Razani (Roz) Fulwell
Husband, father, long-distance runner, music fan. Born on Oct. 12, 1943, in Cheltenham, England; died on May 6, 2015, in Toronto of multiple myeloma, aged 71.
To say Roz Fulwell lived life to the full is like saying that Ella Fitzgerald sold the occasional jazz record or that Usain Bolt runs fairly fast.
Roz would get up at 6 a.m., play a vigorous squash game at the local health club, be at the office for 8 a.m., put in a full day's work, go home, have dinner, and then go out with his wife Moyra to a club to listen to live music. Or see a play at a small theatre. Or watch an art-house movie. On the way home, the two would have a nightcap at a local pub. The next day, Roz would do it all again.
When he wasn't doing any of the above, he was probably running a marathon. Roz was a serious runner long before it was fashionable. Being a sociable man, he liked running with friends so he could have a good conversation along the way. He would give hours of his time to help train anyone who wanted to take up the sport.
Roz was born in Cheltenham, an English city whose praises he sang with puzzling regularity. He left school at 16 and emigrated to Canada when he was 18, arriving in July, 1962.
After working for a year in Montreal, he moved to Toronto where he met his wife, Moyra Reeves, a nurse who had recently emigrated from Scotland. They ended up putting down roots in Toronto, where their son Fraser was born in 1968. Roz worked in the shipping/courier business, eventually running his own company with a friend and fellow runner.
Roz came by his running ability honestly – his mother had been on the British track team at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. Roz himself went to the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo: As a Queen's Scout, he represented Canada at the World Youth Camp. He shook hands with Emperor Hirohito and Empress Nagako.
Roz loved sports in general, however. When any major sporting event was taking place, he'd be glued to the television. He would even watch the Tour de France. All day. Without getting bored.
He was a huge fan of all manner of music. In his teens, he was a part-time roadie for one of the Dixieland jazz bands that were the rage in British pubs and nightclubs in the late 1950s and early '60s. Listening to live music was always one of his favourite ways to spend an evening.
Roz was a man of great humour and strong principles. He loved people, remembered birthdays, kept in touch, and cheered for the underdog. He hated injustice, Canadian banks and the Conservatives. If you liked Canadian banks or the Conservatives, he would argue with you. For years. He would tell great stories over a beer or two or three.
He was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2005 and survived for a remarkable 10 years. But when his time finally ran out, he wanted no fuss, no remembrance services.
Roz had basically said his farewells at his 70th birthday party in 2013, which took place at a Toronto pub and featured live music (of course) from some of the city's top bluesmen. He invited all his friends from his rich and eventful life.
The place was packed.
Philip Jackman was a friend of Roz for 40 years.