Thousands attend memorial for billionaire philanthropists Barry and Honey Sherman
Speculation since parents’ deaths compounded pain
The children of billionaire philanthropists Barry and Honey Sherman say coping with the speculation surrounding their parents’ deaths has compounded the pain of a crushing, surreal loss.
At a memorial service attended by thousands in Mississauga on Thursday, Jonathon Sherman said he and his three sisters have struggled in the days since their parents were found dead in their Toronto home.
Police have said both 75-year-old Barry Sherman and 70-year-old Honey Sherman died of “ligature neck compression,” and classified the deaths of the Apotex founder and his wife as suspicious.
Jonathon Sherman said the unusual circumstances, coupled with the speculation surrounding their deaths, reinforced the fact that the family has lost the glue that held them together.
“These last few days have been really f---ed up for my family,” he said.
“As my sisters and I congregated for two days waiting to hear any facts other than through Twitter and the unreliable news media, I kept expecting my parents to walk through the front door and say ‘everything will be fine, we’ve taken control of the situation.’ These past few days have been a shocking adjustment to our reality.”
Some media reports said police were initially leaning toward a murder-suicide theory, which the Sherman family has strongly rejected.
Jonathan Sherman, surrounded by his sisters Lauren, Alexandra and Kaelen, told the crowd of assembled mourners that the family has found the deaths “incredibly painful and bizarrely surreal.”
He paid a tearful tribute to his parents, praising their generosity, their competence, their support and their devotion to their Jewish heritage.
Referring to his family unit as a six-pack consisting of himself, his parents and three sisters, he reminisced about everything from childhood family travels to massive holiday dinners to recent play times with new grandchildren.
Through it all, members of the clan benefited from his parents’ boundless love and zest for life. “Our parents never left anyone behind. They were taken from us,” he said, as two coffins were prominently displayed at the front of the hall where the service was taking place.
Honey Sherman’s sister, Mary Shechtman, said she’s been in a fog since the loss.
Describing her sister as her “best friend” and “other half,” and Barry Sherman as both a brother-in-law and surrogate father, Shechtman said she fears the worst is yet to come.
“I’m standing here confused and dazed and really angry, and I’m afraid of the shock that’s going to wear off and the reality that’s going to set in.”
Shechtman reflected on her sister’s humble beginnings as the daughter of Holocaust survivors, recalling a childhood far removed from the affluence that would later come to the family as Apotex flourished.
She and other relatives said her sister never forgot those origins, adding they fuelled her lifelong focus on family and on giving back to society.
Hundreds of employees from Apotex were in the crowd, with many wearing scarves in the company’s trademark bright blue and T-shirts saying “we will continue your legacy.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and Toronto Mayor John Tory were also among those gathered.
Barry Sherman founded Toronto-based Apotex Inc. in 1974 with two employees and gradually turned it into the largest Canadianowned pharmaceutical company. Honey Sherman was a member of the board of the Baycrest Foundation and the York University Foundation. Together, the Shermans were among Canada’s most generous philanthropists.