James Philip Dumaresq

His mother always said that they broke the mold when Phil (Buddy Boy) was born in 1916. Our father was the happiest, most optimistic person we ever knew. Nothing ever bothered him, and every day was a new and great adventure, no matter what the circumstances.

A survivor of the Halifax Explosion (with a great story about that adventure), Phil was educated in Halifax. His formal education was interrupted by overseas service in Holland and Germany during World War II. Here his informal education and adventures continued, evidenced by his many quotes from the Army where he became an Artillery officer. Phil carried on in the Canadian Army Reserves, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. He wore his “ gunner’s tie” with pride until the day he died.

After the war, Phil continued his studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he earned a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering, compliments of the King. He was accompanied to Boston by the love of his life, his new bride Leila. Phil and Lee met in St. John’s, Newfoundland, during the war. They were married after a very brief courtship, and loved each other for almost 70 years. Phil called her “Lover” or “The Doll”. Their loving relationship remains an inspirational example for all of us.

Proud to be the son and grandson of an Architect, the father of an Architect and the grandfather of an Architecture student , Phil was the third generation Dumaresq to lead the family firm, following in the footsteps of Sydney Perry Dumaresq and James Charles Dumaresq. Phil was also proud of his six "Iron Ring Boys", the family engineers - sons Peter and Marc, grandsons Michael Sexton, Robert Dumaresq and Nicholas Dumaresq, and of course, himself.

Phil had a long and successful career in business, becoming a member of five professional societies – the Nova Scotia Association of Architects (Past President and Life Member), the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (Fellow and Life Member), the Association of Professional Engineers of Nova Scotia (Life Member), Licensed Professional Planners Association of Nova Scotia (Charter Member), and the Association of Nova Scotia Land Surveyors (Member No. 99).

He founded J. Philip Dumaresq and Associates which later became Dumaresq and Byrne Limited, one of the largest architectural firms in Nova Scotia. Phil later joined his son, Sydney, at SP Dumaresq Architect Limited. Phil and Syd worked happily together for 44 years. In addition to all this, Phil and three other business associates started the Commodore Industrial Estates, the first industrial park in Nova Scotia. Commodore was subsequently bought by the City of Dartmouth and expanded to become part of the Burnside Industrial Park.

We cannot speak of Phil without thinking of his lifelong friendship with Bob Merchant. They saw each other almost every day and called each other “Joe”. Together, they owned five sailboats, several vacation homes, and had countless business adventures. Bob and Phil met when they were children, summering in Jollimore. They were best friends for eighty years until the day Bob died.

Phil taught us all to sail, and was proud to be the Number 1 Life Member of the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron. He introduced us to the joys of Chester where he was a summer resident for almost 60 years, and where he was a member of the Chester Yacht Club, serving a term as Vice-Commodore.

In addition to supporting professional and sailing associations, Phil served on numerous boards and committees including the Halifax Board of Trade, the Halifax Club, St. Paul’s Church, the Nova Scotia Division of the Canadian Diabetes Association, and the Design and Construction Institute.

Phil left us many fine buildings such as the Dalhousie Dental School, the Sir Charles Tupper Medical Building, several beautiful fire stations, and over 125 schools. His other architectural legacy is the many young architects he employed and mentored. There was no better education than working for Phil Dumaresq. You know who you are, and we have you to thank for “Dumaresq’s Twelve Rules of Architecture” which remains required reading for any young architect.

Phil was pre-deceased by son, Peter, and grandson, James Charles. He was also pre-deceased by his sisters, Jacqueline, Lucille, and Antoinette. He is survived by wife, Leila, sons Sydney (Sandra) and Marc (Susan) daughter Daphne (Alan Sexton) and daughter-in-law, Paula Weste. His grandchildren are Andrew (Jennifer), Jocelyne (Nathan Smith), Alexander (Kate McKenna), Philip, Dean, Emily, Nicholas, Kate (Dave Langille), Robert (Melanie Abramson), Scott (Hyunah Park), Michael (Jennifer Threader), Patrick and Daniel. Great grandchildren are Emma, Julia, Franklyn, and Alexandra.

Donations may be made to the Charles H. Best Research Fund, c/o Canadian Diabetes Association, 1400-522 University Ave., Toronto, ON, M5G 2R5, the Dumaresq-Merchant Scholarship Trust of the Nova Scotia Sea School, www.seaschool.org ,2057 Gottingen St., Halifax, NS, B3K 3B2, or a charity of choice.

Special thanks to the Newfoundland ladies for their loving care: Verna Best, Roberta Harvey, Claudia Harris, Chelesa Harris, and Tammy Munden. The family would also like to thank Dr. Matt Hudson and, in particular, the nurses on 6.2 at the QEII Hospital, especially Katy, Debbie and Hannah for their expert care and compassion.

Funeral service will take place at St. Paul’s Anglican Church on Monday, May 27 at 2 pm.

The earthly adventure has ended after 96 very full years, but the legacy and the example survives in the minds of the thousands of lives he touched.

To view or send a condolence to the family, please visit www.jasnowfuneralhome.com