In Memoriam

Remembering Queen's alumni.

Those Who Have Passed

Sharing memories of friends, faculty, and colleagues - In Memoriam helps you honour those who have recently passed.

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  • Norris Hamilton Ready, In Memoriam

    1950s

    Norris Hamilton Ready聽

    鈥 MD鈥55

    Summer 2024

    Norris Hamilton Ready passed away in April in Surprise, Arizona, at 93 years old. Norris practiced anesthesia at The Ottawa Civic, Ottawa; John C Lincoln Hospital, Phoenix; and Hillcrest Baptist Hospital, Waco. 

    He was an avid private pilot, golfer, and skier. Norris was a long-time member of the Flying Physicians Association, flying his own plane to many interesting places. After retiring, Norris started woodworking and specialized in wood turning. He was an active member in the Arizona Woodturners Assoc (AWA) and American Association of Woodturners (AAW) and taught wood turning at his local wood club. In 2019, wood turning became too physically demanding, so he started oil painting. 

    Norris is predeceased by his first wife, Susan Belle Blackwell, and survived by his wife of 42 years, Leslie; son, Brian (Sindy); and daughter, Lynn (Steven Silbiger).

  • Susan Mainse (Punkari), In Memoriam

    1970s

    Susan Elaine Mainse (Punkari)聽

    鈥 Rehab鈥77

    Summer 2024

    Susan "Sue" Elaine Mainse (nee Punkari) passed away suddenly on Sunday, April 28, 2024, at the age of 69. She will be greatly missed by her beloved husband, Brad; children, Gregory and Jennifer (Brenden); and rescue pup, Kiki.

    Born to Betty Cook and Aimo Punkari on Aug. 12, 1954, in Oshawa, Ont., Sue spent her formative years alongside her brother, Robert. She embarked on her academic journey at Queen鈥檚 with her cousin Joan Delavigne (Arts/Ed'73), graduating from the School of Rehabilitation Therapy in 1977. 

    After graduating, she worked as a civilian physiotherapist at the Canadian Forces Base Lahr, Germany. Her professional path led her to Oshawa General Hospital, and later, after marrying the love of her life, Brad, on Sept. 28, 1985, they moved to Ancaster, Ont., to start a family.

    Sue dedicated her life to helping people as a physiotherapist and worked for Hamilton Health Sciences until her retirement in 2009.

    A devoted and proud mother, Sue celebrated Jennifer's achievement of a BComm from McMaster University and Gregory's recent attainment of his P.Eng. designation following his B.Eng from McMaster University.

    Throughout her rich life, Sue pursued numerous passions. She found solace in the pages of books, reveled in the tranquility of cottage life at Steenburg Lake, and immersed herself in the study of languages such as Finnish, German, Swedish, and Icelandic. A devoted lover of dogs, she treasured her companions Pat, Patsy, Honey, Rusty, Dusty, Georgia, and Bella, who await her in heaven. Her departure leaves a profound void, felt deeply by her family, friends, and current beloved pups, Kiki, Lilly, and Henry, who will miss her dearly.

    Sue鈥檚 legacy of boundless love, unwavering compassion, and generous spirit will endure, forever illuminating the lives of all fortunate enough to have been touched by her grace.

  • 1970s

    Gwendolyn Garrett (nee Hotson)

    鈥 MD'71

    Summer 2024

    Gwendolyn Cara Hotson, better known to all as Wendy, died at home on April 12, 2024. Wendy was born on May 22, 1947, in St. Thomas, Ont., the daughter of Ralph and Margaret (Peg) Hotson. Ralph was a manager for the Bank of Montreal who was transferred from branches in southwestern Ontario every two to three years, disrupting the lives of his family with frequent moves. However, he spent eight years in Woodstock, Ont., which allowed Wendy to attend Woodstock Collegiate for the entirety of high school. During that time, she worked in the public library, appropriately with her love of books. She was also involved with the Woodstock Little Theater, playing the role of Louise in a production of Carousel. When she graduated in 1965, her picture was on the front page of the local newspaper as one of three Ontario Scholars from her school. 

    Wendy applied to multiple universities in different programs, ultimately deciding to register in the Faculty of Medicine at Queen's. In medical school, she was a solid student and had many friends. Her situation changed in the final year when she encountered the two loves of her life 鈥 radiology and a classmate, Tom Garrett. She took an elective in radiology, run by the head of the department, Dr. Fransman. Wendy realized that she had found her calling and she applied for residencies in that field. At about the same time, her relationship with Tom, who had been a friend since their first meeting in the fall of 1965, changed and they realized that they were meant to be together. After graduation in June, 1971, Wendy did a medical internship at Kingston General Hospital while Tom did his at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City. They maintained their relationship with "long-distance" phone calls and vacation time.

