Professor Emeritus Douglas John Sherbaniuk, who taught at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law for more than 30 years, passed away on April 8th, 2006.
DOUGLAS JOHN SHERBANIUK, Q.C., L.L.M. RETIRED PROFESSOR OF LAW, UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO. FORMER DIRECTOR OF THE CANADIAN TAX FOUNDATION.
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Douglas John Sherbaniuk on April 8, 2006. After a long, courageous battle with prostate cancer, he passed away peacefully at his home, with his family at his side. Predeceased by his wife, Joyce Sherbaniuk (nee Loveseth) and by his brother, Dr. James Sherbaniuk of Vancouver, he was deeply loved by his three children, Martha, Kathy (John) and Doug. He will be fondly remembered by his brother, Dr. Richard Sherbaniuk of Edmonton and by many friends and colleagues in Canada and abroad. Douglas was born in Vegreville, Alberta on April 11, 1929. He received his B.A . in Modern Languages from the University of Alberta in 1950, followed by his L.L.B. in 1953. After additional studies in law at the University of Toronto, Douglas returned to Edmonton where he was appointed Associate Professor of Law at the University of Alberta. In 1960, Douglas continued his studies at Columbia University, completing his L.L.M. in 1962. Soon after, he was invited to join the research staff of the Royal Commission on Taxation (1963-1964). Douglas joined the faculty of law at the University of Toronto in 1965, where he taught tax law for thirty years. He became the Director of the Canadian Tax Foundation in 1967, a position he held until his retirement in 1994. As Director, Douglas was instrumental in assisting the Foundation to meet its mandate of providing expert tax research to both its membership and the government of Canada. A renowned expert on Canadian income tax law, he wrote numerous articles for a variety of publications, notably The Canadian Tax Journal. In 1990, Douglas was honoured to receive the Law Society of Upper Canada medal in recognition of his service to the legal profession in the field of taxation law. Douglas was a gifted administrator and legal scholar and derived great satisfaction from teaching law. He followed the careers of many of his former students with much interest and was always pleased to hear about their achievements. Upon his retirement, Douglas combined his passion for travel (Spain, Russia and China) and tennis, attending both the French Open and Wimbledon. He was a wonderful father and friend. Among other things, Douglas will be remembered for his generosity, sense of humour and appreciation for the simpler things in life - Sunday New York Times, a cup of good, strong coffee and classical music on the radio. We would like to express our sincere appreciation for the wonderful care provided by nurses from Bayshore, Spectrum and Thornbrook Home Care Agencies. We would also like to thank the doctors at Princess Margaret Hospital, especially Dr. Sridhar and Dr. Tamber (and their assistants), and the nurses in the Chemotherapy Day Unit and the Transfusion Unit. As per Douglas' wishes, a private celebration of his life has been held. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation and/or Ian Anderson House.
