Patrick (Pat) Joseph Kearney
Producer, director, teacher, father. Born on May 14, 1927, in Curragh Camp, Ireland; died on April 7, 2016, in Toronto, of natural causes, aged 88.
If you spent any time in Toronto's Bloor West Village over the past few years you may have passed by Patrick Kearney, and probably noticed him.
First you'd spot the walker, durable but beaten up like a 10-year-old's bicycle. Attached were bags, holding at least one newspaper, copies of The New Yorker and Vanity Fair, and often a large book – weighing more than a small barbell. His stroll would end at Timothy's coffee shop where he would read and chat with fellow west-enders.
Pat's early years in Ireland were filled with school, rugby and mischief. He excelled in mathematics. An engineering career looked promising, but a little too much of the social life at Trinity College, Dublin led to his departure. The dean informed Pat that the engineering department would survive the loss, but Trinity's social element would suffer greatly with his leaving.
Always an arts lover, Pat saw television as an opportunity. A young lady, Anne Coates, also caught his eye. In 1953 they moved to Toronto, where they married and he found work as a CBC stagehand. Pat loved those years; the hours were long, but he learned so much, and all the broadcasts were live. He met future film and acting legends, including Norman Jewison and Christopher Plummer.
After five years, now an experienced producer and director, Pat returned with Anne and young son Julian to Dublin, where he worked at a new TV station, RTE. His new job took him across Ireland, producing and directing shows. He met and entertained visiting celebrities including Phyllis Diller and Bob Hope (there's a great story about having to keep an eye on a rowdy Lee Marvin).
In 1968, he and Anne returned to Toronto, this time with two more young boys, Neal and Shane; and Pat joined the Ontario Educational Communications Authority (now TVO), where he worked for several years. In 1972, Pat and Anne separated and a short time later he met Gillian Claxton. They married in 1978 and three years later had a son, Liam.
After leaving OECA, Pat found his second passion – teaching cinematography and production at Humber College. That's what he did until retirement at 65, after which he took on freelance assignments, including appearing on Canada AM as the program's Ireland expert.
By far, Pat's greatest gift was storytelling. He would sit over pints or coffee and talk, about his life or little-known historical facts. He spoke with passion, wit and excitement, and always had the full attention of his audience. His knack for detail and dates was uncanny, and his sense of humour legendary.
In retirement he was a regular at the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and took in plays, operas and jazz concerts (in his lifetime, he saw everyone from Benny Goodman to Miles Davis). He also worked as a movie extra – though few extras could go up to Norman Jewison and have chat, as Pat did on the set for the 1999 movie, The Hurricane. On the set of another film, Pat had a wonderful encounter with Natasha Richardson and, after her tragic death in 2009, wrote about it in The Globe.
Pat and Gillian travelled widely, from Asia to the Middle East to Europe, and she was with him on the evening of April 7 when he left on his final journey.
Neal Kearney is Pat's son.