GEORGE VERNON TOVELL

GEORGE VERNON TOVELL 1929 - 2017 Passed away peacefully on April 29, 2017, after a brief time in hospital. The son of Thomas Clayton Tovell and Mary Leona McCarty and older brother to the late Jackson Tovell, George was a beloved husband, father and grandfather. He is survived by his wife Judith, daughters Sharon Morris (Rob) and Tara Tovell (Joe Zingrone), and his grandchildren Evelyn and Jason Morris. Also fondly remembered by brothers-in-law Byron Dow (June Kawai) and John Dow (Kathy) and sister-in-law Laura Berbeka. A teacher of music, Latin, French and the classics, and later a vice-principal, George was a man of many talents above and beyond his career at the Toronto Board of Education. A lifelong classical music and jazz lover, he was a highly skilled multi-instrumentalist in numerous ensembles, most recently the Encore Symphonic Concert Band (1986 - 2017); he also lent his baritone voice to the Festival Singers as a founding member of that group. A survivor of a heart attack in early middle age, George reinvented himself as a distance runner and became a charter member of the Toronto Rehabilitation Centre Joggers, eventually completing five high- profile international marathons. Along with Judith, George was a tireless world traveller who enjoyed exploring all corners of the world and was always up for an adventure. But, born in Kincardine, Ontario, he was a Bruce County kid at his core, often happiest tending a vegetable garden or doing a crossword at the family cottage on Bruce Beach, where he had spent summers since the age of five. Loyal to the bone, George was loved for his integrity, honesty, humour and great character - a rarely found gentleman of the old school. A private family service will be held in Toronto in May; interment will take place in Kincardine. In lieu of flowers, the family would gratefully accept donations to Parkinson Canada. The family would like to thank the nurses and staff at Sunnybrook Hospital for their excellent care. Ave atque vale.