    Wendy and Tom were married in a small family ceremony in the Hotson's home in Simcoe, Ont., on June 24, 1972. Wendy began her residency in July 1972 at the State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. 

    She was soon recognized as a star. She was chief resident in her senior year. When she took her radiology board examination in Pittsburgh, several of the examiners wanted to offer her a position at their institutions. She declined and did a fellowship in neuroradiology and joined the faculty of Downstate Medical Center. She was considered to be one of the best teachers in the department, receiving multiple awards and accolades. In May 1999, she accepted a position in the Department of Radiology at New York University Medical Center. At the party at Downstate Medical Center marking her departure, she was given a complete set of the 20 volume Oxford English Dictionary (delivered for $6 by Barnes and Noble!). This was a recognition of Wendy's precision in the use of words. She also received a plaque from the Department of Neurology, thanking her for all she had done in educating their residents and fellows. Wendy was recognized as a superb clinician and teacher in her new position. Again, receiving multiple awards for her educational prowess. At her retirement party in June 2019, she received a standing ovation from the residents, fellows, and colleagues. 

    While pursuing her academic career, Wendy found the time and energy to run the household in the family's brownstone in Park Slope and to raise two sons, David and John, who have become wonderful husbands and fathers. Despite her academic and familial responsibilities, she found the time to be a dedicated scrabble player and a knitter of the first order, creating amazing works that generations will cherish. The Christmas Eve dinners that she organized and hosted for 20 years were legendary in the neighborhood. They always ended with flaming plum pudding ("fire cake" according to one young guest). Wendy was a wonderful travel partner as she and Tom explored Canada, the U.S., Europe, and the U.K. Paris became their second home, with several months spent in the Marais. They brought Wendy's sister and brother-in-law, Jane and Brian Casey, to join them for Wendy's 70th birthday, surprising them at a bistro on Rue Remoulade. 

    Wendy and Tom's planned cruise of the Pacific to mark their retirement was cancelled by Covid-19, so they spent the time together in their country home. Two hermits together, initially making their own masks. They were able to do some traveling after the pandemic subsided, including attending their 50th class reunion in 2021 and visiting their children/grandchildren. There was a last trip to Paris in December 2022. 

    As Wendy became more ill, their horizons were limited and they contented themselves with family visits and trips to local museums, especially the Morgan Library with the English tea. Wendy and Tom enjoyed a marriage of more than 50 years, filled with wonderful memories. Predeceased by her parents and sister, Peggy Anne Smith, she leaves behind husband, Thomas Garrett; sister, Jane Casey; sons, David (Laura Tavares), John (Natalie Benjamin); and beloved grandsons, Cameron, James, George, and Jack. 

  • 1950s

    James Ward Clark

    鈥 PhD鈥58

    Summer 2024

    James Ward Clark, born in Lethbridge, Alta., died on Aug. 18, 2022, at the age of 90. Jim is deeply missed by his wife, Maxine Quinton-Clark; his brother, Barry Clark (Terry); sons, Jesse Harley and Bret Harley; and grandsons, Charlie and Jackson Little-Harley. Jim was predeceased by his parents, Ward and Dorothy Clark; and his beloved first wife, Barbara Smith Clark. 

    Jim was awarded the first PhD in psychology from Queen鈥檚. He went on to teach psychology for 40 years at Dalhousie University, NS. He was a lifelong learner, almost always with a book in his hand. Jim's life was one of joy found in simple pleasures.

  • John Malcolm, In Memoriam

    1950s

    John Malcolm

    鈥 BA鈥52, MA鈥56

    Summer 2024

    Professor John F. Malcolm passed away peacefully on Sept. 10, 2023, in his home in Davis, CA, at the age of 92. Originally from Canada, he spent most of his academic career in the Philosophy Department at the University of California, Davis. There, until he retired in 1994, he was central to its program in ancient philosophy. He is remembered for his brilliance, his love of classical scholarship, his old-school, exacting professorial standards, his generosity, and his highly unconventional sense of humour. He was an avid traveller and skier, with a special fondness for beautiful classic automobiles. He also played classical music on his keyboard. In addition to being a historian of philosophy, he also extensively investigated his family history in Scotland, Ireland, and Canada, tracing it as far back as 1602.

