Prominent Kingston lawyer remembered as devoted father, athlete

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Kingston’s legal and athletics communities are mourning the sudden loss of a local criminal defence lawyer, triathlete and father.

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Kevin Dunbar, called to the bar in 2009, has been described by his closest friends as an incredibly kind person, a devoted father and a lawyer who always found a way to connect with his clients.

“He’s the guy who jumps in when there’s a crunch. He’s the best friend you could have, the most helpful colleague. … Everyone says things like this when someone dies, but this is the truth about this guy,” Sean Ellacott said Monday afternoon.

“He and Liz had built this great little family unit. He loved her and his kids so much. He was highly valued by friends and colleagues for all the different things he did. They’re sort of showing that now because there are more people willing to help at this point than is even possible to assign things to …  the outpouring has been unbelievable.”

Dunbar, husband to Liz and father to Maggie and Ciara, died suddenly of heart-related issues at home on Sunday morning. He was 47.

In addition to numerous local lawyers reaching out to help wind down Dunbar’s private practice, tributes to the Brockville native have been posted online.

Youth Diversion called him a strong supporter of their efforts, and the John Howard Society said he was an integral part of the Kingston defence bar.

“(He was) a fierce advocate for his clients,” the society wrote online. “His presence in court will be missed and our thoughts are with his family during this tragic time.”

Dunbar was president of the Kingston Criminal Defence Lawyers’ Association. Ellacott, also a criminal defence attorney who shared office space with Dunbar, said his friend was always able to connect with his clients despite the situation they were in.

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“He was a super kind lawyer; he’s actually a very gentle guy,” Ellacott said. “He was caring, and he seemed to have a fairly easy way with people who had hit some troubles in their lives. I think he was quite good at caring about their needs, and he was interpersonally good with people who were suffering from their own issues in their lives.”

Fellow criminal lawyer and federal Crown Jordan Tekenos-Levy explained Dunbar handled cases from Belleville to Brockville, and it was almost as if he was always at court. He said Dunbar’s clients were keen to put on the record that he was their lawyer.

“‘My lawyer is Kevin Dunbar. He’ll be here,’ and Kevin would surely show up,” Tekenos-Levy said. “He was always a professional, dealing with the Crown, dealing with the judge, dealing with problematic or clients with mental health issues. He was just a wizard at bringing people down to earth and helping them realize the objectives were in the circumstances.”

Dunbar was also an elite athlete who competed in running events nearly all his life.

Kingston Road Runners Association president Lana Saunders explained that Dunbar has been involved in the running community for almost 20 years. On Saturday, he had volunteered by certifying the new Limestone Mile race course.

“Proud to wear the KRRA singlet, Kevin was a fierce competitor, an amazing athlete and a friend to all,” Saunders wrote on Facebook. “Kevin will be fondly remembered by the KRRA as a truly humble person, devoted father and husband, and an encouraging friend to so many of us.”

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Last December, Dunbar spoke of his life and running journey at the association’s annual general meeting.

Son to Irish immigrants Tony and Eithne Dunbar, Kevin attended Thousand Islands Secondary School, where he competed on the track team, excelling in the 800- and 1,500-metre races. He explained in his speech that he earned a scholarship to the University of Minnesota, where he competed for nearly four years but left without graduating and moving back home to Brockville, then eventually Kingston. He would later graduate with a bachelor of arts from the university and after a few years in the hospitality industry, he applied to Queen’s Law School. He was accepted and competed on the Gaels cross-country team. At 30, the “Silver Fox” ran at the national championship and the indoor national championship.

During this time, Dunbar explained that personal struggles plagued him, but asking for help is what got him through.

“You never know who you might be inspiring, who might see you and try to make a change in their life, just by you putting those shoes on and jogging out the door,” Dunbar wrote in his speech.

On Strava, an online application used to track and share physical activity, he logged a 14-kilometre run on the K&P Trail in Sydenham on Saturday.

“Trailing running is better with friends,” he entitled the run.

He also logged a 1,942-metre lake swim and a 51-kilometre bicycle ride that day. While the app may not have all of Dunbar’s personal bests, of the ones he did record, his best marathon time was two hours 49 minutes 35 seconds, his best half-marathon was in 1:20:28, and his best one-kilometre run was just 2:12.

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This year alone, Dunbar logged 888.7 kilometres of running, 35,779 kilometres of cycling, and 8,588 metres of swimming. He had finished the Boston Marathon in 3:09:59 and planned to compete again in a half Ironman duathlon at Mont Tremblant at the end of this month.

But his athletic feats were not his crowning achievements, his friends urged. His family was always his top priority. Ellacott said the family of four was always together and always travelled together.

“Super tight,” Ellacott said of the family. “He just loved his kids.”

A GoFundMe campaign has been established to support Dunbar’s wife, Liz, and daughters Ciara and Maggie. It can be found by visiting www.gofundme.com/f/kevin-dunbar.

Funeral arrangements are being planned for later this week at Wartman Funeral Home and St. Joseph’s Church.

scrosier@postmedia.com

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