Paul Minnoch

Paul passed away on the evening of Saturday, May 16, 2020 at the Bracebridge Hospital from complications after a prolonged battle with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. He fought well and bravely and, as his many friends can imagine, he kept his sense of humour throughout. He will be forever in the hearts of his wife Fran, his children David and Mary, and Michelle and Jamie, his grandchildren Michael and Samantha, Laura and Brian, and Kevin, and his great-granddaughter, Maddie. His love will be also missed by his extended family; in-laws Jane and Ken, his nephew and nieces Jeff and Steph, and Karen and Dan, and their wonderful children, Evelyn, Brayden, Lily and Ben; and John and Corey-Ann and their family. The Christmas "game" will forever be in our family memories of him. Paul's warm, loving, generous spirit, his kind heart, his wonderful presence and especially his big hugs and magnificent laugh will be missed by everyone who knew and loved him.

Paul always felt so fortunate to have had two wonderful careers. He was a leader in the Insurance industry throughout his rise through the ranks of Zurich Canada. He began his journey there as a file clerk and retired from his final position as President of Commercial Insurance more than 30 years later. He was so thankful for the opportunities the company afforded him such as creating and delivering industry training courses and programs, helping to shape the Ontario Auto Insurance programs, appearing on behalf of the industry before the Senate, and acting as an assessor for the Zurich Leadership Kellog School program at Northwestern. After retiring from the Zurich, he also spent several years working on ground-breaking digital insurance solutions for private companies and the Insurance Bureau of Canada. He always remained active with the Zurich 25 Year Club. He delighted in the many great friendships he built over the Zurich years.

His "other" career as a professional musician was a life-long passion. He began playing drums professionally at the age of 12 and was demonstrator and distributor for Ludwig Drum Company through Drummer's Paradise prior to joining the Zurich. He loved all types of music and was a proud member of the Royal Regiment of Canada Band for over 25 years. He was so thankful that the Zurich leadership understood his passion for music and supported his opportunities with the Royals. He delighted in telling stories of playing for HRH Prince Charles (with whom he had the privilege of having a conversation under a tree in a rain shower), the RCMP Musical Ride in Philadelphia, and various events from Cyprus to Atlanta. He played everything from rock and jazz to classical and in every possible setting. He has been a member of the Metropolitan Silver Band for over 30 years and a member of many community groups in the GTA ranging from the Encore Concert Band and Brampton Orchestra to Danny's 11 and the Northdale and North York Concert Bands. Along with the Met Band family, he will be especially missed by the Muskoka Concert and Big Bands, the Orillia Silver Band, and the Northwoods Brass Quintet.

His wishes were to be cremated and we have will a celebration of life event at a later date when gatherings are more viable. In lieu of flowers etc., please consider a donation to a cause of your choice. His favourite charities were the Metropolitan Silver Band http://www.metband.ca/ , Metropolitan United Church https://www.metunited.org/ , Muskoka Concert Band http://www.muskokaconcertband.ca/ , Orillia Silver Band https://www.orilliasilverband.com/ , Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare https://www.mahc.ca/ , Southlake Regional Healthcare https://southlake.ca/ , or the Canadian Cancer Society https://www.cancer.ca/ . He believed in giving to others and in living life to its fullest.