CRANDALL, Bert Franklin - Bert Franklin Crandall, 85, died after a long struggle with cancer on October 27, 2020, in Toronto.
He is remembered as a sweet soul and a proper gentleman, with an endearingly quirky, dry sense of humor; welcoming, accepting and kind.
Bert was born in Sudbury, Ontario, on February 11, 1935, to Audrey Evelyn Miller Crandall and Bert Franklin Crandall. He attended elementary school in Sudbury and then Nickel District Secondary School.
He studied Chinese history, Russian history, and French at the University of Arizona and then went on to take a degree in Library Science in 1966 at the University of British Columbia. Bert worked for 35 years as a Librarian in public and university libraries in various locations - Vancouver, Burnaby, Victoria - before moving to Toronto, where he was a Reference Librarian.
He later became the Manager of the Toronto Public Library, Long Branch location. Earlier in life, he lived on a boat in Vancouver. He had a longtime interest in environmental and social issues, stained glass artistry, and he dearly loved cats. He is survived by his partner, Burhan Koyuncu, his brother George Crandall of Portland, Oregon, and a host of nieces, nephews and cousins in the USA and Canada.
Special thanks to Bert's in-home palliative care team, and the caring staff at Bridgepoint Hospital in Toronto, in particular Brenda Stein, Social Worker, and Maureen Weaver, Spiritual Care Advisor.
Additional thanks to second cousin, Laura Brooks, who comforted Bert in his last days of life, and acted as a liaison to brother George who, regretfully, could not be with Bert due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.
A celebration of Bert's life will be held in Toronto at a later date.
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