Bernard Feehan revered for his sense of justice

Retired judge and dutiful Catholic died at 78

- photo supplied Retired Judge Bernard Feehan's warm embrace reflects his love for life, Church and humanity.

By ALICIA AMBROSIO
WCR Staff Writer
Edmonton

Bernard Feehan will be remembered as an outstanding judge and a feisty father with a fine sense of humour.

Feehan, a retired judge and former Catholic school board trustee, died Jan. 23 in Edmonton. He was 78.

Feehan served three terms on the school board in the 1960s, practised law for 20 years, and in 1973 was appointed a justice of the Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta. He was also actively involved with many Church groups and other community organizations.

Chief Justice Allan Wachowich of the Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta knew Feehan for 40 years and told the WCR, "He was a stalwart when it came to what his faith meant. He was prayerful but not dominated by a religious fervour. He understood his faith well and what his obligations were because of his faith and led by his example."

Feisty Irish

Wachowich recalled Feehan was "feisty" as a lawyer, "he had that feisty, Irish 'if you want me to fight I'll fight' attitude," yet as a judge was empathetic and kind, "He was an outstanding judge."

Rosanna Saccomani, a lawyer and past president of the St. Thomas More Lawyer's Guild remembers Feehan as "a warm individual with a sense of humour and a common touch." Saccomani first met Feehan as a law student and later appeared before him several times in criminal and civil cases.

"You knew the cause of justice was well served when he was adjudicating," she said.

This helped him win the St. Thomas More Lawyer's Guild Award of Merit in 1995.

Robin Hood

His son, Kevin Feehan, the eldest of seven children, said Dad was always looking for ways to help the underdog. As a young man in Saskatoon, his father worked at the Four X Bakeries on the bread-wrapping machine.

Four X had two kinds of bread - the Standard loaf, which cost seven cents and the Toastmaster loaf, which cost nine cents. Sometimes he would wrap a Toastmaster loaf twice, with the original wrapping re-covered with the Standard wrap so that the lucky buyer would buy the seven cent loaf only to be happily surprised to find within it the nine cent loaf, he said.

He also said his father had a healthy sense of humour. "Dad always had a smile on his face, a twinkle in his eye, and a trick up his sleeve. The world was an entertaining stage for his quick wit, foolish humour and love of life."

Ted Feehan, the youngest of the Feehan children, said of his father's sense of humour: "Right to the end, he never lost his tremendous sense of humor. If you were to ask him in the hospital if you could get him anything he would tell you yes - a Cadillac.

Kevin Feehan said, "A few weeks before he died, I asked him if he could do anything over again, what he would do differently. He said, 'I would do it all again, all the same. God gave me a wonderful life, and I wouldn't change a moment of it!'"

Saskatoon born

Bernard Feehan was born Feb. 11, 1929 in Saskatoon, the fourth of five children of Edward Feehan, the first superintendent of Catholic schools in Saskatoon, and Josephine Grattan, a teacher and community activist.

He is survived by his wife, Kay, and their seven children, Kevin (Mona-Lee Brophy), Gregory (Lynne Terriff), Sheila (Kerry Wiebe), Kathy (Brad Johnson) of Cincinnati, Richard (Kathaleen Quinn), Maggi, and Ted (Leslie White).

He is also survived by his sister Marie and 19 grandchilden. He was predeceased by three brothers, Father Leo (1971), Ned (1986) and Father Grattan (2006).

"When he passed away last Wednesday afternoon, the whole family gathered around his hospital bed and said prayers as a family. We then opened a bottle of Irish whiskey and toasted the best husband, father, and grandfather we could ever ask for," Kevin Feehan said.

A Mass of Christian Burial was held Jan 29 at St. Joseph's Basilica.

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