BEGLEY, Paul

(May 21, 1949 – November 20, 2017) - With great sorrow, the family of Dr. Paul Thomas Begley announces his passing on November 20th at the age of 68, following a six-month battle with brain cancer. Paul was the beloved husband of Marilyn for more than 44 years and cherished father of three children and their spouses: Conor and Lyn Begley of Barrie; Jeffrey and Susan Begley of Waterloo; and Laura and Jon Grelik of Pender Island, BC. Dear grandfather to Anne and Charlie, the children of Jeffrey and Susan. Brother to Dan Begley (Kay) and Christine Wiggins (Doug), and brother-in-law to Sandra Johnston (Tom) and Rev. Robert Love. Uncle to eight nieces and nephews. Predeceased by his parents, Leo and Lucille Begley, and his parents-in-law, Edgar and Patricia Love. Paul had a very successful career in the field of education, which began in 1973 when he met Marilyn who convinced him to quit his job as a motorcycle salesman to join her at teachers college. He became a teacher and later the principal of Foley Catholic School in Brechin before completing his doctorate in 1988 and becoming a university professor. He will be dearly missed by his colleagues and former students at the University of Toronto, Penn State University, and Nipissing University. Paul was a tenured professor at all three institutions, and in 1996 co-founded the Consortium for the Study of Leadership and Ethics in Education (www.csleecenter.org). Paul had many friends across Canada and the United States and around the world – particularly in Australia, Sweden, and Hong Kong. He will be remembered for his devotion as a husband, father, and grandfather, his leadership in the field of educational leadership and ethics, and his love of the outdoors. Paul spent many happy days at his Spruce Lake Camp and around the property of his home of three decades in Mount St. Louis. He had numerous passions throughout his life, including motorcycling, canoeing, scuba diving, target shooting, woodworking, travelling, playing guitar, serving as an officer in the Army Reserve, and obtaining his pilot’s licence. Paul was a handyman who could fix almost anything, and he and Marilyn built their first home together at Head Lake in 1976. Paul will be sincerely missed by all who knew him. His family wishes to thank the doctors and nurses at St. Michael’s Hospital and the RVH Regional Cancer Centre, the staff at Hospice Simcoe, and Paul’s family physicians, Drs. Christopher Gall and Timothy Stanford. Visitation will be held at Adams Funeral Home (445 St. Vincent Street, Barrie) on Saturday, November 25th, 2017 from 9:30am to 11:00am, followed by a celebration of life at 11:00am in the funeral home chapel. Reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, donations to Hospice Simcoe or the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada would be appreciated.