THE ADVOCATE 909
VOL. 79 PART 6 NOVEMBER 2021
Frederick William Hansford, Q.C.
On April 24, 2021, Fred Hansford, Q.C., age 67,
slipped away wrapped in the arms of his beloved
family: his wife of almost 45 years Laurel, sons Chris
(Tanya) and Doug, daughter Alison (Mike), and
grandchildren Brendan and Hannah. He leaves to
mourn his mother Patricia, sister Ann (Frank), inlaws
Sandy (Sally) and Jan (Eric), four nephews
(Keith, Colin, Justin and David), niece Roseanne, two great-nephews and a
great-niece. He was predeceased by his father, Frederick William Hansford.
Fred’s family will miss his wisdom, guidance, generosity, wit and
humour. He was forever humble about his life’s accomplishments, talents
and endeavours, preferring to let his empathy, generosity and kindness
guide his relationships and life. He was passionate about his family, his
extensive repertoire of pursuits, his profession and the wonder and beauty
of life. In all his professional and private endeavours, Fred strove to excel,
to live life to the fullest and to count and cherish his blessings—the most
important being his wife and their three children. He will be profoundly
missed, forever loved and always remembered.
Fred was born at Vancouver General Hospital on June 28, 1953 and
attended Sir Sandford Fleming Annex Elementary and John Oliver Secondary
School, where he excelled academically and learned to love, and
become proficient at, football, soccer and judo. An unwise ultimatum
issued by the school’s football coach led to the team resigning en masse and
morphing into the school’s rugby team, a sport that became one of his lifelong
passions. He was a fan of the New Zealand All Blacks and loved the
Canada Sevens in Vancouver. He also loved international soccer, closely following
the World Cup. In his youth, he was a competitive swimmer for the
Sunset Aquacats and, for a few years, the high school swim team. He was
one of the key ensemble actors in a comedic high school production giving
life and personality to the character “Eddie”. Throughout high school, Fred
sang baritone with several choirs and various choral ensembles under the
direction of the late Teo Repel. A particular highlight was the choral trip the
senior choir made to Llangollen, Wales to compete in a youth Eisteddfod.
His love of languages in high school was apparent with his effortless command
of Greek, Latin, French and Spanish. He enjoyed his “Reach for the
Top” experience. Fred was a prodigious reader for his entire life and his lit-