Obituary

 

It is with love and sadness that we announce the passing of Michael Jan Hare, peacefully with family in the early morning of June 4. He is pre-deceased by his wife of nearly 50 years, Marion (nee Stone) and is remembered by his family; his son Gregory (Catherine), his daughters Melanie (David), and Kim Fletcher (Scott) and four amazing grandchildren Natasha, Alexander, Oliver and Oscar.

Michael led a fulfilling and productive life for over 92 years, full of love, generosity and companionship. We were grateful to recently celebrate his 92nd birthday with friends and family singing and dancing to calypso music, including his favourite “Yellow Bird”.

Michael joined the Department of Political Economy (now Economics) at the University of Toronto after completing graduate training at the Massachusetts Institute for Technology (MIT), completing 50 years of teaching at the age of 80. His impact as an educator was profound and he was honored by University of Toronto’s President David Naylor as a Master Educator in 2011. Michael would often reflect that some of his lectures were “not up to standard”. However, he was touched when, remarkably, he was given end-of-class ovations even into his 50th year of teaching. Perhaps one of the most profound statements about his impact was from a former student who stated “Michael Hare taught me how to think”.

In addition to his role as an exceptional educator, he was also an amazing and caring husband, father and grandfather. We all learned from his kindness, compassion and great appreciation for all that life had to offer.

We would like to acknowledge the kind, exceptional and sustained care he had from so many wonderful caregivers at St. Michael’s Hospital, Princess Margaret Hospital, Hennick Bridgepoint Hospital and Kensington Gardens.

Service at Trinity College Chapel, (6 Hoskin Ave, Toronto) on Monday June 9th 2025 at 3 pm with reception to follow at 4 pm Seeley Hall, Trinity College.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution to the Michael J Hare Award at Trinity College, University of Toronto.

Trinity College Donation Page

416-978-4071

Visitation

Service

Date
June 09, 2025
Location
Trinity College Chapel University of Toronto
Time
03:00 PM
Memo

A reception will follow the service in Seeley Hall from 4:00 to 6:00pm

Cremation

*

June 08, 2025
Lawrence Schembri
Dear Family of Professor Michael J. Hare, Please accept my sincere condolences for the loss of your father and grandfather. He was a remarkable man and I am sure you will miss his thoughtful, kind, and caring nature. In his lectures, he always used his children’s names as examples. Professor Hare had a transformative impact on my life, and he undoubtedly had a positive impact on the lives of many other students over the course of his extraordinary 50-year career at the University of Toronto. He was a superb teacher and always showed a genuine interest in the welfare of his students. Professor Hare was the main reason I became an economist. I took his first-year economics course and his intuitive approach to teaching economics clearly demonstrated the powerful insights and elegance of economic theory and its important implications for public policy. And I loved it! He mentored me through my undergraduate years, employed me as a research and teaching assistant, and guided me to doing my PhD at MIT. He was very kind towards me and I will be forever grateful. I have always tried to repay my large debt to him by striving to treat my own students and colleagues in a similar manner. I very much regret that I will be unable to attend the memorial service for him on June 9 because of a pre-arranged travel commitment, but my thoughts will be with you. With deepest sympathies, Lawrence (Larry) Schembri Trinity College UofT B.Com. 1979 Deputy Governor, Bank of Canada, 2013-22.
June 08, 2025
Peter Kopplin
Dear Greg, Melanie, and Kim My sympathy to your family. I enjoyed my many interactions with your Dad over the years. Peter Kopplin
June 06, 2025
Rob Blagojevic
My sincerest condolences to the family. I enjoyed my chats with Michael, and I always looked forward to seeing him and hearing his thoughts about the markets and the economy. He will be missed! Rob