For those who cannot attend in person you are invited to attend virtually via live stream: https://foveo.stream/beechwood/paul-puritt
Paul Puritt was born at St. Luc Hospital in Montreal on 28 July 1938. He passed away peacefully at the Ottawa General Hospital on the evening of 23 December 2022 at the age of 84.
Paul’s warm personality, charisma, wit, and sharp intellect touched many people throughout his long life. He loved telling jokes and stories, wordplay of all kinds, crossword puzzles, and bamboozling kids and adults alike with his signature penny trick. He read voraciously and held strong views on the ethical, social, and political issues of the day.
He obtained his PhD in Anthropology from the University of Illinois, with a dissertation on the Meru People of Tanzania, and then taught at several universities in the USA and Canada. As a member of TCLSAC Toronto, CIDMAA Montreal, and as regional director at Oxfam, he played an active role mobilizing Canadian civil society in support of national liberation movements in Tanzania, Mozambique and South Africa.
In the mid-80s, Paul joined the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) as project planner in the International Department, where he collaborated with trade unions first in Africa, and later in Asia and the Middle East, leaving an indelible mark as a popular trade union educator and leader. He oversaw projects aimed at abolishing child labour, promoting gender equity, and advancing labour rights. Throughout his working years, Paul developed many lifelong friendships and kept in touch with numerous friends around the world.
He was loved by many and will be missed by many, particularly Anna, his partner of twenty years, his sons and their wives, Edan and Judy, Jeffrey and Annette, his step-son Jan and Rav, as well as his 6 grandchildren Alicia, Calvin (Ksenia), Daniel (Kenzie), Joseph (Nicki), Alexa, Nathan (Serena), and his great-grandson Matteo. He will also be sadly missed by his siblings, Larry (Betty), Fredda, Marlene (Antony), Howard (Jackie), and many cousins, nieces and nephews.
The family is deeply grateful to the nursing staff of the Acute Monitoring Area (AMA) of the Ottawa General Hospital for their attentive and compassionate care of Paul, as well as to his doctors.
Reflecting Paul’s wishes, a memorial party to celebrate his long and rich life will be held on February 4, 2023 from 12:00pm to 3:00pm.
Click here to register to the live stream: https://foveo.stream/beechwood/paul-puritt
Donations in Paul’s memory may be made to the Canadian National Institute for the Blind or the Center for Macular Research at the University of British Columbia.
We didn't know Paul for all that long but spent time with him on a few occasions when he and Anna visited their cottage on the lake. We had a cottage directly across the bay and would often see Paul sitting on the beach in a lawn chair or floating around on a large blow-up mattress. He maintained that he was into "extreme sports" of all kinds but as much as he kept up this claim we never saw any actual evidence of it. Paul was full of fun and always had crazy stories to tell about his life experiences.
We send to Anna our heartfelt condolences and want you to know that we are thinking of you at this heartbreaking time.