Duncan ‘Dunc’ Meyer dies at 93
by Carole Stimmell

Dunc open the IDA Drug Store at Balsam and Queen in 1946. At that time, drugs were delivered right to your home. While many local teens got their start in the working world doing bike deliveries for the store, for a long time Dunc’s morning delivery person was his father, Carl Meyer, who was known to children in the neighbourhood as the ‘gum man’ because he often gave them treats.

Meyer believed in advertising, but sometime his attempts didn’t go well. His daughter, Barbara Islam, recalls the time he rented two monkeys for a promotion in the store. After one of the primates escaped and generally raised havoc in the store, Meyer decided against ever using monkeys again.

The Meyer IDA did appear in a national TV ad campaign for IDA Pharmacies. However, the company hired the American actor Robert Young to play the pharmacist.

Meyer was extremely professional in the way he ran his business. His daughter recalls that when she started to work in the store, her father suggested that she call him “Mr. Meyer” at work.

“I still called him ‘Dad’ however,” she said.

When the pharmacy business became computerized, Meyer decide to modernize. However, one of his pharmacists, Mary Perry threatened to quit if he brought computers in. She didn't quit, but she didn’t speak to Meyer for about two years.

Islam said that he continue to read his professional journals to keep up with his profession right to the end. In fact when he went into the hospital, he advised the doctors on his medication and decided to stop treatment when the drugs were no longer working.

Meyer was also very active in the community. He was a member of the Toronto Beaches Lions Club and served as president from 1951 to 1952.

He was very active in his church, Calvary Baptist, and volunteered often at the Grace Pascoe food bank.

After he retired, Meyer’s practice was to read every newspaper he could get delivered every day, and he was still able to drive right to the end.

After Meyer retired, he and his wife Lorraine moved in with Barbara.

“I loved having him. He was my best friend,” she said.

He is survived by his wife of 70 years, Lorraine Whittem, his children – daughter Barbara, son Paul (Donna) and daughter-in-law Rosalba, five grandchildren – Christopher (Robin), Sarah, Stefanie, Katherine, David Houghton and Gisselle and two great grand-children – Lucus and Olivia.

His memorial service was held at Calvary Baptist on Feb. 20.