MAJOR (RET'D) TETSUO (TED) ITANI, C.M., O.M.M., C.D.

June 23, 1939 – Mar 22, 2021

With immense sorrow we announce the death of our beloved Ted, husband, father and grandfather, at the age of 81, victim of a tragic accident sustained while out running the evening of January 12/21. He survived 10 weeks in hospital but succumbed to multiple traumatic injuries and other underlying causes.

Ted’s journey began (born Sansei, 3^rd generation Japanese Canadian) in Ucluelet, B.C., son of Takeo Itani (commercial fisherman), and Sumako Oye. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Ted’s family was forcibly removed from their home, taking only the possessions they could carry. They were confined in primitive stables in Hastings Park, Vancouver, until months later when they were moved and incarcerated in a camp in East Lillooet on the Fraser River, 1942. Having lost their civil rights – though all were Canadian citizens – they remained in B.C.’s interior until after the end of the war. By then, their confiscated possessions had been sold off.

Ted’s later childhood was spent in Westbank, BC. As a young man, he began a 37-year career with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). He served with NATO in Europe on 3 separate assignments and held command, staff and instructional posts in Canada and abroad. He graduated from the Canadian Army Staff College, NATO Defense College in Rome, International Institute of Humanitarian Law, San Remo, Italy. He pursued language studies in French, Russian, Japanese, Arabic, Spanish, Italian, and German. Recently, he attended the Roméo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative at Dalhousie. Ted served as Commanding Officer of the 1^st Airborne Battery, Royal Canadian Artillery, of the Canadian Airborne Regiment (Edmonton 1972-74). UN missions included long periods in the Horn of Africa, Pakistan, Iran/Iraq, the former Yugoslavia. He held various jobs as Faculty Member, Peacekeeper and UN Monitor. He was awarded the Order of Military Merit in 1991, and in 2015 was appointed to the Order of Canada.

Ted made an early decision to commit himself to justice, peace and gender equality. He overcame adversity and prejudice, and with wisdom and humour, worked selflessly to help others. He had enormous inner strength, and no fear of making tough decisions. After retirement from the CAF (1994), he began a 26-year career in humanitarian aid work with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the International Federation of Red Cross Red Crescent Societies, and Canadian Red Cross (CRC). For 17 years, he took on various roles with the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre, helping to design and deliver training courses conducted around the world. In 1995 he supported efforts to negotiate a mine-ban convention, which came to fruition in the 1997 Ottawa Treaty. He worked for the ICRC until 2004, including a 2 ½-year mission in Central Asia, based in Tashkent, his territory covering Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan and Turkmenistan. In Geneva, he worked on the Missing People Project, and as advisor on International Humanitarian Law and diplomacy. With the Canadian Red Cross, he led responses to natural disasters including Sri Lanka and Indonesia following the 2004 tsunami; 2005-06 earthquake relief in Pakistan; Operations Coordinator with Pakistan Red Crescent Society in Baluchistan (2008 earthquake); and Pakistan during the 2010 floods. He worked for the US State Department Global Peace Operations Initiative as Subject Matter Expert and threw his energy into his work, whether it was classroom or field. He left his mark in many places, including Haiti, Bangladesh, Nepal, the Philippines, Indonesia, Mongolia. In his last years he was a committed Red Cross mentor and Volunteer. To quote a colleague: “He was dignified, respectful of people and honourable.”

Ted and Frances eloped in Montreal in 1967 and moved about Canada and the world together, including 3 years in Heidelberg, Germany, while working and raising Russell and Sam. Ted is deeply mourned by his loving wife of 53 years, Frances Susan Itani in Ottawa ON. He was a steady and gentle guiding presence for his children and grandchildren: son, Russell James Satoshi Itani (Aileen), and granddaughter Frances Michiko Itani, Copenhagen, DK; and daughter, Samantha Leiko Itani (Paul), and granddaughters Campbell Itani Smith and Tate Itani Smith, Lindsay, ON. Ted is survived by sister, Nancy Teruko Minato (Dick), and brother, Bing Tsuyoshi Itani (predeceased by Carol).  Siblings who predeceased him: Tom Taketoshi Itani (Beryl), Linda Teruyo Terai (Isao), Anne Terumi Murata (Kazuya), and Violet Toyoko Itani. Ted is loved and respected by cousins, nieces and nephews, and mourned by colleagues and friends around the world. He was a lifetime runner and completed many marathons, including the original route in Greece, and the Boston Marathon. He will be missed by his running partners, and by his fishing buddies in PEI.

Ted’s wishes were to be cremated. When it is safe to do so, a Memorial Gathering will be held for Family, Friends and Colleagues at Beechwood, Funeral, Cemetery and Cremation Services, 280 Beechwood Avenue, Ottawa, ON. Please visit www.beechwoodottawa.ca for further details to be announced.

In lieu of flowers, a donation could be made in Ted’s name to the Canadian Red Cross, International Disaster Relief Fund (redcross.ca/donate; or by calling 1-800-418-1111; or by cheque indicating ‘IDRF’ to National Processing Centre, P.O. Box 39, Saint John, NB. E2L 3X3.