It is with heavy hearts that we share news of the passing of long time Athletics Ontario (AO) employee, Bernard (Bernie) Eckler. He passed on Sunday, January 19, at Toronto General Hospital.

Bernie worked very closely with John Craig in his time with AO and he will be deeply missed. He worked on many special projects for the Ontario Track and Field Association (OTFA – as it was known prior to the Athletics Ontario rebrand). Some of his projects included the TIMEX Ontario Road Running Series, catalogued digital and hard copy photographs of athletes, supporting events such as the Toronto Marathon, and managed equipment rentals.

One would be hard-pressed to find Bernie wearing long pants (as opposed to shorts), apart from maybe December, January and February. He could, and would, find humour in almost any situation.

We want to send our deepest condolences to his friends and family.

Further details will be shared at a later date.