Alf Chaiton

Alf Chaiton, 75, of Ottawa, died peacefully surrounded by family at the Ottawa General Hospital on October 12, 2024. 

He was born in Vetlanda, Sweden on March 29, 1949, the oldest child of Jacob and Sara Chaiton. They immigrated to Toronto, Canada in 1951. He grew up loving baseball and bowling and his stubbornness kept him a lefty. After attending the University of Toronto, he completed a Masters in Political Theory at the London School of Economics (LSE) in London, England. While living in London House, he met his future wife, Sarah Green, on November 6, 1971, in Mecklenburgh Square. They enjoyed the theatre, concerts, walks in Hampstead Health, and Alf could be found in the reading room at the British Museum. Their time in London always held a special place in his heart. 

Moving back to Canada to continue his graduate work at the University of Toronto, Alf and Sarah eventually settled in Ottawa, after stints in Edmonton, St. John’s and Corner Brook, raising three children: Michael, Rachel, and Hilary. 

Alf had a long and varied career that included training teachers in Newfoundland, acting as Senior Policy Advisor to Herb Gray in the Federal Government and Bob Chiarelli in local government, teaching at the Institute of Governance at the University of Ottawa, developing Green Hydro Energy projects, and lending his expertise to a diverse set of projects. He was an active member of several boards, including OCADU and MPAC, and wrote two books, Egerton Ryerson and His Times and Canadian Schools and Canadian Identity. 

Alf left a huge mark on everyone he met, whether by having a political debate, analyzing baseball statistics, sharing his varied taste in music, or discussing a recent book. He loved spending time at the cottage, traveling, and completing the expert level Sudoku. He was a beloved GrandAlf to his 7 grandchildren, who were such a source of joy in his life. He had a passion for knowledge and finding hidden gems, often introducing his family to new artists before they were well known, including Oasis, Coldplay and Billie Eilish. 

Alf was predeceased by his parents, Sara and Jacob, and brother Howard. He is survived by his wife, Sarah; children Michael (Erin), Rachel (Simon), and Hilary (Matthew); grandchildren Ada, Beatrice, and Hazel Chaiton-Murray, Jack and Poppy Sechiari, Jacob and Lilia Holtz; and sister Gail Buxbaum.

His Celebration of Life will be held on October 27th, 2024 at 1pm at the Garden Chapel of Tubman Funeral Homes located at 3440 Richmond Rd, Nepean, ON (between Bayshore and Baseline Rd).

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Ottawa General Hospital.