LEARD, George Earl - Earl was born on September 5, 1918, in Fortune Cove, PEI and died peacefully on November 14, 2018, at Christie Gardens in Toronto, ON.
He was the second son of Russ and Clara (nee Lockerby) Leard.
In his last months of life he relived his happy boyhood on the family farm and often thought of walking down the road with his brother to the Lockerby farm in pursuit of cookies.
After graduating from Prince of Wales College, he followed in his beloved mother's footsteps by becoming a schoolteacher in Brooklyn and Fortune Cove.
His love of learning and conscience took him to Mount Allison University in the class of 1944 and to Pine Hill (Atlantic School of Theology) where he first met his future wife, Elinor Harwood and trained to become a minister in The United Church of Canada.
He also attended Union Seminary in New York City. Earl loved to work with young people and followed his heart to a position with The United Church in Toronto.
He got to know Elinor on returning from a conference of the Student Christian Movement of Canada in Kansas in the fall of 1947 and spent the train trip from Chicago to Chatham with her.
They were engaged a few months later and married in 1948. They had a wonderful 60 years together. They had a year at the University of Cambridge where their friendship with Harvey Perkins began which would take them to Australia 50 years later.
They became missionaries in India for 10 years, where their two sons, William and John, were born.
During a year long sabbatical in New York City at Columbia University, their daughter Katherine was born. In India, they cemented lifelong friendships with the Waylings, the Embrees and others who added immeasurably to their family lives. On returning from India, Earl began his career at Berkeley Studio of The United Church of Canada in Toronto. He later took over its leadership on the retirement of his good friend and mentor, Anson Moorhouse. Earl and Elinor were always supportive of family and their hospitality touched and inspired many. They were close to Elinor's sister's family, the Hills of Welcome, ON and took great pleasure in family visits with Hazel and Roly and their children Mark, Christine and Elinor.
Family trips back to the farm on PEI were a highlight of summer holidays. On retiring, they spent several years helping to care for their beloved grandsons Max and Simon Leard in Oakville, ON. They spent two years in the south of France and had an extended trip to Australia to spend time with their lifelong friends, Harvey and Jill Perkins. Earl had a remarkable life travelling the world and making friends everywhere.
He was blessed with a constant grace, humility and profound sense of service that never left him in his 100 years of life. He gave his light freely to those around him, yet cast no shadow of his own. His children William, John and Katherine and his grandsons Max and Simon survive him. He is also survived by his PEI family: brother Gordon and his wife Leta and his nieces and nephew: Sylvia, Anna, Earl and Susan and their children and his cousin Jack Lockerby and his wife Jan and daughters Christina and Stephanie.
His good humour served him well in his long life and, in his last days, he continued to poke fun at himself and express his gratitude to others. A memorial service will be held on Thursday, November 29, 2018, at 2:00 p.m. at Eglinton St. George's United Church, 35 Lytton Blvd., Toronto, ON.
In lieu of flowers, a donation to KAIROS Canada or Diabetes Canada would do him great honour.
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