Cathy Parkes

Lost her father, Paul Parkes, at Orchard Villa, a long-term care home in Pickering

Paul Parkes, an avid outdoorsman, spent much of his childhood at his family cabin in Temagami, where he learned to fish, canoe and live off the land. He passed that love of nature on to his children, and first took his daughter, Cathy, camping when she was six months old. At 82, Paul started having mobility trouble and was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, though it was later revealed to be a condition called water on the brain, or hydrocephalus. The family moved him into Orchard Villa in November 2019, figuring they could visit regularly and keep tabs on his well-being, but this was impossible after the pandemic started and long-term care homes went into lockdown in mid-March. A few weeks later, George was unresponsive and struggling to breathe. He died of Covid on April 15.