Peter Aykroyd Sr Death | Obituary – Engineer, spiritualist, author, and father to Dan Aykroyd, Peter Aykroyd Sr age 98 passed away. His wife, Lorraine, preceded him two years ago this past February. Our condolences to Dan, his brothers, his family, and Peter’s many many friends.
He worked for the National Capital Commission throughout the 1950s. He was director of public relations for the 1967 Centennial celebrations nationwide. Years later, he wrote a book entitled The Anniversary Compulsion, detailing this period in the nation’s life.
Peter had done such a good job that the prime minister gifted him a calligraphy painting, given to Canada by the Chinese government, called One Hundred Ways to Celebrate One Hundred.
Later, he was the assistant secretary to the Privy Council. He later became the deputy chair of the Transportation Development Agency, and assistant minister of Transport Canada.
Peter never stopped finding new projects to reinvent himself. He authored a number of books and articles. A Sense of Place is a book about the history of the Aykroyd family. Peter was the sixth generation of the Aykroyd’s in Kingston.
The patriarch, Samuel Aykroyd, was born in Halifax, Yorkshire, in 1760 and came here in 1810. Dr. Samuel Augustus Aykroyd, Peter’s grandfather, became Kingston’s fifth dentist in 1892. A spiritualist, he inspired Peter’s next book, A History of Ghosts, which “interweaves the family history marked by a fascination with ghosts.”
Dan wrote in the Foreword: “My father, as a child, witnessed seance and kept the family books on the subject. My brother, Peter, and I read them avidly; and from all this, Ghostbusters got made. …”
While personal accomplishments were important, Peter was known for his interpersonal skills as a volunteer, philanthropist and mentor. He helped launch the Community Foundation of Kingston and Area, arguably our biggest charitable organization. Katherine Manley, its first executive director, remembers it well.
“I was hired in March 1996. He phoned me right after the announcement was made. I had never met him. He talked about his vision of global philanthropy. His knowledge of giving was wonderful. I invited him to the national conference in London, Ont., and asked him to join our board of directors,” she said.
The Aykroyds kick-started the foundation’s launch at City Hall. “Dan rode a motorcycle into Memorial Hall, with then-Mayor Gary Bennett riding in his back seat,” Manley added, “and Dan presented a big cheque from himself and his wife. When he got off that stage, he walked over to Peter and Lorraine, who was sitting in the front row, and gave them both a big hug and a kiss. It was beautiful.”
Peter also helped establish the Northern Recycling Group in Loughborough Township. “We ran a recycling depot for five years before the township took over,” Pauline Van Helvert said. “Peter mentored me, and he was instrumental in making it work. He wanted to know you as a person.”
May his soul rest in peace.