Gordon W. Riehl

Gordon William Riehl, 94, died from cardiovascular disease on Dec. 1, 2019. He was born on Jan. 16, 1925 in Stratford, Ontario to William H. and Theresa Riehl. He was predeceased by his brother, Murray; wife, Barbara; and son, Ian.

He is survived by his daughter, Deborah Gregus; son, Hugh; stepdaughters, Deborah Gray and Susan Gray; grandchildren, Cindy (Gregus) Barwick, Sandra Gregus, Scott Gregus and Steven Gregus, and great-granddaughter, Jillian Barwick.

Qualified as a Chartered Accountant, he started a public accounting firm and specialized in taxation with partner Burt Waters. In 1965, the public accounting firm merged with Deloitte Haskins and Sells, currently Deloitte, in Toronto. He was appointed National Tax Partner in 1976, remaining in that position until his retirement as a senior partner in 1987. He continued in a consulting role until 1990.

During his time at Deloitte Haskins and Sells, Gordon contributed a weekly column (“Taxation”) in the Globe and Mail for 11 years, served as a member of the Revenue Taxation Advisory Committee, and chairman of the Board of Governors of the Canadian Tax Foundation.

An active member and contributor to numerous community organizations, Gordon served as president of the Canadian Club of Toronto and vice-chairman of the founding board of Durham College, later serving as chairman.

His interest and commitment to the Chamber of Commerce included service as president of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Toronto, member of the board of directors of both the Ontario and Canadian Chambers of Commerce, and member of the Joint Committee of the US-Canadian Chambers of Commerce.

Gordon and Barbara enjoyed cruising in their boat, “Moonbeam,” on the Great Lakes, Ontario’s many waterways and the St. Lawrence. As he noted, Gordon failed to become a good golfer but was rewarded with a hole-in-one.

Upon his full retirement in 1990, Gordon and Barbara moved to Arizona. They had homes in Fountain Hills and Prescott, eventually settling permanently in Fountain Hills. Their last years were spent in Fountain View Village, a retirement facility in Fountain Hills.

At his request, there will be no services.