Long-time treasurer and co-founder of the Long Branch BIA, Phillip Barker, is remembered as a kind and generous man who was passionate about his community.

A virtual tribute organized by Jay Llave was held on December 16 as about 40 of Barker’s friends, family and business acquaintances celebrated his life, and his many accomplishments, namely in helping to equip two schools for poor students in the Philippines.

The well-known owner of Lakeshore Accounting, at 3421 Lake Shore Blvd. W., passed away on May 6. He was 74.

“He helped many people over the years,” recalled his daughter, Katy. “I was fortunate to have him and to see all that he accomplished in his life is amazing.”

She said her father “touched and helped to change the lives of many over the years.”

“Phillip was a man of integrity,” Carl Porritt, of Royal LePage Porritt Real Estate, told the group. “We will miss him.”

His wife, Liz Porritt, pointed out that she and Phillip were co-founders of the Long Branch Business Improvement Association (BIA), and he served as treasurer for 33 years.

“He was very passionate about the Lake Shore,” Liz noted. “He was very passionate about keeping angled parking at a time when the city wanted straight parking spots.”

Virginia Lyons, who knew Phillip since Grade 4, described him as a “great guy who was a very funny human being and was very proud of the community.”

Long-time friend Leslie Nurse recalled that Phillip helped him land one of his first jobs working alongside him as a ‘fountain boy’ for the then Chicken Picken restaurant chain decades ago.

“It was in the 60s and we would make the sodas, sundaes and cut the pies for the customers,” Nurse said. “We had a lot of fun and he was quite a guy.”

Barker was born and raised in Mimico, where, he attended Mimico High School and then Humber College to study accounting.

He was a founder and director of the Lakeshore Charitable Foundation, which sponsored two schools in the Philippines. He visited that country about a dozen times and was responsible of collecting and shipping dozens of containers filled with books, clothes, food, computers, printers and other gear to help the children.

The foundation had sponsored the Rizal Public National High School and BayBay Central School for more than 12-years. He was in the process of travelling there for an awards celebration before COVID-19 halted the trip.

He is missed by hundreds of children at the schools and the families there who loved him.

Phillip is survived by brother, Bill, four nieces and daughter, Katy; described as the love of his life.