MOYAL, Dena (Chaplick) - April 16, 1947 - October 8, 2019. Peacefully, at Bridgepoint Hospital's palliative care unit, and surrounded by her immediate family: her husband, Georges, daughter Nadia and son-in-law John Thoms.
She leaves behind her grandson Matthew, her brothers Morey, and Ephram, and sister Razel.
Dena graduated with a BA from the University of Toronto in 1970 and began her career as a childcare worker with what was then the Huntley Street Services group home for teenage girls estranged from their families (no connection with the TV show).
After a few years, Dena decided that her work with children would prove more concretely effective from a different stance. She went back to school, obtained her LLB from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1980 and was admitted to the bar in 1982. She was invited in 1986 to join the Office of the Children's Lawyer (then known as the Official Guardian's Office), a branch of the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General.
There she rose to be Legal Director of the Personal Rights department. Her work led her to author or co-author articles published in reputable legal reviews- one of these examined the impact of new reproductive technology on future children's rights - and to present papers at various conferences in North America, notably those organized by the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC).
She was President of the Ontario chapter of the AFCC for 2013.
Dena was a down-to-earth person whose practical instincts unfailingly led her to the right decisions. She rarely agonized over what course to follow, but above all, she was direct and drew a great deal of her strength from never compromising her own high moral standards: she was all of one piece.
In their tributes, many of her former colleagues have acknowledged having learnt from her and been inspired by her leadership.
For all that, she never ceased being a loving grandmother, mother, and wife. She somehow managed to fulfill her functions and obligations on both grounds without any concessions. That was already evident in the early years when she had to juggle being both a student and the loving mother of her infant daughter. She was, indeed, all of one piece.
At Benjamin's Park Memorial Chapel, Toronto for service on Friday, October 11, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. Interment in the Community Section of Pardes Chaim Cemetery. Shiva at 66 Shields Avenue, Toronto.
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