Paul passed peacefully on February 4th at Dorothy Ley Hospice in South Etobicoke.

Son of Gordon and Jeanne Watson (nee Roy), brother of Suzanne, Margaret (predeceased), Christine, Elizabeth, Tom, Helen and Valerie, devoted and beloved husband to Christine (nee Innes) and father of Patrick and Jennifer, grandfather to George, Lucy, Matilda and Violet.

Paul was born an adventurer and had a beautiful life fulfilling that spirit. His childhood was spent in West Toronto, Orillia, and Scarborough. As the eldest son, Paul took care of his younger siblings and in adulthood would muse about their taunting and teasing. He was a devoted son who cherished both his parents and provided immense comfort to his father in the years following his mother’s passing.

As a teenager, Paul taught himself to sail on a small lake near Orillia, at first by getting himself tangled in lines and dragged across that lake behind the boat. He would master sailing, a lifelong passion, and in the 1970s and ’80s raced Albacore sailboats with Christine in both Hamilton and Toronto harbours. In his late 30s, he took up cruising the Great Lakes with his family and friends aboard his Alberg 37, dubbed PACT I. He studied boatmanship and offshore navigation and received accreditation from the Canadian Power and Sail Squadron. He was fearless at the helm, occasionally to the stress (and distress!) of his crew, but always within his own capable limits.

He lived a life dedicated to learning. A graduate of the University of Toronto, St Michael’s College Class of 1972, he would later enroll in a Masters of Business Administration at McMaster University. As a mature student, graduated at the top of his Canadian Professional Sales Association class at Fanshawe College. He served as contingent teaching faculty in the business program at Fanshawe and continuing education faculty at the University of Western Ontario. He was an avid reader of both fiction and non-fiction, with a particular interest in Canadian history.

By profession, he worked as a sales and business communications trainer in Toronto and London Ontario. He started his career as a business analyst at Dunn and Bradstreet before becoming an account executive with Xerox Learning Systems and Learning International. In 1993, he established his own consultancy, Watson and Associates, at which he worked until his phased retirement in 2014. He and Christine moved back to Toronto from London in 2015.

Paul was a natural leader and inspired nearly everyone around him. He served as an elder at Calvary United Church in London. Before having children of his own, he volunteered with Scouts Canada as a Beaver leader and later became the area director for Scouts Canada in London. He won several awards for leadership and coaching in youth sports.

Paul met his true love, Christine, in 1975, and following a short courtship, they were married in February 1976. He was a completely devoted and loving husband. Their nearly 50-years of marriage were accented by their children and grandchildren, many world travels, and long-term friendships.

He was a wonderful father. He coached both Patrick and Jennifer’s hockey and soccer teams. The family spent summers together, cruising the Thousand Islands out of Kingston or the North Channel of Georgian Bay out of Bayfield Harbour. When his children left the house, he sold his sailboat and bought a cottage near Parry Sound, Ontario, where he spent much of his time in his later years. Alongside his love of sailing, he loved nature and the outdoors, camping, and as a retirement project, hiking, in stages, the entire length of the Bruce Trail.

Paul lived by the maxim Never put off until tomorrow what can be done today. He worked tirelessly, both in his profession and his hobbies. While he slowed down in his later years, he never stopped, and he never stopped inspiring others to achieve their goals, ambitions, and to contribute to their communities. He will be dearly missed by so many, especially his wife, children and grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Covenant House shelter for youth.