Merril Daundage Fernando

It is with tremendous sadness that we announce the passing of Merril Fernando on Thursday November 7 , 2024 at the General hospital. He is survived by his beloved wife of more than 50 years Indrani Fernando and his only son Roy Fernando both from Ottawa. He is also survived by his sister, Gertrude Lakshmi Fernando of Vancouver, BC, and his sister Daundage Volga Chithrawali Karunadasa (Chithra) of Sri Lanka. He is preceded in death by his loving parents Daundage Daniel Fernando (father), Gallage Adelin Fernando(mother), and Daundage Francis Darmadasa (brother) of Sri Lanka.

Born in Sri Lanka, on January 2, 1945, he moved to Canada when he was only 21 years old. Returning to Sri Lanka to marry his wife Indrani in 1972, where both then returned to Canada. Their only son was born in 1974.

Merril was a family man who enjoyed spending time talking and going for drives with his family. He often encouraged conversation in the home. He enjoyed speaking with his family back home including his sister Chithra and her daughter Himali on a regular basis. He also enjoyed the company of his extended family. These include but are not limited to his brother-in-law Vinayakantha Perera and his wife Aruni Perera along with their son Kehan Perera, his sister-in-law Nandini Hingruduwa and her daughter Sammani Stevens.

Discussing world events and politics was a joy in his life that was shared between him and his family. He loved our beloved family dog Bianca and wouldn’t miss a day walking her until the day she passed.

He always encouraged his son to pursue whatever passion he desired. This included attending law school in England.

A people person, he greatly enjoyed his time in retail where he got to meet many people from different backgrounds. He often talked about the many interesting and diverse people he came across while in the industry.

A visitation will be held on Friday, November 22, 2024 from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm and again on Saturday, November 23, 2024 from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm at McEvoy-Shields Funeral Home 1411 Hunt Club Road, Ottawa, ON. A funeral service will follow in the chapel at 1:00 pm. Reception to follow.

In Lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations to be made to following organizations or any animal rescue organization of your choice.

Canadian Cancer Society (https://cancer.ca/en/ways-to-give/sponsor-research?utm_source=google)

Ottawa Humane Society ( https://ottawahumane.ca/)