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Canon Derwyn Shea
September 1, 1937 - August 15, 2015
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<div itemprop="description">SHEA, Reverend Canon Derwyn Spencer<br /><br />It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of the Reverend Canon Derwyn Spencer Shea on August 15, 2015 at Toronto General Hospital, after a lengthy and courageous battle with cancer. <br /><br />Predeceased by his wife Julia, Derwyn leaves behind his loving companion, Christine Schubert; &ldquo;cousin-in-law&rdquo; Lorraine Clarkson; longtime family friend Sarah Davies and others in the circle of those closest to him. They will miss him greatly, as will his many friends, colleagues and all those whose lives he touched, particularly the staff and residents of St. Hilda&rsquo;s Towers and the congregation of St. Hilda&rsquo;s Anglican Church. <br /><br />Derwyn was a talented, multi-faceted individual who used his many gifts to pursue a dual career path as both an Anglican Priest and a politician at the local and provincial levels. Born in Hamilton on September 1, 1937, but a Torontonian since the age of two, he was ordained in 1966 and during his pastoral career served in the dioceses of Saskatchewan (Macdowall), Algoma (Capreol) and Toronto (St. Clement-Riverdale and St Hilda&rsquo;s-Fairbank). <br /><br />His years of community involvement in Toronto include the founding of the Eastview Neighbourhood Association for latchkey youth and serving as the Chair of the City of Toronto Planning Board and O&rsquo;Keefe Centre for the Performing Arts. He also served as President of the Canadian National Exhibition and as a member of the Toronto Police Commission, the National Seniors Council and Toronto Hydro Commission as well as serving on a number of hospital boards including Toronto General, Princess Margaret and Runnymede Chronic Care Facility. He was also the founding Chair of the Ontario Association of Former Parliamentarians.<br /><br />His political career began in 1982 when he was elected Senior Alderman in Toronto&rsquo;s Ward 1; he was later elected as the Toronto Metropolitan Councilor for High Park-Swansea where he served as a member of the executive committee and chaired numerous committees. In 1995 he was elected MPP for High Park-Swansea and was a Parliamentary Assistant in the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing and the Ministry of Citizenship, Culture and Recreation. His many accolades and honours in recognition of his outstanding service at the local, provincial and national levels include receiving the Canada 125 medal and being awarded the Queen&rsquo;s Jubilee and Diamond Jubilee Medals. <br /><br />In 2002, Derwyn was installed as a Canon in the Diocese of Toronto and on May 11th of this year was inducted as a Fellow of Wycliffe College (University of Toronto). As a testament to his faith and commitment to ministry, his estate includes bequests to the Diocese of Toronto to establish a fund for the assistance of parish clergy and to Wycliffe College to fund a Chair in Urban Ministry in memory of his late wife.<br /><br />Visitation will be held at the Yorke Chapel of Turner and Porter, 2357 Bloor Street West, Toronto on Friday August 21st from 2:00 &ndash; 4:00 and 7:00 &ndash; 9:00 pm. The funeral and celebration of Canon Shea&rsquo;s life of service and joy will be conducted by the Archbishop of Toronto and held at St. Hilda&rsquo;s Anglican Church, 2353 Dufferin Street (south-east corner of Dufferin and Eglinton) on Saturday August 22nd at 11:00 AM. Interment will be at Park Lawn Cemetery.</div>