Arriving late to this tribute to Dr. Don Stuss, may I say that it was an honour and a privilege to have worked alongside such a dignified, humble scientist of renown in the fields of clinical neuropsychology and neuro-degenerative brain disorders.  I learned a great deal of academic knowledge from him but more importantly, I learned how to take all of that in stride and polish it with humour.
Thank you Don, for cementing a memorable chapter in my life.

I will remember him always.

Even though 4 years have passed, the sense of loss, because of Don's too-soon death, remains strong. I only knew him for 8 years, but it felt as if we were life-long friends. He was so open about what he was doing, had done, about his challenges, his coping strategies. He was a huge inspiration and enormous fun. 

It was fascinating to see him recruit and develop young talent and to harness their energy to achieve spectacular results. There must be thousands of us who feel so richly blessed by our associations with Don, however long or short, and who resolve to live by his example for the rest of our lives.

Special condolences to Lourenza and the rest of Don's family. 

There a few people that one encounters in one's lifetime who fundamentally change a person, whose simple honesty and beliefs are so foundational to their being that one cannot help but forever be a better person for simply knowing them.  Don will always be one of those exceptional people whose friendship and mentorship will forever be something that I cherish and try to emulate.

Lourenza, Wendy and I can never fully understand your loss but to have become friends with both you and Don will always be a great gift to us.  Our time in Cape Cod and Nantucket, our dinners and always thrilling discussions, and even our last visit just a few weeks before Don's passing are the stuff of great memories; we know that you will have so many to carry you through these days.

Others have written about Don's accomplished life.  All of this is true.  He was the epitome of all that a scientist and a mentor should be.  I will always remember his kind, quiet advice.

And it will always remain with me that I had the final chance to thank him in person.  He would have done no less for another - this is his legacy.

Michael and Wendy Strong 

It is sad that Don no longer walks among us.  What an exceptional person in so many ways, not least of which for his graciousness and warmth.  I have been blessed by his friendship and his wisdom, as have so many.  Condolences to his family.

Joe Barrash


Don and I were friends since high school when we both attended St. Jerome’s in Kitchener. Although our career paths diverged—Don became a scientist and I a diplomat--we stayed in touch down through the years, right up to his final days in Toronto. 
It was evident already in high school that Don would be exceptional. Of the two of us, he was the stronger academically, I the better athletically, which Don would only grudgingly admit. (We both stood out in football and track. In preparation for games and meets we would retreat to Don’s mom’s diner where she served us chocolate milkshakes with raw eggs, a sports diet like no other!). 
Don had many talents but it was, of course, as a scientist and academic that he excelled. Recipient of the Order of Ontario and Order of Canada, Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, University Professor Emeritus of the University of Toronto and winner of many other awards, Don was pre-eminent in his field. But he wore his many honours admirably lightly.
A patriotic Canadian, he was the child of immigrants and proud of his Ukrainian roots. His enormous contribution to science made him a poster boy of the benefits to Canada of immigration and integration. 
An unassuming academic star, an honest and exceptional talent, Don was always open to fun, kind to all and true to friends. They don’t make them like Don any more. I will miss him enormously.   
Paul Heinbecker


My condolences to his family, friends and to all those who knew Don. He was such a great person, a kind soul and an inspiration to everyone. He will be greatly missed. May you rest in eternal peace.

Dr. Don Stuss was one of the most important mentors in my life. Not only was he one of the greatest cognitive neuroscientists of our time, but he taught me how to critically think about clinical and research questions. 

On a project and paper we worked on together, he taught me how to break-down  human behaviour and executive functions into sub-components and, in so doing, taught me how to truly begin to understand the workings of the human brain. I think about this principle in my everyday life as a  physician and researcher.  I now think about problems and observations very differently than I have in the past - all thanks to Don. 

Truly a sad loss of one of the most kind-hearted and supportive human beings I have had the privilege of knowing. 


I am truly grateful for Don’s mentorship. He was a magnetic personality, brilliant in an accessible way, and inspired excellence. To say he was a busy guy is an understatement; yet if needed he would make time to listen and offer sage advice.  I will miss him. What a privilege to have known and worked with him. One of the good ones, one of the BEST. 

I had the pleasure of working with Don for a number of years at the Ottawa General Hospital. At that time he was responsible for the Neuropsychology Department.  
As his Neuropsychometrist, I had firsthand experience witnessing his kind and supportive nature with his clients and his staff . Having inclusion in client feedback sessions, when the results were not always positive, Don delivered with empathy and respect.
With a hectic schedule he always made time to sit down and ask how things were going with genuine interest. 
Many discussions were also had during wonderful staff dinners Don and his wife hosted at their home. 
Don consistently offered motivating praise. He was driven by kindness and excellence. 
Thank you Don for the memories!


I met Don when I was VP professional services at the Ottawa General Hospital and he was a  neuropsychologist there. A couple of years later, I appointed him as Director of the Department of Psychology. I wanted to fund his research but could not get the budget to do it; so he left for Baycrest,which was a huge loss for the General. I met him a few years later when I was CEO of Bruyere and I visited Baycrest. 
I was always a great admirer of his work. 

I first met Donnie when we where both alter boys at The Church Of  The Transfiguration,  Ukrainian Catholic  Church in Kitchener.  The Stusses lived right next door to the church where Donnie's Mum ran a dinner. 

Donnie could answer the Mass  completely in Ukrainian...I managed only  a part of the Mass. Steve Mazer was pretty good also.  The three of us served Mass for a good number of years. 

Donnie and His Sister Sonia and Tom  Moser,  Steve Mazur, Harry Kit  and myself were all good friends but I will admit that I was in awe of Donnie. 

