When Rudy Noll and his wife Gaynor moved from East York to Scarborough on a cold January day in 1966, they were starting a new chapter. Immigrating from Germany in the 1950s, they called their neighbourhood “Scarberia” — a growing suburb with few paved roads and little nightlife. But for Rudy, Gaynor, and their young family, it was the perfect place to settle.

“We were just north of the General Hospital, and having a neighbourhood hospital made us feel safer and assured,” Rudy recalls.

SHN Becomes Part of Family Life

Over the decades, SHN became woven into the Nolls’ lives. Rudy, a trained typographer who later became Manager of Publications Ontario, faced his own health challenges, including multiple angioplasties. While some procedures were done downtown, his follow-up care was always at SHN.

“It wasn’t the building that attracted me — it was the people working there. I was always treated well,” he says.

A Timely Gift After Personal Loss

In 2016, Gaynor relied on SHN for lifesaving care. A timely angioplasty allowed her to enjoy one last Christmas with her family before she passed away the following January. These experiences inspired Rudy and Gaynor to include SHN in their Will, ensuring the hospital’s care continues for future generations.

A Legacy of Giving

“I encourage everyone to be charitable. It benefits everyone in a community,” Rudy says. “Have you ever been sick and in the hospital? Donate. Hospitals need our support now more than ever.”

Today, Rudy continues to give back both as a legacy donor and through volunteer work with Meals on Wheels. Driving past SHN’s General Hospital still brings back memories of that cold day in 1966, when he first arrived in Scarborough.

“There has been no better place to live than in Scarberia,” he says with a smile.

To learn more about leaving a gift in your Will, please visit our Gifts in Will page or contact Verna Chen at vchen@shn.ca.

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