JAMES GLADSTONE RIDLER

James “Jim” Gladstone Ridler, aged eighty-four, died peacefully in hospice at Providence Care Hospital, Kingston, ON, on December 10, 2022, surrounded by his wife and daughters. Son of Gladstone Ridler and Edith Ruth Hartley (m. 1936), on November 25, 1938, Jim was followed by his brother, Roland and sister, Beth. Jim went to school in Etobicoke, before his family moved to Newmarket. He attended Newmarket High School, where he was President of the Literary Society and Valedictorian. He received his B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Toronto, Masters in Business Administration from Western University, and was a lifelong member of the Professional Engineers of Ontario. Married to Inta Mezgailis (1963-1985); and remarried Julie Bergen (1989-); he was the beloved father of Jamie, Robbie (d. 1974), Suzie, Jason and Shannon; and stepfather of Stephanie Leblanc. After briefly working in the pulp and paper industry in Quebec, Jim began a successful career at Imperial Oil in the 1960s, reaching executive status and working in a range of fields. After being downsized from Imperial in the early 1990s, he built a second career as an instructor of business, most notably at Queen’s University’s Smith Business School, where he worked as an adjunct until his seventy-ninth year, becoming the school’s leading experts on business ethics. A devoted husband and father who loved travel, sports, and fishing with friends at the French River, Jim’s legacy endures in the memories of those who miss his wisdom, love, and laughter.