    Professor Malcolm鈥檚 major academic work was his 1992 book, Plato on the Self-Predication of Forms: Early and Middle Dialogues (Oxford University Press), but his scholarship went beyond philosophy. Fluent in ancient Greek and Latin, he also studied Russian and Sanskrit. Shortly before his death, he was studying a text on the Hebrew language. His students and colleagues would agree that he was one of a kind. His uniqueness extended to his writing his own obituary, which follows:

    鈥淛. Malcolm was born in Regina, Sask., in 1931. He lived in Storthoaks, a small hamlet in the south-eastern part of that province where his father was a United Church minister on a mission field. In 1936, he (an only child) and his parents moved to eastern Canada, eventually settling in Bailieboro, Ont., a small community near Rice Lake. After graduating from high school in Peterborough, he went to the alma mater of his parents, Queen鈥檚. He received his Bachelor of Arts in 1952 and then spent two years studying abroad in St. Andrews, Scotland, and Marburg, Germany. He returned to Queen鈥檚 for a Master鈥檚 (on Kant鈥檚 ethics) and, after a year in Rome, went to Princeton for his PhD in Greek philosophy under Gregory Vlastos. 

    His first teaching position was at Huron College, London, Ont. After three years there, he went for a year to Oxford to study with G.E.L Owen. Then he taught for two years at the University of Alberta in Edmonton and from there came to the University of California at Davis, where he remained for the rest of his academic career. His main areas of interest were the metaphysical doctrines of Plato and Aristotle. He was a regular participant in a reading group on ancient Greek philosophy at Stanford/Berkeley and at Davis.

    鈥淗e had no children and for most of his life was unmarried. While at high school, he would spend several months a year on a farm, and, as an undergraduate, during the four month summer vacation, he was employed at such jobs as replacing railroad rails and rotating aluminum remelt furnaces. In light of these experiences, he successfully avoided any extended physical labour thereafter. His vision of the best life attainable by human beings was one of privilege without responsibility 鈥 an ideal more to be recognized than realized.鈥

  • Desmond L. Hensman, In Memoriam

    1950s

    Desmond L. Hensman

    鈥 BSc'56

    Summer 2024

    It is with broken hearts that we announce the passing of Desmond Lawrence on March 24, 2024, at home, surrounded by his children.

    Desmond was predeceased by his beloved and adored wife, Mary (Murray) in 2022. Des is survived by his three children 鈥 most loved father of Mary Anne (Brian), Shannon (Artsci鈥83, Ed鈥84) and Matthew. Beloved and cherished Poppa of Matthew (Natalie) and Mark Wright and Alexander Hensman; and loved great-grandfather of Liam James; and dear brother-in-law of Vincent Murray (Gail) of Cherry Valley. He is remembered fondly by cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends.

    Des was predeceased by his parents, Laurie (Shannon) Hensman and Arthur Hensman; his sisters, Johanna Elizabeth and Mary Joan Armstrong; brother, Arthur Leo; and brother-in-law, Bob Armstrong.

    Des was born in Toronto, but grew up in Picton, graduating from Picton Collegiate in 1952. He earned a degree in chemical engineering from Queen鈥檚. Des spent his career working for DuPont Canada in Kingston. He retired from DuPont Research in 1993. Throughout the years, Des was an active member of the Alumni Association, assisting in the planning of numerous Class of 鈥56 Science reunions.

    Des was devoted to his wife, Mary, whom he met while attending school on Waupoos Island in 1939. He enjoyed working on many projects including building the family cottage with his wife, Mary, in 1968. They designed their current home on the Cataraqui River in 1986. Hobbies and interests included: boating, sailing, curling, playing bridge, photography, and always lending a hand to help others. Researching the family history was a passion for Des and Mary. They spent many years researching and shared the information with their family. In addition, Des was an active member of the Knights of Columbus, with Holy Name of Jesus Church, Council #11886.

    Des lived an exceptional life 鈥 the focus being his faith and his family. He was an extraordinarily generous and giving person, always putting the needs of others before himself. 

    He will be remembered for his wonderful sense of humour, sharing many stories and jokes passed down from his parents and other family members. He will also be remembered by his family as the 鈥渕an who could do everything.鈥 No task or problem was too difficult for him. Des will be forever missed by all of those who had the privilege of knowing him.