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Something has to give when a personal wish to die clashes with an innate drive to live.
Warren Grant, a popular pro who taught golf from a wheelchair at Manderley on the Green, died peacefully on Monday evening, surrounded by loved ones at Bruyère’s Saint-Vincent hospital.
The usual phrase after a person passes following a lengthy illness is that he “lost his battle.” In this case, Grant won the fight, finding the peace he earned after 71 years of wrestling life to the ground.
In December, Grant went off the powerful antibiotics that were fighting infections related to an attack of flesh-eating disease (necrotizing fasciitis). He was weary of all the medications, and knowing that due to invasive surgery, he could no longer teach golf or play pool from his wheelchair, he set out to leave this world quickly and quietly.
No such luck. Grant was so tough he soldiered on for months despite the infections ravaging his body.
“I think it’s getting pretty close,” Grant told this newspaper in late January, speaking of letting the “poison do its job.”
And yet, there he was in late February celebrating his 71st birthday with his sister, Peggy Morrison, a regular visitor from North Bay.
“He kept rallying back,” Morrison said. “He couldn’t live with the antibiotics, they were killing him, attacking his kidneys. But he couldn’t live without them, either.
“It was a catch-22 he got into. He made his decisions, and he kind of defied everybody to the end.”
Along with Morrison, Grant’s daughter, Tamara McCormick, was with Grant when he passed. McCormick made regular trips to Ottawa from Kingston to visit him, in awe of this man who survived the loss of both legs in a motorcycle accident in 1992.
“He’s always been a fighter, right from the time he had his accident,” McCormick said. “He fought his way through life and was able to do everything he wanted to do.
“He’s leaving behind three grandkids and a great-grandson. They’re all going to miss him.”
Grant had a son, Todd, by his second marriage. Grant was separated at the time of the accident.
The family will head to Summerside, P.E.I. with his ashes, so he can be buried next to his first wife, Cathy, as per his wishes. After less than two years of marriage to Grant, Cathy died in a car crash. Daughter McCormick was two months old at the time.
Warren Grant taken in “old” pro shop at Manderley.
Brothers Don and Ernie Ferne (and spouses Judi and Jill) — who were Grant’s great friends and former employers at Manderley — plan to honour Grant with a display at the golf course clubhouse.
Don Ferne had known Grant for nearly 35 years, dating back to Grant’s time at Cederhill as a golf pro. Ferne brought him to Manderley, where Grant taught before and after the accident that put him in a wheelchair.
“He’s up there in heaven, teeing it up, and he’s walking,” Ferne said. “He’s not even taking a cart.”
A more recent fascination for Grant was playing billiards at TailGators on Merivale Road. Curtis Houlden, who owns the tavern/pool hall, said Grant had been there working on his game nearly every day for the past three years.
“He brought that golf work ethic to pool,” Houlden said. “He went after it 100 per cent. It was quite amazing.”
To overcome the challenge of playing pool from a wheelchair, Grant created his own bridge, a smaller version than normal, and used a strap around his waist to hold him to the chair while he reached up for a shot.
Despite his physical limitations, Grant was no slouch.
“He was still able to run tables,” Houlden said. “He could break and run a table more than once in a blue moon.”
Knowing practice wasn’t enough, Grant threw himself into tournament competition in a bid to improve, leaning on the best teachers in the city the same way golfers looked to him for guidance.
Houlden was so impressed by Grant’s determination that he’s creating a Warren Grant Award to be given annually to the most dedicated and improved pool player.
“It’s no stretch to say he was the hardest working player in the room,” Houlden said.
Ditto on the golf course.
Teaching golf from a wheelchair, finding the right words when he couldn’t physically demonstrate a shot, Grant was a “pretty special talent,” Ferne said.
“There’s not many people, in whatever field, who study their discipline as much as he did the game of golf,” Ferne added.
“He took it to heart. He wanted to know what makes the golf swing tick, what makes it work for each person.”
If others looked up to him, Grant was just busy living life and doing what he loved.
“He had lots of challenges, but it was never, ‘poor me,’” said his sister, Peggy. “He rose above those challenges, not in any way to try to be inspiring, although he was inspiring to those of us around him.”
Donations in Warren Grant’s name can be made to the Canadian Paraplegic Association on Prince of Wales Drive.
wscanlan@postmedia.com
查看原文...
