Jack Shapiro, the epitome of generosity
After a lengthy illness, Jack Shapiro died on Jan. 17, at the age of 92, surrounded by his loving family and partner.
His Creemore summer home of 30 years became a focal point for family gatherings over many years.
Jack attended Oakwood Collegiate Institute before enrolling at the University of Toronto, where he studied law and sociology. He always had a big social conscience even as a student and became the editor of the campus newspaper.
He always had an adventurous spirit and his summers in university were spent hitchhiking across the continent and working for a travelling carnival, where he was in charge of the shrunken heads exhibit.
Jack met his sweetheart and future wife Juliette Paperny of Calgary while at the University of Toronto. Jack worked as a union organizer in Toronto before he and Juliette moved to Regina, where they raised their children. Jack became the long-time manager of Regina News and Mid-Western News, magazine and book distributors, taking on many leadership roles and maintaining a life-long interest in that industry. Later, he served as inaugural chair of The Walrus Magazine.
Jack concurrently pursued his passions for world politics, human rights and social justice. He was deeply involved in politics, having run for numerous political offices, municipal, provincial, and later, after returning to Toronto, federal. He fought for the introduction of Medicare in Saskatchewan. He obtained a Masters of Sociology and Economics, focusing on International Development. His unique background in both periodical distribution and third world development led Jack and his family to a memorable year in Rome in 1967-68, where he worked for the Food and Agricultural Organization of the U.N., launching a multilingual magazine about farming practices.
During the Saskatchewan years, the family was surrounded by a rich community of friends, a love of folk music, little theater and social causes ranging from nuclear disarmament to human rights.
In 1969, the family moved to Toronto. Tragically, Juliette passed away from cancer in 1972. This loss deeply influenced Jack’s decades of dedication to health causes. He served as Chair of the Toronto Board of Health before later turning his energies to improving the lives of Canadians suffering from cancer, serving on the boards of Toronto General and Princess Margaret Hospitals and as chair of Cancer Care Ontario. He was instrumental in setting up the Toronto Cancer Prevention Coalition and helped establish community advisory committees at local hospitals. He was Canada’s Global Cancer Ambassador to the United Nations. He was appointed a Member the Order of Canada in 2003 for his many contributions to cancer research, treatment and advocacy. He received Queen’s Golden and Diamond Jubilee medals and a lifetime achievement award was inaugurated in his name by The Canadian Cancer Action Network.
Jack continued his life-long love of music as a long-time member of a singing group and even recorded his own CD to commemorate his 90th birthday. He was notorious for singing without warning at major family events. He had a life-long passion for travel, including family trips exploring North America in a station-wagon, being among the first Canadians to travel to Cuba and China once such travel was opened up, and hosting annual holiday trips for his ever-expanding family. He continued to travel with Merrijoy Kelner, his partner of 17 years, until just before he was hospitalized with cancer.
Jack was a devoted partner, parent, grandfather and great-grandfather and was loved by his entire extended family. Family reunions either locally or around the globe were his favorite activity. Jack was a mensch and the epitome of generosity. He was inspirational in instilling humanistic values in family and everyone who knew him. He lived his life with integrity, love, optimism, wit and humour and a zest for living each day to the fullest.
Over the course of Jack’s illness over the past eighteen months, his family, medical team, and caregiver team worked together to support his care and provide as much independence as possible. Tomas Cuidad was Jack’s right hand man for many months, attending to his daily care with great love and skill. Tomas enabled Jack to spend the entire summer of 2018 at his beloved farm near Creemore, his summer home for over 30 years, fulfilling Jack’s dream after many months in hospital.
A celebration of life was held at Steeles Memorial Chapel on Jan. 20.
