SAWYER, Terence John - March 8, 1924 - September 15, 2015
P.Eng., I MechEOn September 15, 2015, at home, where he had returned following a brief hospital stay, Terence John Sawyer, loyal husband and sweetheart for 65 years to Joan Margaret (nee Hatcher) who survives him.
Son of the late James Walter Sawyer (Suffolk, UK) and Elizabeth Marie (nee Stevens) of Kent, brother of the late Geoffrey James Sawyer (1943, HMS Regent).
Father of Deborah and Roderick. Uncle, great-uncle and great-great-uncle to nieces and nephews in Australia and the UK.Born Ipswich, UK, grew up and attended school in the same town.
His parents were told he had a great voice and should train for opera but, in the 1930s, this was beyond most people's means. Something of a scamp in his youngest years - on his street, they nicknamed him The Terror of Parliament Road - he soon settled down and was accepted at The Northgate School for Boys (although opponents at rugby knew to still keep a wary eye on him!)Early aspirations of being a surgeon were diverted by the war. From the Air Cadets, he joined the Air Training Corps, qualifying in the Pilots Syllabus of Training in January 1942 but transferred later that year to training for the Royal Navy (active service 1943-1948), serving in the Mediterranean theatre on several vessels, eventually as Chief Engineer. (Discharge rank: SubLt (E) RNVR).Post-war, he worked first as an Electrical Engineer, then as a Plant and Mechanical Engineer, holding memberships in many professional organizations, including the IMechE.
His career path took him through power station construction, automotive manufacturing, paper-making and more in the UK, before he immigrated to Canada in 1965 and qualified as a P.Eng. His working life then included stints at a consulting engineering firm and a consumer goods company, along with positions at International Nickel, George Brown College, Domtar and Spar Aerospace, before finishing his career as Plant Supervisor for the Scarborough Board of Education.Once retired, he was able to devote more time to community activities, helping organize a ratepayers' group in North York and arguing successfully against unsuitable development at the OMB.
He also participated in the Citizens Assembly on Electoral Reform and on the Community Advisory Committee of the Metro Toronto Police Services Board.He was also an indefatigable handyman - and single-handedly installed central heating in his house in the UK! - fond of singing and whistling and always possessed of a few good jokes that he told well.Many thanks to Noemi, Carmelita, Venus, Tenzin, Tricia, Michelle and all the other caregivers who assisted him for the last 3 years.
Cremation has already taken place.
The family will hold a celebration of life on November 1, 2015, 1:30-4:30 p.m. at Christie Gardens, at the home of Joan Sawyer.
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