Celebration of Life for Martin Carney

A service celebrating the life of Martin Carney will be held on Saturday, December 2nd, at Glebe St. James United Church - 650 Lyon Street South in Ottawa at 2:00 pm.

For those who are unable to attend in person but want to join in the celebration of Martin's life, a live stream will be available and can be watched from this link. A recorded version of the service can be found at the same link after the services has ended.

Martin's wife, Tanya Lary, writes: Martin was born in Coventry, England. His father worked for Massey Ferguson and his family lived in Lebanon, Italy, Wales, Cypress, and Holland. From his father he inherited a love of soccer, wine, good food, and travel, and from his mother, the art of cooking and a deep caring for family. He and sister Rachel were passionate music lovers, and she would sneak into his room to borrow his punk tapes. He worked for the British Council for many years, in London, Manchester, South Africa, Brazil, and Kazakhstan. During the last stint in Kazakhstan we met in an Irish bar. We got to know each other swimming at Almaty’s Olympic pool, and on a four day hike into Kyrgyzstan. After two years of travelling back and forth between Ottawa and Manchester, we married and settled in Ottawa. He worked for a while in international development, building on his British Council experience. When our son Jack was one, and Misha was on the way, Martin decided to stay home with them, and looked after them until they were both in school. He ran our household, enjoying the daily shopping and errands, making amazing meals and keeping our house to an alarming standard of tidiness. He also became a devoted hockey father and, despite never really learning how to skate, he became a trainer and loved being on the bench. He completed the sommelier course at Algonquin; he then did wine pairings events and ran a wine delivery business. He had a gift for friendship, and his many friends returned his affection and love.

He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in December 2022, and went through chemo from January to June. He continued to walk the dog, go for runs with the boys, and manage our household. In June he and Jack went to England, where they saw family and friends and walked in the beautiful Lancashire moors, descending to the pub for beer and a chip butty. In July we went to Vancouver to visit family; he did the Grouse Grind, and swam at Kitsilano Beach and in the Nanaimo River. His mother, sister and cousin came to visit in September. He got gradually weaker, and on November 11th, a sudden decline set in. He died in hospice on November 20th surrounded by love. He will be deeply missed.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Ottawa Riverkeeper or Indspire.