As some of you will know, my father passed away earlier this April.  Though his passing came after a long illness, and was not unexpected, I have of course found myself thinking of his life and work, especially since he, too, was a lawyer.

My father was born in South Porcupine, a neighbourhood in Timmins, Ontario, and his heart never left. He studied at St. Patrick’s University in Ottawa before attending Osgoode Hall Law School and articling in Toronto.  When called to the Ontario Bar, he joined the Timmins law firm of Evans & Evans, which in 1964 became Evans, Bragagnolo & Sullivan, and grew to become the largest full-service law firm in the region.

He was very involved in his community, serving as a President of the Cochrane District Law Association and as a Small Claims Court Deputy Judge in Timmins and Kirkland Lake for many years. He was an active volunteer with Meals on Wheels and a member of Kinsmen and the Knights of Columbus.

Of course, these descriptions of his professional and volunteer work are only part of the picture:  My father was a beloved husband of 1, father of 4, grandfather of 6 and godfather of 9. With the Porcupine in his blood, he loved skating and curling.  He and my mother loved to travel and dine with their friends from their long-time dinner club, NMNFTU.

People often ask me whether I became a lawyer because of my father; my answer is that I became the person I am because of him, and while my choice of profession was something we had in common, it is only one of many things that connect me to him.

My father’s long illness meant that I started missing him long before he passed this month, but I feel fortunate to have had him as my father, a teacher and role model.