CORNWALL, Ontario – A popular retired Cornwall teacher and long-time local historian has passed away.
Lyall Manson, who was a fixture at Central Public School in Cornwall for years, passed away Oct. 8 following a battle with Parkinson’s Disease.
He was 72.
Manson was remembered fondly by former student Jessica Campbell, who said he walked a “fine line” between respect and discipline, “but he was also a fun guy.
“He was the kind of teacher where if you asked ‘Can I got to the bathroom?’ he would say ‘I don’t know, can you?'”
Campbell added Manson treated his students as equals.
“He was repsectful,” she said. “There was an old 1980s Apple computer in the class, and he used to let us play on it.
“He did a lot of fun things like that.”
In addiiton to his time as a teacher Manson also helmed the Cornwall Genealogical Society as its president for years, while also spending time with the SD and G Historical Society and volunteering at the Cornwall Public Library.
“He was a local history buff and most knowledgeable local genealogist,” said friend Nick Cox.
Visitation will be held on Saturday from 9 to 10:45 a.m. The funeral will be held in the chapel of the Wilson Funeral Home, 822 Pitt Street, Cornwall on Saturday at 11 a.m.
