DOTTRIDGE, Timothy

Tim Dottridge passed away at St. Joseph’s Health Centre on February 9, 2019, surrounded by his family. He was born in London, UK on April 4, 1948, to John Dottridge and Erica Greer and grew up in Chelsea, one block away from the Sixties’ swinging King’s Road. Tim is survived by his wife, Bahija Reghai; his sons, Adam, Yacine and Shaheen; his best friend and grandson, Jamil; his sister, Jennifer Rushton; his brother, Michael; his nephews Sean, Joe and Leo and their children; he was predeceased by his brother Nicholas. He graduated from Cambridge in 1968. He later earned a Mphil (Agricultural Economics) from Oxford. He went on to do his doctoral research in rural Morocco with the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London. Tim worked for the United Nations Development Program in Morocco in 1969 before joining the International Development Research Centre as the assistant Director of the Africa Regional Office in Dakar, Senegal. Subsequently he was a planning and policy officer at head office in Ottawa, and then the Director of Special Initiatives where he oversaw IDRC’s program of fellowships and awards and its relationship with the Canadian NGO and university communities. He was deeply appreciated for his calm and balanced views, combining a profound knowledge of institutional history with a clear-eyed understanding of present realities and opportunities for effective programming. International development was the perfect metier for Tim’s wide-ranging interests and his openness to all cultures and perspectives. He was respected for his intellect and dedication to IDRC’s values in all of the communities he served, but more importantly he was loved by those with whom he served. For Tim, a colleague was also a friend, someone to appreciate and to support, someone with whom he shared not only a workplace but his spirit of co-operation and his rich English sense of humour. There was a natural integrity to Tim, one that was sensed and experienced by others, one that made him the most approachable and trusted of men. Always unassuming, open minded and curious, Tim had a knack for striking up meaningful conversations with people wherever he went, and a number of these encounters led to lifelong friendships. He enjoyed nothing better than to engage his friends (or complete strangers, for that matter) in discussions of the mundane, the serious, and everything in between. Tim was a devoted father and grandfather, an avid reader, cyclist, cinephile and always ready to party. He enjoyed dancing and took salsa classes in Toronto for the music, which he enjoyed, but also because he loved interacting with people of all ages. Tim’s loss is felt most deeply by his treasured family, but that loss is shared across Canada and in the developing world by all those with whom he journeyed and served, and whose lives he truly made better. A memorial visitation will be held at Turner & Porter Yorke Chapel, 2357 Bloor St. W., Toronto, (just east of Jane St.) on Sunday, February 17, 2019, from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. Memorial donations can be made to Lifeline Syria, 400 University Avenue – Suite 1902, Toronto, ON, M5G 1S5.