Family, friends and politicians pay tribute to Barry and Honey Sherman

Family, friends and politicians were among thousands who gathered near Toronto on Thursday to pay tribute to philanthropists Barry and Honey Sherman. The founder of generic drugmaker Apotex and his wife were found dead in their home last week under circumstances police have called suspicious. Here is a selection of quotes offered in tribute to the couple:

“As my sisters and I congregated for two days waiting to hear any facts other than through Twitter and the unreliable news media, I kept expecting my parents to walk through the front door and say ‘everything will be fine, we’ve taken control of the situation.’ These past few days have been a shocking adjustment to our reality.” — Jonathon Sherman, son of Barry and Honey Sherman.

“My sisters and I pledge to rise again and to continue thriving and to continue building our parents’ legacy of loving life, caring for others, and knowing — as our parents always reminded us — that with great privilege comes enormous responsibility.” — Jonathon Sherman.

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“My sister wasn’t just my sister. For all of those of you who knew us, she was my best friend and she was my other half. We completed each other’s sentences, and we never went anywhere without the other. And my brother-in-law, I knew him from the time I was 19. He was my brother-in-law, he was also my surrogate father. And both of them have been taken away at once.” — Mary Shechtman, Honey Sherman’s sister.

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“As the child of Holocaust survivors, Honey came from tragic and meagre beginnings. Despite her and Barry’s success and achievements, she never forgot or lost sight of that. And it pains me to see tragedy again introduced to her life like this.” — Ted Florence, Barry and Honey Sherman’s nephew.

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“Everyone has heard about Honey and Barry’s tremendous public philanthropy, but their private help to anyone in their orbit who needed it was just as great. Relatives, friends, friends of relatives and relatives of friends. Barry told me that while he didn’t like to be high-profile, he felt it was his duty to set an example for other wealthy people to be as generous as he and Honey were. He never took his material success for granted or became smug or grand. He believed he was lucky.” — Joel Ulster, Barry Sherman’s longtime friend.

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“In the early days, Barry would often say that he expected to die at an early age as his father did before him, And so there was a lot to do in a short period of time. As the years went by, Barry’s tune changed, and we would tell each other that we would live to 120 … which he later amended to 150 as in his words, ‘ there was too much to be done.’” —Jack Kay, former CEO of Apotex and friend of Barry Sherman.

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“It will take time, but some … comfort will come from the knowledge that Honey and Barry Sherman were great citizens of this city and this country, and outstanding members of its Jewish community. Their humanity knew no bounds, and their generosity was extraordinary. They did what we all strive to do — to make a difference in the lives of others, to leave the world a better place than they found it.” — Toronto Mayor John Tory.

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“Because of their dedication to giving to those in need, there are countless students and patients, children and seniors, so many people here at home and around the world whose lives were touched by Honey and Barry who don’t know it. And I get the sense that that’s exactly how the Shermans wanted it to be.” — Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne.

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“As the airplane started to speed towards liftoff, silently … she would stretch out her hand for me to hold. I preserve this image of Honey in my mind because it is always how I will think of her — as a woman who, by natural inclination, extended an open hand of love, friendship and kindness out to the world.” — Sen. Linda Frum, recalling a trip she took with Honey Sherman at a time when she was afraid of flying.

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The Canadian Press