Alan Lawrence Unwin passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, at the West Parry Sound Health Centre, on Friday, May 10th, 2024. Age 82 years.

Beloved husband of Anita for 57 years. Loving father of Al and his wife Yasemin; and Kerri and her husband Blair. Cherished Grandpa of Mitchell and Evan; Kristen and Jenna; and Graeme and Lucie. Survived by his siblings Paul, and Barbara. Forever missed by his dog, Buddy.

Al’s life was marked by many accomplishments that he was very proud of. He was passionate about education and his 30+ year career as an educator and school principal were framed by the experience he had during his time as a child and adolescent in school. He wanted people to know that his experience during that time made him feel unworthy and that the struggles he faced during his formative years in grade school and high school lead him to believe he wasn’t bright enough to succeed and unlikely to achieve anything substantial going forward. Fortunately, it also served to motivate him throughout his career and he was committed to ensuring that his approach as a teacher and leadership as a school principal would result in a very different experience for students that faced similar challenges he faced growing up in Palmerston, Ontario.

After eventually finishing high school, he went on to complete teachers’ college where he met his future wife Anita. Upon completion of teachers college they both were hired as Phys Ed teachers and began their teaching careers together. Dad continued his education with renewed confidence and completed a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wilfred Laurier University and eventually a Master of Education from Niagara University.

His passion for education was equaled only by his enthusiasm for coaching various sports where he quickly realized that coaching was one of the best forms of leadership development. The evolution of his personal growth in leadership drove him to look at career advancement and he eventually became a school principal within the Niagara District School board for well over 20 years and was the first recipient of the Award of Excellence in Education. In the early part of his career, he also enjoyed refereeing basketball and was the first ever recipient of the Niagara District Basketball Referees Association “Pat Laing Award” for his excellence in officiating and referee development.

Al always looked forward and felt strongly that he could contribute to his community in a positive way and successfully ran for city council in the Port Dalhousie ward of the city of St. Catharines in 1986 serving three consecutive terms on council. During that time he served as Chair of the St. Catharine’s Transit Commission where he addressed substantial challenges the commission was facing that resulted in a complete restructuring of their operations.

This breadth of leadership and commitment to excellence lead him to run for the office of mayor in 1994 where he again succeeded against a crowded field of 9 candidates. During his time in office he was proud of many accomplishments including securing major provincial and federal funding for the upgrading of the Henley rowing course to a world class facility. He also led the city through the aftermath of the Bernardo Homolka murders and helped the city and community heal. His name is proudly displayed at the trailhead of the Green Ribbon trail – in recognition and remembrance of the trauma this brought the community. In addition, Al was the founder and first chair of the Large Urban Mayor’s Caucus of Ontario – an organization representing and advancing the issue of larger urban areas of the province with both levels of government. This organization still functions to this day (now known as Ontario’s Big City Mayors – OBCM) continuing the work that was started during his time as St. Catharine’s Mayor.

Al retired at the completion of his term as Mayor in 1997. His wife Anita and him moved fulltime to their summer cottage on the shores of Georgian Bay in Carling Township just north of Parry Sound. Dad remained active in his new community and worked at the Parry Sound Golf and Country club for several years forging new and lasting friendships with many in that community over the next two decades all while improving his golf game and fishing with friends and family. His life was substantial and meaningful and he always felt that we should all try to make things better in whatever manner and in whatever capacity someone may be a part of. He will be forever missed by so many and we are all fortunate that he ignored those high school teachers that believed he would never succeed in life.

As was his wish, cremation has taken place. A celebration of Al’s life will be held at a later date.

As expressions of sympathy, donations to the West Parry Sound Health Centre Foundation (Palliative Care) would be appreciated.

We would sincerely like to thank the Palliative Care team of doctors who helped him and all of us during his last few months.