Warren Grant, a popular pro who taught golf from a wheelchair at Manderley on the Green, died peacefully on Monday evening, surrounded by loved ones at Bruyère’s Saint-Vincent hospital.
The usual phrase after a person passes following a lengthy illness is that he “lost his battle.” In this case, Grant won the fight, finding the peace he earned after 71 years of wrestling life to the ground.
In December, Grant went off the powerful antibiotics that were fighting infections related to an attack of flesh-eating disease (necrotizing fasciitis). He was weary of all the medications, and knowing that due to invasive surgery, he could no longer teach golf or play pool from his wheelchair, he set out to leave this world quickly and quietly.
No such luck. Grant was so tough he soldiered on for months despite the infections ravaging his body.
“I think it’s getting pretty close,” Grant told this newspaper in late January, speaking of letting the “poison do its job.”
And yet, there he was in late February celebrating his 71st birthday with his sister, Peggy Morrison, a regular visitor from North Bay.
“He kept rallying back,” Morrison said. “He couldn’t live with the antibiotics, they were killing him, attacking his kidneys. But he couldn’t live without them, either.
“It was a catch-22 he got into. He made his decisions, and he kind of defied everybody to the end.”
Along with Morrison, Grant’s daughter, Tamara McCormick, was with Grant when he passed. McCormick made regular trips to Ottawa from Kingston to visit him, in awe of this man who survived the loss of both legs in a motorcycle accident in 1992.
“He’s always been a fighter, right from the time he had his accident,” McCormick said. “He fought his way through life and was able to do everything he wanted to do.
“He’s leaving behind three grandkids and a great-grandson. They’re all going to miss him.”
Grant had a son, Todd, by his second marriage. Grant was separated at the time of the accident.
The family will head to Summerside, P.E.I. with his ashes, so he can be buried next to his first wife, Cathy, as per his wishes. After less than two years of marriage to Grant, Cathy died in a car crash. Daughter McCormick was two months old at the time.
Warren Grant taken in “old” pro shop at Manderley.
Brothers Don and Ernie Ferne (and spouses Judi and Jill) — who were Grant’s great friends and former employers at Manderley — plan to honour Grant with a display at the golf course clubhouse.
Don Ferne had known Grant for nearly 35 years, dating back to Grant’s time at Cederhill as a golf pro. Ferne brought him to Manderley, where Grant taught before and after the accident that put him in a wheelchair.
“He’s up there in heaven, teeing it up, and he’s walking,” Ferne said. “He’s not even taking a cart.”
A more recent fascination for Grant was playing billiards at TailGators on Merivale Road. Curtis Houlden, who owns the tavern/pool hall, said Grant had been there working on his game nearly every day for the past three years.
“He brought that golf work ethic to pool,” Houlden said. “He went after it 100 per cent. It was quite amazing.”
To overcome the challenge of playing pool from a wheelchair, Grant created his own bridge, a smaller version than normal, and used a strap around his waist to hold him to the chair while he reached up for a shot.
Despite his physical limitations, Grant was no slouch.
“He was still able to run tables,” Houlden said. “He could break and run a table more than once in a blue moon.”
Knowing practice wasn’t enough, Grant threw himself into tournament competition in a bid to improve, leaning on the best teachers in the city the same way golfers looked to him for guidance.
Houlden was so impressed by Grant’s determination that he’s creating a Warren Grant Award to be given annually to the most dedicated and improved pool player.
“It’s no stretch to say he was the hardest working player in the room,” Houlden said.
Ditto on the golf course.
Teaching golf from a wheelchair, finding the right words when he couldn’t physically demonstrate a shot, Grant was a “pretty special talent,” Ferne said.
“There’s not many people, in whatever field, who study their discipline as much as he did the game of golf,” Ferne added.
“He took it to heart. He wanted to know what makes the golf swing tick, what makes it work for each person.”
If others looked up to him, Grant was just busy living life and doing what he loved.
“He had lots of challenges, but it was never, ‘poor me,’” said his sister, Peggy. “He rose above those challenges, not in any way to try to be inspiring, although he was inspiring to those of us around him.”
Donations in Warren Grant’s name can be made to the Canadian Paraplegic Association on Prince of Wales Drive.
wscanlan@postmedia.com
查看原文...
