Ron Wonnacott
Died: January 29, 2018 | Place: University Hospital, London
Obituary
WONNACOTT, Ronald Johnston
Dr. Wonnacott peacefully passed away on Monday, January 29, 2018 at University Hospital, London. Ron was 87 years old. Beloved husband of Eloise Wonnacott for 63 years. Loving father of Doug (Debi) of Houston TX, Rob (Nathalie) of Calgary AB and Cathy Long (Greg) of Seattle WA. Also loved by his grandchildren Brandon, Jason (Mallory), Victoria, Ben, Devin, Tanner and Adam. Great grandfather to Ryan, Carter and Allie. Dear brother of Paul (Donna), Tom (Elizabeth), Joy Becker (Lorne), and Alma Scovil (Peter).
Thank you for the care and support from Gemma Romasanta, Deb Wieckowski and all the staff at Windermere On The Mount and University Hospital.
Ron received a BA in 1955 from the University of Western Ontario, where he was Student Council President. He received an AM (1957) and PhD (1959) in economics from Harvard. Except for brief appointments at the Harvard Law School, University of Minnesota and London School of Economics, his teaching career was at the University of Western Ontario from 1958 until his retirement in 1996.
He is an Officer of the Order of Canada, Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, a former president of the Canadian Economics Association and William G. Davis Professor of International Trade at the University of Western Ontario. He received an honorary LLD from Western in 2001.
His publications were extensive and often in cooperation with his brothers. He wrote about international trade including Canadian-American Dependence. With his brother Paul, he published a study on Free Trade between Canada and the United States: The Potential Economic Effects (Harvard University Press, 1967). This helped to revive the debate over reciprocity in Canada and culminated in the 1989 Canada-US free trade agreement. Ron and Paul also collaborated on numerous micro and macroeconomics books.
He wrote journal articles on a broad range of topics, in particular, on customs union theory, the Canada-US Auto Pact, and recent Free Trade Agreement proposals, industrial strategy, foreign investment, and non-tariff, as well as tariff barriers. In the early 1990s he was a strong supporter of the free-trade negotiations between Canada, the US and Mexico that subsequently led to the trilateral NAFTA.
With his other brother Tom he published numerous books in statistics and econometrics. These books have gone through many editions and have been translated into 9 languages.
He consulted for a wide variety of agencies and testified before a number of Canadian and US government committees.
He enjoyed skiing, Mozart and especially golf, where he once played off 5. He was a member of the London Hunt Club, the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers at Muirfield, and the Sunningdale England Golf Club.
Cremation has taken place and a funeral service will be held on Saturday, February 10, 2018 at 1:00 pm at Metropolitan United Church, 468 Wellington Street, London. Donations in memory of Ron to, Breathe – The Lung Association, would be appreciated. Arrangements entrusted to A. Millard George Funeral Home, 519-433-5184. Online condolences, memories and photographs shared at www.amgfh.com
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Dear Eloise, Jeanette and I learned this morning via L.F.P. that your husband Ron passed. We are hereby sending our condolences to you and your family. We will miss him and his gentle manner at our Sunday Bridge. God bless you and your family in this time of grief.
I am sorry to hear of the passing of Ron. He will be missed at the Men’s Club here at Windermere on the Mount. He contributed a great deal. I send my most sincere condolences.
Bruce Lambert
I’m sorry of your loss. You and your family are in our thoughts and prayers.
JoAnn And Tony Knight and family
Virginia
Rob and family,
Please accept our sincere sympathies on the loss of your father. He was an amazing man and we’re sure you have many wonderful memories of him.
Eloise and family,
Our thoughts and prayers are with you…and our wonderful memories are flooding to the forefront. Loved our time together!
Eloise & family,
Thinking of you.
Will certainly miss the “old boy”!!
My sincere condolences to the Wonnacott family. I owe a great deal to Professor Wonnacott. He was one of my first Professors, instilling in me a love of economics and public policy that helped spur my career at the Bank of Canada. As well, he was an exceptional individual who treated people with respect and dignity. He was a very deserving recipient of the Order of Canada. I will always have fond memories of time spent with him during the Economics Department’s 50th Anniversary celebrations.
Sincerely,
Paul Jenkins
Eloise and Family,
For many many years you were
great nieghbours.We are so soory
for your loss.
Bob and Lynne Livingstone
Eloise
Please accept our sincere condolences. We will miss Ron’s visits with you to the office. He was a very influential and respected professor.
Sincerely.
John Gonder
I am deeply saddened to hear of Ron’s passing. Tom and Ron had an enormous impact on the trajectory of my life, with Tom supporting me in the Statistics department and then arranging with Ron for me to move over to do the MA in Economics with Ron. This has been the foundation of my professional life since 1980 and I will never forget the support of the Wonnacotts.
Dear Tom & all the Wonnacott family.
Our sincere condolences on the loss of your brother, husband, father, uncle and friend. Most sincerely, the Parrish Family
I am so sorry!! This is weird but I had a hard time getting to sleep last night – kept thinking about him. Just remembering when we were young and at their house. I was always so in awe of him. These last few years must have been so difficult for him ??
He led one of the great Canadian lives.
Such is the cycle, people like Ron come along every once in a while, and manage to find their way.
I have fond memories of Ron Wonnacott. The thing that strikes me most is that he carried himself with this awesome mix of dignity, intellectual luminosity, humility and benevolence. It was fun to watch Dad and Ron banter. They were two spark plugs together, igniting back and forth debates on business and economy like the pistons and rods in a Porsche engine.
Ron took real interest in me. He led me into spirited debates on the merits (de-merits) of economic socialism and my left-leaning liberal point of view. With a warm smile completely lacking in condescension, he would engage me in a clear, succinct, authoritative defense of capitalism, pointing gaping holes in the socialist worldview. Obviously, he won me over! 🙂
In the years after graduating from college, my path took me far from my Canadian roots– to Florida, California, Minnesota and Nashville. Off and on over the years, when visiting friends near and far, I would stumble upon a book in their book case– “Econometrics: Wonnacott and Wonnacott”. This would lead me into a proud rendition of “I know Ron Wonnacott”.
It is no surprise at all to me that NAFTA exists today in no small part because of Ron Wonnacott. I just hope our joke of a president here in America doesn’t tear his great work to shreds.
Ron had such a strong dedication to his family. You could instantly see the pride he had in Doug, Rob and Cathy– and of course for the love of his life, Eloise.
So let me join the many thousands who will tip their hats to Ron Wonnacott today. A great Canadian, a wonderful husband and father, and an inspiration and mentor to many, including me.
All the Russels are thinking of you guys today and sending our love out to you. I remember swimming at Ron and Eloise’s pool in the summer time when we all lived in London. Those were great days and he was always so nice to me. Im so sorry for your loss. Lots of love.
I am awfully sorry to have heard that your Dad passed away last night. He was a great man and from the interactions I witnessed, it was easy to see the influence he had on you and the pride he held for you and vice versa. Consequently, I know you will miss him but your strong memories will be a good thing to hold onto.
Dear Deb and Doug – I am so sorry about the loss of your dad. Ron lived an extraordinary life impacting Canadian free trade, imparting his extensive knowledge through his books and teaching, as well as mentoring thousands of Econ students across Canada and around the world. He was also a very nice man and a wonderful family man. Thinking of you and your family with lots of love.