Edward Lloyd Bousfield
19 June 1926 – 7 Sept. 2016
With great sadness, the family of Ed Bousfield announces his recent passing. Husband of Barbara Schwartz (d. 1983), Margaret Tuer, and Joyce Burton (nee Bradley, d. 2009), father of Marjorie, Jessie Katherine (Gene Mann), Mary, and Ken (Angela Butikofer). Proud grandfather of John (Olivia) and Jen; Sarah (Andrew Fothergill), Daniel (Stephanie), Tim (Brittany), and Elizabeth (Mark Syptak); Glenn Rene (Odile), Hugh (Jess), and David; great-grandfather of Kara and Tyson Wesson and Tomas Syptak. Predeceased by his parents, Reginald and Marjorie (nee Armstrong), and very dear sisters, Audrey (Charles Brown) and Diane (Ralph Howie). Much loved brother of John (Morleen) and David (Jean), and uncle and cousin to a large extended family.
Born in Penticton BC, Ed moved with his parents and siblings across Canada while his father sought work in the 1930s, eventually settling in Toronto and attending Riverdale C.I. Ed worked at a bakery preparing hundreds of meat pies before school, and, with brother John, delivered over 600 Stars, Tellies, and Globes by bicycle each day.
Ed was a gifted student, musician, and visual artist. He led swing bands in Toronto, Fort Erie, and at Lake Simcoe in the 1940s. He sang Barbershop for many years, and later played in the Salvation Army band. He played trumpet into his seventies and guitar until 2014. He enjoyed chess, bridge, and vegetable gardening. Ed was an avid curler, notably at the City View and RA curling clubs in Ottawa. Later he added lawn bowling to his repertoire at the Highland Park Lawn Bowling Club, and bowled with Barbara and, later, Joyce.
Curious about the world around him, detailed in his observations, well-suited to a career as a biologist, particularly as a taxonomist, he earned degrees at UC Toronto, and at Harvard (PhD). In a long career at the National Museum of Natural Sciences (Museum of Nature) in Ottawa, he conducted extensive – and frugal – research along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, and participated in the historic voyage of the CSS Hudson in 1969-70. An internationally respected specialist, Ed published illustrated descriptions of hundreds of new species of amphipod crustaceans in more than 150 books and papers. In 1985 he received a Public Service Outstanding Achievement Award for his work.
After retirement in 1986, Ed remained active in science, as a research associate at the ROM, Royal BC Museum in Victoria, NMC in Ottawa, and as an external advisor to MSc and PhD students around the globe. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada; past President and Archivist of the Canadian Society of Zoologists; member of the Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club; the Crustacean Society; the Estuarine Research Federation; and the Brodie Club.
From penning his own illustrated nature stories as a young teen until his death, he retained his love of science and endless fascination with ocean life. As he said:
“I can’t believe the Canadian government has paid me... for doing something that has been such a life-long challenge and sheer joy... How lucky can one be?
“I am especially grateful to colleagues world-wide who...have been most helpful, courteous, and respectful of my own contributions…I cannot imagine a more satisfying and productive life’s work…I warmly thank all colleagues for making these contributions possible and sharing their career pleasures with me.”
Many thanks to home caregivers, and to the kind staff of Evergreen Retirement residence in Mississauga.