M.G. Daly Funeral Home Ltd. Maynooth, Ontario

July 10, 1926 - October 23, 2020

Gerry passed away peacefully in North Hastings Hospital, Bancroft on October 23 from pneumonia, following a decade in which blindness, COPD, and increasing dementia limited his abilities. He remained in his own home on Paudash Lake until this episode   and enjoyed life till the end.  Gerry is best known locally for his activism in protecting the environment.  As President of the Paudash Lake Conservation Association for many years,  he campaigned hard to have the abandoned uranium mines in the area successfully decommissioned, he oversaw the designation of wetland complexes on Paudash Lake as provincially significant, he initiated the shoreland restoration project to protect the littoral zone of the lake, and he worked with Cardiff Council (now Highlands East) and various provincial ministries and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, on the development of a Paudash Lake Plan as a guide to future sustainable development of the lake and ongoing protection of its shore lands, its fisheries, its mammals and its water quality.    He was also proud of the role he played on the Lands for Life initiative of the provincial government which extended protection of public lands, through parks and reserves, to 12% of crown land in Ontario.  Through this period, he also participated on the Citizens’ Liaison Committee of the MNR in the development of sustainable forestry management plans and he served as chair of the Environment Committee of the Ontario Federation of Cottagers Associations.

In his working life, as a researcher and university professor in the area of social science,  he was instrumental in helping develop criteria for occupational health and safety programs, and he worked with unions and others to democratize the work place,  In all his endeavours, he brought his prior experience in organizing peace activism and peace research, and  anti-poverty community development in years following his own education  at Sir George Williams University and the University of Toronto during the sixties.   As a professor of social science at York University, his courses were popular, and he encouraged students to incorporate analysis of their struggles in their own workplaces as examples of ways to overcome obstacles and initiate change.  The family is grateful for the excellent care Gerry received in hospital from nurses and doctors alike, and the ongoing support Gerry received from his PSW,  Dee Robichaud of Care Partners, and from Amber Loney, his visiting nurse employed by Paramed.    His wife of 57 years, Valerie, his sons Jevon and Martin and his wife Aury, along with his granddaughter Isabella will miss his presence in our lives, but we will hold him in our hearts for the rest of our lives.  He was a good father, a loving husband and a good man.  Arrangements entrusted to M.G. Daly Funeral Home, Maynooth.  (Cards available at the funeral home (613) 338-3259 or e-mail condolences to This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it or visit www.mgdalyfuneralhome.com).