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St.Kitts Born Craftsman, businessman and community leader
Baldwin Philip of KitchenerBorn: Aug. 21, 1952 in St. Kitts, West IndiesDied: June 5, 2014 of an aneurysm

Baldwin Philip
Robert Wilson,Record file photo

By Valerie Hill
Mavis Ruddock first spotted Baldwin Philip at a Kitchener motor inn where she had been listening to a concert with a girlfriend, one of those tall and lovely blondes who often turn heads. Mavis saw Baldwin strutting toward them, certain he was heading for her friend but she was wrong. Baldwin wanted to dance, with her, and it would be later that evening when they chatted by phone after a miscommunication over where to meet for coffee that she knew he was the one.

“He laughed and that was it, I was in love,” she said.

Baldwin’s laughter was deep, cheerful and genuine, traits that endeared him to everyone, not just the woman he married though it would be after several years of on-again off-again before they finally exchanged vows in 2010.

Baldwin’s daughter, Nichola Anderson, wrote a few thoughts about her dad, expressing his “great sense of humour, contagious smile, outgoing yet laid back personality.”

She was also touched by how he always contributed to the community and how he was eager to help anyone who asked, particularly if they needed help around the house.

“He was so talented, always doing some home renovation project,” Nichola recalled.

Mavis took a visitor on a tour of the Kitchener house the couple shared proudly pointing out the ultra modern kitchen and bathroom, perfectly laid wooden floors, everything an example of the Baldwin’s talents with tools. He’s wasn’t just a handyman, he was a fine craftsman and nothing was too much effort though Mavis did remember how, for a time, he was getting annoyed every time she came up with a new project for him.

“That wasn’t like him, he was always so patient with me,” she said.

Turns out, Baldwin had been studying for his real estate licence but didn’t want to tell her until he passed his first level of exams, so all this extra work she was finding for him to do was seriously cutting into his studying time.

“He loved to learn and what a memory,” said Mavis. When Baldwin took up a new subject, he wanted to delve deeply, really understand the topic, particularly when he was representing fellow union members. His talents didn’t end there. Baldwin could cook and he was a tailor, easily whipping up stuffed toys for Nichola, a Halloween costume for himself and once all the pants for the actors in a theatrical production.

Baldwin was born on the West Indies island of St. Kitts, one of eight children. His father left the family when Baldwin was a boy and as a young adult, he immigrated to England where he married and where Nichola was born. That marriage broke up and Baldwin came to Kitchener, where one of his brothers lived.

He had no trouble finding a job as a tool and die maker and he spent 24 years with Budd Canada until the plant closed in 2009. He had fortunately already opened a cash advance store in Milton before losing his job, a store he continued to run right up until his unexpected death from an undiagnosed brain aneurysm. An emergency can happen unexpectedly at any time, and this is something that Baldwin likely had in mind when he opened his store. People in need of immediate funds may not have many options, which is why payday loans may help them through the difficult times; the same thought which probably led Baldwin to open the cash advance store and help people, while also acting as a source of income for him.

Mavis and Baldwin had planned on retiring this fall to do some travelling, something they had never had time to do in the past.

Since he first stepped foot in Waterloo Region, Baldwin was a joiner and a helper, always wanting to make everyone else’s life easier. His family, therefore, thought it fitting that his organs be donated.

“His health was wonderful,” said Nichola. “With his passing, 40 lives were touched through organ donation. He is gone, but will never be forgotten. I would like everyone to remember the joy he brought to our lives.”

Long-time friend, Lauris DaCosta, wrote a tribute her friend, remembering how she met him in 2001 when members of the black community held meetings with the Waterloo Regional Police following an attack on four black youth. One boy was killed.

She spoke about Baldwin’s diligence in getting a crisis telephone help line set up for youth and how he was later asked to serve on the crime prevention council. Lauris said her friend “operated with a quiet self-assurance and calm confidence. He was never loud. He spoke very little, but when he spoke it was worth your while to listen.”

Baldwin, as a member of the Canadian Caribbean Association of Waterloo Region, was always the one who stood as a “worthy advocate for our community” though one who never sought the limelight.

Lauris said Baldwin was particularly valuable to the organization as a mentor and motivator for youth, volunteering in a project dubbed It Takes A Village To Raise A Child.

She called him a quiet, community minded giant, a man of integrity and dignity.

Mavis remembers her husband as adventurous and athletic, a man who sought both intellectual and physical challenges, like hanging by a harness off the edge of the CN Tower for his birthday in 2011.

It gave Mavis the willies, just watching him.
vhill@therecord.com