We all went to St. Jeromes High School in Kitchener where Donnie excelled in EVERYTHING!!!

Donnie was very helpful when my late Wife, Irene, suffered a number of strokes. He would always take the time to listen and help. 

As is the way of life, we ALL  take different paths and often loose touch with each other. And so I was deeply saddened when I found out that Donnie passed away last Monday.  

To me, Donnie seemed like an ordinary man with EXTORDINARY Gifts that He used to make this world a better place. 

Donnie, You will be remembered and You will be missed. My Family and I are better for having known You 

Roman 🤓



Don was the external examiner for my dissertation.  He was an  intelligent and knowledgeable man but, above all that, he was kind.  For a nervous grad student, this was the thing I appreciated about him the most. 

My condolences to Don's family.  I knew Don for many years, as a fabulous neuropsychologist, after first meeting him initially at the Boston VA Hospital.  I crossed paths professionally with Don many times at meetings and also when he spent a day at our rehab facility when I worked in upstate NY.  Don was always incredibly thoughtful about clinical and research issues, and very generous and sharing with his time and ideas.  He always presented himself as a gentleman and scholar, and it was always fun to talk to him.  He made incredible contributions to our profession of neuropsychology that will endure for a long time.  As others, I will miss Don greatly.  Rest in peace.

P.S. I love all the photo memories.

I met Don when I was new to research and he was incredibly generous with his time and advice. His work and charming, wry chuckle will be greatly missed from the field.

Don was an inspiring boss and mentor, I have never worked for someone so able to rally the efforts and excitement of those he manages. I worked for him at the Ontario Brain Institute but had known his research and respected his work for years pre dating that. He had an immeasurable impact on both my personal and professional growth- I will miss him greatly. 

I met Don in the mid 80s when he worked at the Ottawa General Hospital as a neuropsychologist. As a Speech-Language Pathologist, we shared many cases and enjoyed teasing and pushing each other on the clinical side of things – very much in old Boston VA style with quizzes and questions about the meaning of symptoms and lesion sites. What a colleague! Fun, smart and caring. We drove down from Ottawa together to the Academy of Aphasia in New Paltz, New York, during which we went for ice cream and decided we should open a world renowned research institute with an ice cream shop as a front! Not much later, Ottawa lost him to Toronto to the Rotman Research Institute. You did it, Don! And then some! I saw him last about two years ago: I needed his advice for how to start a research institute! THANK YOU for everything, for entertaining crazy ideas with me and for helping me understand that not much is impossible. You will truly be missed. My sincerest condolences to his family and close friends.  Rest in peace dear friend and colleague.

Don was an amazing person. Scientist and philosopher who believed in doing the right thing and having a good laugh. I enjoyed working with him and will miss him greatly.

I knew Don for most of my professional career and while we were not in regular contact, I treasured each time we met and spoke. Don was a true leader. His enthusiasm and joy in research and discovery were undeniable. He was an exceptional mentor and gave extraordinary gifts of his time to trainees. Don will be well remembered for his great accomplishments as a researcher and clinician, and particularly for his work in establishing the Rotman Research Institute and Ontario Brain Institute. What I will remember are the laughs that we shared, his great sense of humour and warmth of character, and the inspiration that he provided. He will be greatly missed by many and I am certainly one. My condolences to all of his dear friends and his family. 

Although I never had the privilege of working with Dr. Stuss directly, he is responsible for establishing the Neuropsychology service at the Ottawa Hospital where I have worked for many years.  His legacy here continues to live on.  He set a high standard of both clinical service delivery and research that continues to be respected here in Ottawa.  He lives on in his many students and others whom he has mentored over the years.  He positively impacted the lives of his colleagues and the patients whom he served.  I thank him for the ripple effect of his work in my own professional life.  I am grateful that I had the opportunity to meet him on a number of occasions.  I extend my heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.

Don introduced me to neuropsychology in my third year undergraduate program and has been the epigenome of vast connections of students, fellows, residents, and scientists who went on to advance his field of clinical neuropsychological research. To him, I credit my knowledge of executive functions and frontal systems contribution to cognitive processing, the meaning of clinical data , and my love of clinical case mysteries. Don was my Ph.D.  thesis advisor, my mentor, and ultimately my friend.  My condolences to his family, his two children, and his friends. 
Rest in peace Don.

Don was a wonderful person and a brilliant scientist. His legacy will live on for many years. I had the privilege of being a fellow visiting researcher in the Boston VA Hospital research centre in 1976 when he was there.  My condolences to his family and friends.

Upon returning to Toronto from studying Psychology in Sydney, Australia Donald T. Stuss hires me into his lab at the Rotman Research Institute.

Beyond the incredibly complex Neuropsychological research Don led that helped the lives of many patients he always had time for a joke and a chat with me. He always showed enduring respect for me in his lab and was a great man! 

It is with sadness that I receive this news and send my condolences. 

Rest In Peace. 

Twelve years ago, I was fortunate to be a research assistant for Dr. Don Stuss who inspired me to go into neuropsychology. When I wasn't sure whether to pursue grad school, he exclaimed that we shall watch Dumbo together! Don was the founder and VP of Research at the Rotman Research Institute with numerous responsibilities and commitments yet he took time out of his hectic schedule to watch a cartoon with me and discuss applying to school, which in the end created a memorable moment for this former research assistant. He was a caring and sincere mentor. Don, you will be greatly missed.

OBITUARY

Donald T. Stuss

September 26, 1941 – September 3, 2019

Rosar-Morrison Funeral Home & Chapel

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