Losing his job at Toronto Island Airport was a major setback for Reggie.

More than a decade after studying avionics, he had finally found his way back into the aviation industry. When that opportunity disappeared, he once again had to find another way to support himself.

My father remembered this as a particularly difficult period:

“It was just downhill and hardships from then on for him and us, especially his mother. There were many long and soulful calls.”

Finding Another Direction

After losing the airport job, Reggie remained in Ontario and had to find another direction. His criminal record could make employment more difficult, and our parents remembered this as a period of considerable uncertainty.

My father recalled many long telephone calls home and the difficulties Reggie faced trying to establish himself:

“It was just downhill and hardships from then on for him and us, especially his mother. There were many long and soulful calls.”

Documents we have since found provide a fuller picture of Reggie’s working life during these years. Rather than simply moving from one unsuccessful job to another, Reggie eventually established himself in advertising sales.

By 2003, he was working for Phone Directories Company. He later moved to Metroland, where he worked in directory advertising and specialty publications. In a 2005 job application, Reggie described spending most of the previous four years working in Ontario, primarily in advertising sales.

Financial difficulties remained, and at times our family helped him. My father later summarized how Reggie’s life appeared to him during this period:

“He just existed.”

Looking back with the additional records we now have, the picture was more complicated. Reggie was struggling in some parts of his life, but he was also continuing to work, support himself and look for opportunities.