London, ON - It is with great warmth and sorrow that we celebrate the life and mourn the loss of Dr. Bert Taylor, former Dean of the Faculty of Physical Education and the Faculty of Kinesiology and alumnus of the Western Mustangs Football team and the varsity Wrestling team.
Family and friends will gather to remember and celebrate the life and contributions of Bert Taylor, on campus on Saturday, June 17.
Date: Saturday, June 17, 2023
Time: 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Location: The Great Hall, Western University
Register online by Wednesday, June 14, 2023: https://www.westernconnect.ca/site/Calendar?id=144731&view=Detail
Please register to join in honouring Bert and connecting with others who were fortunate to have known him. Celebration of life presentation will begin at 1:00 pm, followed by a time of connection and conversation.
In lieu of flowers, those so wishing are invited to donate to "Adopt a Mustang" at Western, in memory of Bert.
The Western Mustangs family send their condolences to Bert Taylor's family & friends.
Reproduced with permission from the family.
Dr. Albert William (Bert) Taylor, born on the 18th of September 1939, in Brantford, Ontario, passed away peacefully on May 13, 2023, after a valiant battle with cancer. Bert led a full life filled with love and endless learning. He was blessed with a loving family who will miss him immeasurably: loving wife (Dr. Catherine Ellen Casey), daughter Mary-Jill (Calgary), son/hunting buddy Andrew Scott Ryan (Conny- Chestermere, Alberta), daughter Dr. Taryn-Lise (Trevor-Ottawa), and son Edward Todd (Wendi-Ottawa). His love, affection, and adoration for his grandchildren brought endless joy: Jennifer (JJ, Hunter, Sophia, Chiron), Nicole, Teagan, Hadley, Tanner and Samantha. Their caring and joy made the days easier to endure as Grampa was their #1 fan! "May my grandpa rest in peace, but may his strength and love live on through our family".
Bert was particularly proud of his educational upbringing at Dufferin Public School and BCI in Brantford, and The University of Western Ontario where he was always a proud Mustang as his blood ran purple! He completed his undergraduate and Masters degree at Western in the 1960's where he played on the Western Mustang Football team (split end and defensive back) and the varsity wrestling team. He then went on to complete a Masters Degree at UBC, PhD at Washington State, and post doc education in Stockholm Sweden. Dr. Taylor returned to London in 1982 where he served as Dean of the Faculty of Physical Education and the Faculty of Kinesiology for over 16 years and was instrumental in the formation of the Faculty of Health Sciences at Western. He leaves behind a legacy. His extensive contributions to the scientific community in the area of muscle biochemistry will continue to be cited long after he is gone. Additionally, he served as Chair of the Canadian Center for Activity and Aging, Secretary of CAWA, President of The Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology, and President of the Science and Sports Medicine Council of Canada. He has been inducted into multiple halls and walls of fame for sport and academics and influenced the lives of countless students and athletes that he taught, mentored and coached. He was thrilled to recently participate in the Preston Highschool Reunion where his teaching career began!
Bert was an accomplished sportsman and will be remembered for his contributions to wrestling in Canada. He was an international referee for many years at the Olympic level in the sport of wrestling and served as the National Wrestling coach. He is exceptionally proud of his time coaching the University of Alberta three-time national champions (Golden Bear Dynasty) and has fond memories of the athletes who he mentored for a lifetime.
Sincere, heartfelt gratitude is passed along to the medical staff at the Barrie Royal Victoria Hospital for outstanding care including Dr. Orava, Dr. Stevens, Dr. Russel, Dr. Vennettilli, Dr. Hartsburg, as well as Dr. Daoust & the Palliative Care team in Ottawa. Thank you most of all to Catherine (Nurse Casey and Chef Casey) for her unending love, constant support, admirable strength, and sense of humour through this difficult diagnosis. Bert enjoyed making people laugh and was always caring and helpful beyond measure. He believed that ice cream was good for the soul. He thrived on competitive card playing, correcting grammar, excelling at word games and world history trivia. His contributions to health science and academia are vast and important, but when we think about Bert we mostly think about a man who: loves a good joke; is soft spoken but can hold a crowd; always had time for students & family; is whip-smart; loves to reminisce and tell stories; is a huge sports fan; and a man who will leave a legacy, through his work and the people he has loved.
In lieu of flowers, those so wishing are invited to donate to "Adopt a Mustang" at Western (Western University - Adopt A Mustang Football In memory of Dr. Bert Taylor (westernconnect.ca)). To respect Bert's final wishes, there will be no funeral service but a celebration of life will be held in London, Ontario on June 17, 2023. Cremation has occurred and the remains will be interred at Mount Hope Cemetery in Brantford.
"Goodbyes are not forever. Goodbyes are not the end. They simply mean I'll miss you, until we meet again!"
