Former Newmarket-Aurora MPP Chris Ballard remembers Cathy Gapp as a valuable person to have in your corner.
Gapp managed the campaign that would see Ballard elected for the Liberal Party in 2014, and she would go on to work for the province's Liberal government, serving in the health and long-term care ministries.
Local residents, as well as Liberals from across the province, are mourning the loss of Gapp, who passed away suddenly at Southlake Regional Health Centre April 17. For Ballard, Gapp was a longtime friend for about three decades, as they were both active in local Liberal associations.
Born and raised in Newmarket, Gapp was a longtime fixture in the local political scene for the Liberal Party. She served as the Newmarket-Aurora provincial riding association leader for a time, spent decades volunteering for the party and was a senior policy adviser and chief of staff for the Ontario health minister.
“Cathy had an abundance of patience, of tolerance, of caring,” Ballard said. “She was also very, very smart and had a very astute and sharp political mind … She could break things down and come up with real good solutions.”
He recalled what a calming presence she could be.
“Just with a look, she could either put me in my place or calm me down,” Ballard recounted about his time in office. “When Cathy would give me the look, and it was ‘calm down, take a deep breath’ … I don’t know how you replace someone like her in your life.”
Ballard said the party has a deep sense of sadness about the passing.
“She’s irreplaceable, as far as I’m concerned,” he said. “I’ll miss her friendship and I’ll miss her good counsel in the years ahead. I will always appreciate what she did for me.”
New Tecumseth–Gwillimbury Liberal riding association chair Gloria Mckeigan also knew Gapp, having lived in the riding for a long time.
She said the passing came as a shock.
“Just very dedicated,” Mckeigan said of Gapp. “We’re all very, very sad …. We’re talking with decades, that’s a long time. You don’t often find that.”
Ontario Liberal Party president Kathryn McGarry said the loss is keenly felt by the party. McGarry recounted the many roles Gapp served, from local campaigns to constituency offices to a policy adviser in government.
“She had a strong sense of community and the underdog,” McGarry said. “Her wise counsel, deep experience and caring for others will be much missed by so many.
“A true Grit,” McGarry added.
But Gapp did serve other roles beyond the political world. She also worked with the Royal Canadian Legion, with her father a veteran of the Second World War. She was also a policy adviser for the Canadian Cancer Society and Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical.
Gapp graduated from Huron Heights Secondary School, and graduated with a degree in political science from the University of Toronto.
She was the wife of John Kennedy for 12 years, and is survived by her mother, Shirley Gapp, sister Lynda and brother-in-law Murray, niece Jenifer and nephew Brandon.
A celebration of Gapp's life will be held at the Aurora Legion, 105 Industrial Pkwy. N, on June 2, from 1 to 5 p.m.
Her obituary said in lieu of flowers, you can make donations to the Canadian Diabetes Association.
