It is with sadness that I learned today of the passing of Kevin Leonard. I first met Kevin a number of years ago at the 2009 eHealth Conference when we were on opposing sides of the “Great Debate”. The topic for debate was whether patients should have access to their medical records and Kevin passionately presented his case in the affirmative. After that event we became friends and I always admired Kevin’s ability to analyze complex issues and make them appear logical and simple. Kevin was always willing to provide advice and I contacted him from time-to-time to gain his perspective on issues that were wide ranging. Kevin, I will miss your insight, friendship, and kindness. You are in my thoughts.
An obituary to Kevin is printed below:
July 24, 1957 – July 15, 2013 – Kevin died of complications from pneumonia on Monday, July 15th just shy of his 56th birthday. He had lived with Crohn’s disease for more than 40 years and worked hard to never let that stand in his way of a full and active life. Kevin leaves behind his loving wife Sandra Dalziel, and his beloved Yorkie Randall. He is also survived by his mother Rita, his brother Michael, his sister Barbara (Louis Savoie), mother-in-law Adrian Dalziel, sisters-in-law Nancy (Hal Shuster) and Wendy (Chuck Eason), along with 10 nieces and nephews and one great-niece and one great-nephew. He is predeceased by his father John, his father-in-law Ken Dalziel and his sister-in-law Deborah Leonard.
Kevin was an entrepreneurial spirit — a true renaissance man who worked in banking, credit scoring and academically in business and health informatics. In addition to doing stand-up comedy and sketch writing, he wrote and produced plays and was video coach for the Vancouver Canucks in 1994, the year the team went to the seventh game of the Stanley Cup finals and fell just short of a win. He was at his best in front of a crowd, whether teaching students, speaking professionally, or holding court in family gatherings. Kevin was a strong patient advocate and passionate about the organization he started in 2005, Patient Destiny promoting “Patients as partners in their healthcare”.
Thank you to all the healthcare professionals who cared for Kevin throughout his life, most recently to the staff at the Toronto General Hospital Medical-Surgical ICU.
Kevin was a 1974 graduate of Loyola High School in Montreal and was always grateful for the education and foundational life lessons he gained there. If desired, donations can be made in Kevin’s memory to Loyola High School, Class of 1974 Bursary Program, 7272 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, QC H4B 1R2 or visit www.loyola.ca.
A “Celebration of Kevin’s Life” will take place on Wednesday, July 24th at 5:00 pm at the University of Toronto Faculty Club, 41 Willcocks Street, Toronto, M5S 1C7. Directions can be found on their website https://www.facultyclub.utoronto.ca/.
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