<div itemprop="description">It is with great sadness and sorrow that we inform you of the passing of Peter at the age of 77 on December 3, 2024 of complications following a stroke. <br> <br>A resident of Beaconsfield for many years, Peter was born in Worcester, England to Randolph (Roy) and Mabel (née Heath) Bender and is survived by his life partner Cathie Onnasch, brother Eric (Patricia), sister-in-law Nancy, niece Jennifer (Patrice), nephews Chris (Andrea), Ryan (Christine), Daniel (Megan) and Alex, 10 grandnieces and grandnephews as well as cousins in the UK and the USA. In addition, Peter is survived by Cathie’s family including her nieces and nephews who loved him dearly. Peter was predeceased by his parents and his beloved identical twin brother Richard. <br> <br>Peter came to Canada at the age of 4 and grew up in Montreal graduating from McGill University. He played football for McGill and was a very proud member of the 1969 “Mooneymen” championship team recently inducted into the McGill Sports Hall of Fame. He later went on to earn a Ph.D. in Psychology from Florida State University. <br> <br>“Professor Bender” was an original faculty member at John Abbott College when it opened in 1971 and taught generations of students there in the Psychology Department until his retirement earlier this year as professor emeritus. He also coached the men’s hockey team at JAC and for several years coached hockey professionally in Italy and the UK as well as at Concordia University more recently. In addition, he served as a Sports Psychologist for teams competing at the 1984 (Los Angeles) and 2008 (Beijing) Summer Olympics. <br> <br>“Uncle Pete” will be especially missed by the young people in his family and the children of friends for whom he always went the extra mile, with the warmest of hearts and a twinkle in his eyes. A special thank you to the staff at the Jewish General Hospital who provided superb care to Peter during his four month stay there. <br> <br>In lieu of flowers, please consider making a contribution in Peter’s memory to the John Abbott College Foundation or the Jewish General Hospital Foundation. <br> <br>The Celebration of Life service will be available to view via livestream at : https://funeraweb.tv/en/diffusions/100651 <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br></div>
