Celebration of Life Pictures at Ralph Thornton Centre June 20, 2003

A Celebrated Local Heroe in the February 22, 2006 edition of the Beach-South Riverdale Town Crier Newspapter
 

Good on ya!

Right:
Lewis on the beach
with his wife Cecile

Lewis Pearsall poured out good on our community with a sincerity and enthusiasm that gave his friends and colleagues energy to make the Riverdale community a better place in which to live and work.  The Ralph Thornton Centre has lost a great friend and dedicated volunteer with the death of Lewis Pearsall on Wednesday, April 30, 2003.  His cheerful disposition, twinkling eyes, Australian sayings (Good on ya!), and sense of humour were a fixture of many community meetings.  From the early 1990’s to the day before he died, Lewis’s wonderful creative ideas added to our services at Ralph Thornton Centre.  Lewis wanted to make the Ralph Thornton Centre community a vibrant and working one, inclusive for all.

Lewis’ involvement ranged from his participation in the original Toronto Community Ventures (TCV) which evolved into the Greater Riverdale Economic Action Together  (GREAT) and Alternative Curriculum for Excluded Students (ACE).   He also created the Riverdale Community Development Corporation (RCDC) and the Riverdale Community Business Centre (RCBC), a process that took over eight years.  Lewis was always in for the long haul especially when it came to his special interests, youth projects.  He threw himself into all aspects of living in Riverdale, including the South Riverdale Revitalization Project (SRRP), the South Riverdale Community Health Centre (SRCHC) and the John Chang Community Garden on the old Colgate site.  Lewis understood that South Riverdale needed economic development and jobs.  He also knew that young people needed to know how they could work for the good of their community.

            Lewis attended countless meetings at many agencies and he brought the same creative and detail-oriented approach to his volunteer work as he had to his pre-retirement at Eatons.  He had spear headed national retail operations there.  He made sure that RTC staff and community volunteers were recognized and cared for, even in the midst of community uncertainty.

Lewis had a love of nature and especially the Don River, where he walked often, with his wife, Cecile and his grandchildren.  He was a devoted father and grandfather and Riverdale was his extended family.  He and Cecile had five children, Philip, Marc, Russell, LeeBari, and Arlene.

Cecile’s involvement at the Ralph Thornton Centre has included a Therapeutic Touch group and a drumming circle.  These add to the physical, social and cultural well being of our neighbourhood.

Lewis was instrumental in obtaining the first public access computers for the Ralph Thornton Centre.  He saw these as a way for community members to learn new job skills and improve their economic status.  Over the years, as the computer centre grew, Lewis was able to watch the development of a small idea grow into an invaluable community service.

Lewis was active to the day before he died.  He attended community meetings and went to a tai chi class only a few hours before he had a stroke.  Lewis never really retired; he just changed his focus from his job to the community.

Did we mention that Lewis had his eightieth birthday party at Ralph Thornton Centre two years ago (in 2001)?  Instead of presents, he asked that donations be made to the Centre.   Lewis was an inspiration to everyone in the community who wanted to make it a vibrant, inclusive, working community.  While his eyesight was becoming impaired, his vision for the community was clear and focused.

As Lewis himself would say, “Good on you, mate!”

If desired, donations can be made to the Ralph Thornton Community Organization (Lewis Pearsall Fund) Or the Zen Buddhist Temple.

The memorial service for Lewis will be held on Friday May 9, 2003 at 10:00 am at:

The Zen Buddhist Temple
 297 College St
Toronto, Ontario