Obituary of Kenneth William Smith

Ken Smith died at home with his family on Friday, July 24, 2020 in his 69th year. He was, in his own words, quite content.Ken was predeceased by his parents Norm and Charlotte Smith (née Day). He will be greatly missed by his wife Catherine (née MacLachlan); his children Christena (Jamie) Manley, Duncan (Kathryn) Exon Smith, Alexandra (Drew) Marshall and Sarah; his grandchildren Gwyneth, Simon, Louisa, Clara and Catherine; his brother Edward (Anne) and sister Sandra (Eldon) Williams; in-laws Stephen (Janet) MacLachlan, Stanley (Rita) MacLachlan and Linda (BJ) McKeever; the extended Smith and MacLachlan Clans; and his beloved dog George.Born and raised in East York, he attended East York Collegiate Institute and then studied mathematics at York University and University of Toronto, completing his Ph.D. in 1979. He held a variety of positions at Imperial Oil Limited after graduation, then spent most of his career as a strategy consultant, first with McKinsey & Company and finishing with Groupe Secor, a Canadian strategy boutique where he was a Managing Partner and Chair. He served in most industry sectors, with a focus on growth and overall corporate strategy, and he wrote extensively on M&A, international competitiveness and governance for leading Canadian and international publications. In his latter years, he served on several for-profit and not-for-profit boards, and taught and consulted on board oversight of strategy.Ken and Cathy became sweethearts in Grade 4 and married in 1972. They both studied until 1979, when they started their family. In spite of a demanding work and travel schedule, Ken spent most evenings and weekends busy with family and household projects. He had learned the trades from his father and took great pleasure in building, renovating, restoring and repairing things to make a better home. He also extended family time when he could, taking one or more of the family along on business trips.Once his children were grown, Ken found more time for old friends and treasured his Golfishing and Spring Training weekends with his high school buddies. He also returned to his beloved hockey and played at Moss Park and Chesswood as hard as he could, as long as he could.Ken was grateful for the thoughtful medical attention provided by the teams at St. Michael’s Hospital, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and Temmy Latner Centre for Palliative Care. A private family funeral will be held at Rosedale United Church. During less restricted times, the family will arrange to celebrate Ken’s life more widely.In lieu of flowers, you may wish to make a donation to The Stars Research Fund – a fund initiated by Ken at The Arthritis Society – by calling 416-979-7228 x3656 or donating online at www.arthritis.ca.