The quinte region is mourning the loss of a leading light in the faith and fundraising communities.
Rev. Dr. Hal Wilson passed away Saturday at the age of 83.
Wilson was a long-time minister and a volunteer at Bridge Street United Church, and was heavily involved in the local non-profit sector, chairing the Christmas Sharing Program for many years, serving as United Way Fundraising Chair, and also being named the 2007 Guardian Angel by The Children’s Foundation.
What most remember about Wilson though was not the titles or the leadership roles, but the countless events and causes he supported.
After he retired (in the mid-2000’s) from his active, full-time ministry, I would see him several times a year just working a table, walking, cheering, shaking hands or acting as the most incorruptible hole-spotter any golf tournament ever had.
If you volunteered anywhere in the region over the past four decades, I would almost guarantee you saw Hal with a huge smile on his face giving his time so he could improve the lives of others.
It was his job. It was his calling. It was simply who he was each and every day of the year.
When you thought about sharing and caring, his face was the one you pictured. We owe him so much for not only making the region better, but for improving our lives one handshake and one impossibly warm smile at a time.
He is dearly missed.
I’m Paul Martin and that’s what I see looking Beyond the Headlines.
