RIP Wayne Jackson
Another friend and colleague passes away
Hi All,
Please forgive me if you get this multiple times but Wayne has an extremely large address book, so I’m using his distribution lists and you might be in more than 1.
F.Y.I. Wayne came down with ‘a cold’ just before Christmas. It seemed to be dragging on too long, so went to the doctor. Well tests, more doctors, more tests, I was looking after him at home, his mental & physical skills were diminishing. There’s talk of cancer but no clear markers, he’s not showing normal signs (eg. Weight loss, etc.). Was waiting on an appointment at the Juravanski Cancer Hospital in Hamilton. On March 11th, I was no long able to care for him at home, so got an ambulance to the Norfolk General Hospital in Simcoe. He was moved to 4th floor palliative care on March 26th, and he passed on the 28th.
The doctors had come to the conclusion that Wayne had cancer of the liver & pancreas and that in his travels he picked up something that put a twist on the cancer. They say his mental deterioration would be caused my his healthy(?) drinking and/or with the liver not functioning properly the toxins would be screwing with his brain.
Wayne will be cremated! At this time there are no plans for a Celebration of Life.
Regards,
Elaine Hales
(Mrs. W. Jackson)
I am going to miss Wayne. He has been an immense....truly immense help to me over the years.
Peter Dickinson
I was so shocked and saddened this morning to find this out. I saw in the side bar of facebook where Paul Murphy was commenting on the post on Wayne's page, so I clicked over to see what was going on. Wow. didn't expect that.
ReplyDeleteI met Wayne in Toronto in 1983 when Steve Romo took some of us rowdy zoo school brats to MTZ for a weekend trip to see the zoo, and get information on the Bactrian camels the Cincy zoo were going to get. I first ever saw Wayne as he was observing the baboons in his care that day.
From that weekend a friendship blossomed... Wayne was heading to Whipsnade for a year long keeper exchange. He lived in a "room", actually a space under the stairs at "Chequers Cottage". He had lots of time to write, and I received letters almost weekly. I will always treasure those letters!
I loved Wayne's humor, sensitivity, he was just a 100% awesome guy. Wayne, you will be greatly missed!
I am so, so sorry to hear this! Wayne was the first person that gave me information regarding the Toronto Zoo elephants and elephants in general. He was truly a dedicated person to learning all he could about these fabulous animals. It also led me to my long association with the Toronto Zoo and learning about wildlife in general, conservation and many, many other fascinating things. In reality, it returned me to my childhood interests after a stressful time in the 'foreign' work world of office work. Thanks, Wayne for being a part of that inspiration. My deepest sympathies and condolences to Elaine and his family.
ReplyDeleteWayne s passing feels like a kick in the teeth or should I say a stab in the heart......
ReplyDelete