Dr. Gerald (Gerry) Zanvil Wright
1935-2019
Dr. Gerald (Gerry)
Zanvil Wright
DDS, MSD, FRCD(C), DIP
AM BRD OF PED DENT,
Beloved husband,
Cherished father and
grandfather.
Gerry chose to die with
dignity after realizing that cancer was one of the few battles he
would not be able to win. He passed away at home surrounded
by the love of his family on October 30, 2019. Gerry is
survived by his wife Nancy, his children Michael (Robyn), Charles
(Jill), Jeffrey (Linh) and his six grandchildren Simone, Maxine, Lexi,
Josh, Theo and Lily. He was proud of them all.
Nothing made him happier than family gatherings with everyone
present. He always enjoyed hearing from them about their
adventures and accomplishments. He was also close with his
brother Errol and his wife Jackie. However, the most important light
in his life was Nancy, his partner in almost everything that he did
and accomplished.
Gerry was born in the
north end of Winnipeg, son of Harry and Frima, and it was in Winnipeg
that he met south-ender Nancy, the love of his life. After
he completed graduate school at Indiana University they moved to
London where they have lived for almost 50 years. Despite
his busy and successful career Gerry always found time for family as a
coach of his boys’ baseball teams (including the Butcher
Block of Byron Mets) and he supported all three boys in their various
other sports efforts. Accompanying his boys also meant he
“happened” to be able to spend time with them at
Frank Vetere’s, Bartliff’s, and at Merla
Mae. He also pushed his three sons to not settle for
anything less than their best, which was invaluable for each of
them. His career enabled he and Nancy to enjoy their
passions, travel and hiking, to their fullest as their journeys took
them all over the world, including all six continents. He
was a dedicated Blue Jays fan and always looked forward to his annual
trip with his sons, initially golfing, and recently to watch
baseball. He relished family time at cottages in Bayfield
and Port Elgin.
Professionally, Gerry
was internationally respected as a clinician, writer and Professor
Emeritus at Western University. He was a member of the
Department of Pediatric Dentistry and became the Chair of the Division
of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry. Gerry was never one to sit
still, and during his time at Western his innovations led to the
creation of several programs, including being the founder and director
of Operation Belarus, a project to improve dentistry in
Belarus. With colleagues he developed the Mustang Dental
Conference. At the end of his academic career he was
responsible for creating the Qualifying Program (later known as the
International Program) for landed immigrants who were trained as
dentists outside of Canada. He was well-published, having
edited/authored numerous scientific articles and five books, including
the leading text on behaviour management of children in the dental
office, which he recently worked on revising for a new edition and
which in his honour will now be entitled Wright’s Behaviour
Management in Dentistry for Children.
Gerry was also very
involved in dental activities outside of London. He served
on the Board of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, was
President (Chair) in 1986 and was an Examiner of the Royal College of
Dentistry. Once retired, he became the Secretary General of
the International Association of Pediatric Dentistry (IAPD).
He worked with dentists around the world, and during his twelve years
as Secretary General he made a significant impact, including creating
the program Dentists for All Children, which helped academics in
low-income nations and the IAPD International lecture
program.
Gerry was a Visiting
Professor at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, at Baylor College in
Texas, at Sydney University in Australia, at Ulm University in
Germany, and Trinity College in Ireland. He received
numerous recognitions. For his work in Belarus, he received
an Honoris Doctoris Causa. In 2001, he was awarded the Medal
of Paris for his work with children around the world. In
Romania, he was referred to as the father of modern pediatric
dentistry. In 2003, he received the A.J. Herman Fellowship
from the University of Western Australia for enriching their
understanding of how to help less fortunate countries improve the
dental health of children.
In his retirement Gerry
was also busy in London, with Temple Israel, with his weekly hiking
group, painting and with daily work outs at the Y. He also
logged a lot of miles back and forth to Stratford.
A service will be held
at Logan Funeral Home at 371 Dundas St.
in London on November 1, 2019 at 2:00 pm, which will be followed by an
interment for family at Restmount-Temple Israel Cemetery. A
reception to visit and reminisce will be held in the library at the
Sir Adam Beck Manor, 250 Sydenham St. from 4:30 to 7:00
pm.
Donations may be made
to the Making A Difference Fund c/o the London Community Foundation,
130 King Street, London ON N6A 1C5, www.lcf.on.ca/donate, or to the
charity of your choice.
Online condolences can
be expressed at www.loganfh.ca
A tree will be planted, by the staff of the Logan Funeral Home,
as a living memorial to Dr. Gerald Wright
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Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Dr Gerald Gerry Zanvil Wright 19352019..
Death notice for the town of: London, Province: Ontario