Peter Robinson Wilcox passed away peacefully six months after being diagnosed with glioblastoma. Peter was a husband, father, and friend; a litigator, world traveller, avid reader, and drummer whose passion for music was only surpassed by his love for his family.

Peter was born in Montréal and became fluent in French before moving to Brampton. He graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in chemical engineering but, after one year in the field, he knew he was destined for something different. Peter graduated from law school at the University of Toronto and began his career at a time when a legal framework was being put in place to regulate how generic pharmaceuticals could enter the Canadian market. These new regulations would provide the backbone on which Peter built his incredibly successful career. During this time, Peter also raised two sons from his first marriage, Marshall Wilcox and Austin Wilcox. He loved them both very much and was proud of the young men they had become.

Peter was one of the most prominent and highly regarded patent trial lawyers in Canada. He loved his career and, after more than 30 years of practice, still found excitement in developing case strategy, engaging in legal arguments, and most especially cross-examining a witness at trial. Peter was a trusted adviser and a formidable opponent who received numerous awards and accolades for his accomplishments. He was also an incredible mentor to other lawyers and was respected enormously. His loss will have an immeasurable impact on the profession.

Drumming was another of Peter’s passions. He often joked that he should have made a career out of it but the rest of us agreed that he was doing just fine in law. His favourite band was Rush and his favourite drummer was Neil Peart. It was a real blow to Peter when he learned that the same disease that took away his hero would also take him.

Peter’s world was forever changed at age 40 when he met the love of his life. Peter and Lindsay married in Belize, the location of their first vacation together. Peter embraced every opportunity to try new things, to push outside his comfort zone, and to experience this world as fully as possible. Peter’s zest for life rubbed off on those around him and along the way he convinced his ocean-fearing wife to become a scuba diver. Some of the most beautiful memories of Peter took place at 70 feet below the surface amongst the turtles, fish and coral. Together, Peter and Lindsay built a beautiful life filled with love, generosity, and loads of fun.

Peter was an incredible father and found a renewed sense of youth at age 46 with the birth of his daughter Kensington. Peter seized every opportunity to be an involved parent. He was one of the few dads who volunteered during primary school and often took on the role of monthly Mystery Reader. Peter passed on his love of sports to his daughter, and they frequently attended Argos and Raptors games together. When Kensington developed a love for basketball, they ventured down to Brooklyn for the day to see the New York Liberty light it up.

Peter travelled with his family extensively. There were many trips up to the family cottage in Haliburton where happy memories were made with friends and family. Vacations to London and New York when Kensington was younger grew into adventures in Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands, Kenya, and the Rocky Mountains. But the family truly fell in love with the Turks & Caicos Islands where they eventually bought a condo and made it their second home.

Peter and his daughter shared a passion for Formula 1. The father-daughter duo flew to Barcelona to attend the Spanish Grand Prix in 2023 and had an amazing adventure. On June 6th, Peter and Kensington were to depart for the Montréal Grand Prix; instead, Peter was sent to hospital for what he had initially been told was a concussion. Unfortunately, it was not a concussion but rather a devastating and incurable brain cancer.

Peter approached his diagnosis of glioblastoma with the same courage and determination that he brought to all of life’s challenges. But it also broke his heart. Most devastating was the knowledge that he would not live to see his daughter grow up. There is never enough time, but the family takes comfort in knowing how loved they were by Peter and the lifetime worth of memories he managed to squeeze into every moment of their time together.

The family would like to thank the innumerable friends and family who surrounded them with love and all manners of assistance. This journey would have been insurmountable without all of you. To the team at Sunnybrook Hospital, and most especially Dr. Arjun Sahgal, your care and support was exceptional. Peter’s final months were made bearable with the support provided by Dorothy Ley Hospice.

A celebration of Peter’s life will be held on Saturday, January 11, 2025 from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Islington Golf Club, 45 Riverbank Drive, Etobicoke.

The family can think of no better way to honour Peter’s memory than by supporting glioblastoma research. For those wishing to contribute, donations can be made to the Odette Cancer Program at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. Friends and family can make their donation via Sunnybrook Foundation by phone (416-480-4483), web https://donate.sunnybrook.ca/tribute or mail c/o Sunnybrook Foundation, KGW01-2075 Bayview Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M4N 3M5.