The Hon. David Onley, Ontario’s 28th lieutenant-governor, died this week at the age of 72. He is survived by his wife, gospel singer Ruth Ann (Wallace), and their sons Jonathan, Robert, and Michael. After contracting polio in early childhood, Onley underwent intensive physiotherapy which allowed him to walk with the aid of leg braces and canes or crutches, but he usually preferred to get around using an electric scooter.
Onley started his broadcasting career in radio and then joined Citytv in 1984, serving as a weather reporter, news anchor, and education correspondent. Appointed lieutenant-governor in 2007, he remained in post until 2014, the third-longest tenure in the province’s history. While in office, he returned to TV with a cameo as his predecessor Oliver Mowat in a 2013 episode of Murdoch Mysteries.
