Obituary of Ronald Dawkins

RONALD DAWKINS 1932-2011 "I have travelled east..." Ron passed away peacefully on September 5, 2011 following a journey with cancer. Best friend and husband of 54 years to Pat, and devoted father to Keren and her husband Carl Brown, as well as proud Grandad to Sadie. Predeceased by his parents George and Lilly (Miller) Dawkins. Brother-in-law to Sheila (Burgess) and Ron Cook; uncle to Steve and Julie, Helen and Darren and Sue and Dave; and great uncle ("Grandpa Ron") to Chris, Marty, April, Laura, Daniel and Amy. He will be deeply missed by his family and friends but we know his truest essence carries on within and around us. Born and raised near London, England, Ron was a Freemason, served two years in the RAF as a wireless operator and navigator, and later became a bank manager at the Bank of Nova Scotia. After moving to Canada in 1973 with Pat and Keren, Ron worked for many years in the appraisal industry while enjoying a family passion - competitive ballroom dancing - in most of his non-working hours. While in semi-retirement, he and Pat turned their long-time hobby into an enjoyable joint career, teaching hundreds of students to dance over more than 15 years, first through the Toronto Board of Education, and later privately. Ron and Pat travelled widely throughout North America, Europe and the Caribbean, both on family and dance-related trips, and most recently celebrated their golden wedding anniversary, together with Keren, Carl and Sadie, in St. Maarten. The Dawkins/Brown family invites friends to join them in honouring and celebrating Ron's life at a memorial service at HUMPHREY FUNERAL HOME - AW MILES CHAPEL, 1403 Bayview Ave., on Wednesday, September 14th at 7 p.m. (guests are welcome to arrive from 6:30 p.m. to speak with family). Condolences may be forwarded through www.humphreymiles.com. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Ron's memory to the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (www.ccnm.edu, 1255 Sheppard Avenue East, Toronto, ON M2K 1E2) in support of their new Ottawa Integrated Cancer Centre (OICC).