After living a big, fulfilling 89 years, George passed away peacefully on the 22nd day of July, 2024 following a brief few days at Toronto Western Hospital, holding the hand of his wife, Mary; and his loving children Michael, Andrea and Robert by his side.

George was predeceased by his father and mother, George and Anna, who immigrated to Canada from Czechoslovakia; and by his brother, Andrew, who died as an infant. George was born in the west end of Toronto and raised on a farm in what is now Mississauga. From his modest roots, he attended Queen Elizabeth Public School and Port Credit High School, followed by a degree in Arts from The University of Toronto and a law degree from Osgoode Hall. In 1962, George joined the Toronto law firm of Borden & Elliot as the eighteenth member and retired from the successor firm Borden Ladner Gervais LLP in 2007 when the firm numbered more than 800 lawyers. Although he was hired to do corporate work, he was seconded to the litigation department under the mentorship of W.L.N. Somerville, QC. In an effort to practice both litigation and corporate law, George gravitated his practice toward bankruptcies of financial institutions particularly where the bankruptcies entailed fraud and asset tracing in foreign jurisdictions. Over the course of almost 50 years, his work took him to the courts of six continents (there are no financial institutions in Antarctica). He practiced from the Toronto office except for a period of 10 years when he was stationed in the firm’s London, UK office. George was appointed a Queen’s Counsel and was a member of the Law Societies in Ontario, Alberta, and England and Wales. He also spent so much time in Luxembourg that eventually the Luxembourg District Court appointed him a Liquidator of a Luxembourg Bank. George served on the boards of a number of public and private companies, and was a member of the Island Country Club in Marco Island and Lambton Golf & Country Club in Toronto.

George was a believer in fate and destiny and referenced the fact that he met and married Mary, whose family also emigrated from Czechoslovakia. It was apparently love at first sight and lasted for over 64 years leading to the birth of their three children, Michael, Andrea and Robert (Alison). They, in turn with their spouses, have produced nine grandchildren which George cherished: Jessica, Dan, Madelaine, Liam, Ginger, Luke, Grace, Will and Georgia. Although George was not a particularly religious person, he served as an advisor to Bishop Rusnak, of the Eparchy of Sts. Cyril and Methodius of Slovaks of the Byzantine Rite in Canada. George enjoyed discussing the probability of duality of the spirit.

An elegant man and the definition of integrity, George was as loving as he was brilliant, and infinitely wise. George travelled the world and built a tremendous career; but as much as anything loved to enjoy an evening cooking then eating great food with a glass of wine, and hosting rich conversations with his family during Sunday night dinner. While George wrote legal briefs, he also wrote poetry, short stories and the most memorable birthday cards one could ever receive. At his core, George was humble, yet expressively proud of his family, who will now miss him dearly and be forever blessed by the gift of his influence. Above all, George adored his wife, Mary, undeniably his best friend for life.

A Celebration of George’s Life will take place at Lambton Golf & Country Club, 100 Scarlett Road, Toronto, on Tuesday, July 30th, from 1:00-4:00 p.m., with remembrances shared at 2:00 p.m.

Special thanks to the wonderful doctors and nurses at Toronto Western Hospital for their attentive and compassionate care.

For those who wish, donations in George’s memory may be made to the CNIB or UHN Foundation.