoyed being alone with his books. He was intellectually curious about a range of topics, read widely and reflected deeply about political, social and historical issues. He loved to challenge and provoke debate, never wanting to simply accept the prevailing opinion of the time. He enjoyed grappling with life's big questions at animated, energized dinner parties with friends, usually following his traditional extra dry martini. After his retirement, he found further intellectual stimulation in the varied workshops he participated in at the Academy of Lifelong Learning in Toronto. His family would like to thank all of the staff at the Juravinski Hospital who have supported him during the four years he lived with MDS, in particular his hematologists Dr. Almakadi, Dr. Trus, Dr. Berg and Dr. Lepic, and Wendy Bursey and Alix Lapworth, the skilled nurses of the ODS, the gentle health care aides and Dr. David De Benetti. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the Marvelle Koffler Breast Centre at Mount Sinai Hospital Toronto, the Juravinski Cancer Care Centre or The Friends of Killarney. A memorial will be held in the Great Hall of the University Club, McMaster University, on Friday, November 18th at 2.00 p.m. Arrangements entrusted to Dodsworth & Brown Funeral Home, Ancaster (905) 648-3852.
Please sign the online Book of Condolence at
www.dbancaster.ca.
Published by The Hamilton Spectator on Oct. 27, 2022.
