RONALD "GARY" ADAMS

1935 - 2020

Born in Hornepayne, Ontario on September 18, 1935 the youngest of four children born to Earl and Clara Adams, Gary passed away peacefully at Grey Bruce Health Services in Meaford with his wife Heather by his side on Thursday August 13, 2020, just a month shy of his 85th birthday. Gary spent his early years in Hornepayne, a railroad terminal town, north of Lake Superior on the CN line where his father was a "hogger" (engineer) on the railway. In his early teens he came with his family south to Mimico. Later, while studying Geology at Queens University, he had summer employment working in the Mimico Train yards and was excited to witness the conversion from Steam to Diesel Locomotives. He was also privileged, while at University, to spend two summers in the Western Arctic doing geological field work in the Richardson Mountains near the Mackenzie Delta which he remembered as an amazing experience. After graduating, Gary and his first wife Dorothy moved to Calgary where he worked as a Geologist in the "Oil Patch" and they welcomed their first son Stephen. They moved back to London Ontario so that Gary could go to Western and attain his MBA. Son Scott arrived fortuitously during his final exams. After graduating, Gary worked in Management in the Food Industry, first with General Foods for 16 years and then with the Oshawa Group. These valued experiences gave him the opportunity to live in and travel to many parts of our beautiful Canada. In 1985 Gary married his second wife Heather and they retired and moved up to Thornbury from Toronto in 1995. He loved living in "four seasons" and enjoyed golf and skiing and was blessed to make many marvelous friendships. He was instrumental in bringing in the "CAUSE program" to Thornbury which was designed to promote Tourism to the region by encouraging beautification of the downtown area, the waterfront and local parks. He loved nothing better than a home renovation or construction project or just riding his lawn tractor around his property. There were many happy croquet and bocce parties conducted on that well-loved lawn! Gary is survived by his wife, Heather (nee Hammond), his first wife and dear friend, Dorothy Hyde, his sons Stephen (partner Julie) and Scott (wife Sacha), daughter-in-law Mary Adams and four marvelous grandchildren Jenna, Willie, Jessica and Tory. Gary was predeceased by his sister, Lois Kohn, and his brother Robert. Gary is survived by his dear sister Maryian Milsom. There will be a private celebration of Gary's life with family at Big Gull Lake at Thanksgiving. If so desired and as your expression of sympathy, donations may be made to the Meaford Hospital Foundation or Collingwood General and Marine Hospital and may be made through Ferguson Funeral Home, 48 Boucher St. E, Meaford, Ontario N4L 1B9. www.fergusonfuneralhomes.ca