Ronald Elliott

Ronald Douglas ELLIOTT

Born on June 4, 1953, Ron died of cancer on March 18, 2023.

He is survived by his wife, Heather Lathe, and his sisters, Gail Richardson and Dianne Henshaw. Also survived by his beloved companion parrot of 24 years, who is now being boarded with loving care at Parrot Partners, a charitable organization.

Ron’s love of parrots was sparked when an uncle placed two large parrots on his small shoulders as a boy. His respect for animals generally inspired his first master’s studies in philosophy at Carleton University. Later he returned to Carleton to study development ethics.

Ron was lucky to find work that was meaningful to him, starting with a research and writing job with the charitable organization Inter Pares in Ottawa. From there, he worked as a program manager with CUSO International and volunteered with the Oxfam development volunteer committee, where he met his second wife, Heather. They worked as CUSO volunteers in Sierra Leone, where Ron oversaw other CUSO volunteers in the country. He continued to hire and mentor overseas interns while working in Ottawa for the Canadian Society for International Health (CSIH) for more than 10 years.

After retiring early due to reduced funding in his line of work, he followed his yearning to read and write about influences of the past century that have shaped political and economic thought. Much of his research focused on arguments for and against the role of government as either hindering or enabling economic and social freedoms. His regret was that he never finalized any of his writings to his satisfaction for an external audience.

Ron leaves an enduring legacy of gratitude for his good-natured kindness–through his many contacts with young adults during his employment, and through his friendship and dedication to the Sierra Leonean community in Ottawa for more than two decades. He will be greatly missed by his friends and family.

A Celebration of Life will be held at Maki House Community Centre, 19 Leeming Drive, Ottawa, on Saturday, July 8, 2023. Please note the new time: from 4 to 7 pm.