Obituary of Douglas Leask

To view the livestream of Doug service please click here.

Doug passed away peacefully after a long journey with Parkinson's on February 8, 2024 – 94 years to the day.

Doug is survived by his wife Margaret (nee Filshie) of 40 years, daughters Anne and Ellen; nieces Beth (Gary) and Patty and their families, goddaughters Marguerite and Marilyn, dear friends Siân, the Campbells, the Porters; and the extended Leask and Filshie families.

Predeceased by his parents Jack and Grace (nee Knapp) Leask, his brother Bruce and sister-in-law Irene, brother-in-law-in-law John, and nephew-in-law Don.

Undaunted by his first performance in a church quartet with Bruce, Irene, and her sister Elsie (in which Doug, age 17, failed to sing a single note), Doug became a life-long student of music, avid chorister, and church soloist in each place he lived. Doug joined a new chamber choir in 1982 – the seating chart placed him next to Margaret and they married the following year. Music remained central to their lives.

Doug's many jobs included farmhand, cement truck driver, and computerizing business operations in the 1950s; a degree from WLU in the 1960s led to a brief consideration of ministry in the United Church, but ultimately Doug spent the last two decades of his working life teaching at Monarch Park Collegiate Institute in Toronto, where he took pride in developing a co-op program. After retiring from teaching in 1992, Doug’s last career was to raise Anne and Ellen as a stay-at-home dad, supporting Margaret's work.

Special thanks to all the PSWs who facilitated Doug's care at home in the last decade of his life, especially Zenaida, Lucero, Houston, Mary, Sola, Charity, Roshan, George, Wolle, and Letifa; Dr. Stewart, Dr. Bodkin, Dr. Okoye; and the remarkable staff at Derbecker’s Heritage House, St. Jacobs who gave Doug (and the family) outstanding care in his final months.

The memorial service will take place at First United Church, 16 William St. W., Waterloo on Saturday, February 17, 2024 at 2 p.m. Cremation will have taken place. In light of Ellen’s experience and Doug’s love and concern for her, guests at the funeral will be given masks to wear in the church. A livestream of the service will be available on Doug's tribute page at www.erbgood.com.

In lieu of flowers, donations to The Coalition for Music Education or Open Medicine Foundation  may be arranged through the Erb & Good Family Funeral Home, 171 King Street S. Waterloo at www.erbgood.com