14 - The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday August 23, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com Ron MacLean's Olympics cut short by mother's death By Tina Depko OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Ron MacLean returned to Oakville on Thursday evening from Beijing, but it wasn't the Olympics that was on his mind. Although he had been the prime time anchor for the Games on CBC for close to two weeks, it was memories of his beloved mother, Lila MacLean, that occupied his thoughts. Lila, 82, passed away Wednesday following a courageous year-long fight against pancreatic cancer. She and husband, Ron Sr., 86, moved to Oakville from Calgary four years ago to be closer to their only child. MacLean fondly recalled his mother in an interview with The Oakville Beaver on Friday. "She had a butterfly mind and a great sense of humour," said MacLean. "She wasn't really a sports woman, she was really interested in politics." MacLean, 48, grew up under his parents' watchful eye in Red Deer, Alta. He said his most vivid memories of his mom are dinnertimes he spent with his parents. "We didn't make dinnertime a set thing every night, but when we sat around having a glass of wine and talking, that's the image that sticks with me and what a great conversationalist she was," he said. Lila MacLean He said she would apologize for not giving MacLean any siblings to play with, but that didn't bother him in the least. "She would always say, `I feel bad there's not 10 of us sitting around at Christmas dinner,' but I always felt lucky it was just me and I had their undivided attention and adult conversation from the time I was old enough to remember," MacLean said. He was reminded of his close-knit family while in Beijing. "It was funny being in China with their one-child policy," he said. "Every family unit had one child, like my family, so that was a neat thing during my Olympic journey." MacLean said that despite her illness, Lila wanted him to go to China to cover the Olympics. "Both mom and dad have military Ron MacLean backgrounds, so we were comfortable with duty and we all agreed I would do the Games," he said. "The feeling when I left on July 30 was that mom would be fine, but breaking her hip on Aug. 7 changed everything." Lila's fall forced her to be hospitalized. Despite his mother's deteriorating condition in the back of his mind, MacLean said the excitement of the Games and dedication of athletes, particularly those representing our country, allowed him to focus on his job, reminding him of his passion for his career. "I liken it to being a referee in hockey, which I did for 23 years, where you have to keep your eye on the puck and the play, so in this case, my work," he said. "You're really locked into it as a sports fan. You can't help but be impressed by Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps, but I'm actually one of those who is moved more by effort than the win. I like the battle." MacLean was provided with regular updates from home and was already planning to return to Canada before the end of the Games. "I knew things were going badly on the 19th, so I was booked to fly home early regardless, but she died the day I was supposed to fly home," he said. As a broadcasting legend with a solid following through programs like Hockey Night in Canada and previous Olympic coverage, MacLean's close connection with his viewers led him to announce his mother's passing and his subsequent departure from the Games on air. "I don't want to jar you with this news," he told CBC viewers late Wednesday. "But I just got the word about my mom, who is 82 years old. Succumbed to pancreatic cancer. Mom's condition has been tough for about a year now. But she broke her hip on the eve of the opening ceremony and, if you know anything about cancer, once that trauma was added to the weight of her circumstance, it was a very difficult last 14 days." MacLean said his family is pulling together to cope with the sad event. He said his father, who is in good health, is doing well emotionally. "There is some sadness, but there is a release because they went through this fight together," he said. "My dad is remarkable. My wife, Cari, said she sees now that my strength through ordeals comes from him. He's really good in moments of crisis. That is his gift." MacLean said Friday he hadn't had an opportunity to tune into the Olympics, but said he heard about Adam van Koeverden's disappointing eighth-place finish in Friday's K-1 1,000-metre final. He said his thoughts and hopes were with the kayaker for Saturday's final of the K-1 500m. "I heard about Adam, but Catriona Le May Doan had the exact same thing happen in Salt Lake City in a semifinal where she thought, `What the heck just happened?' But she bounced back and I'm confident Adam will have a great 500," he said. Among the many things he is grateful to his mother for is the encouragement to follow his heart. "Mom wasn't stuck on achievement in the generic sense," he said. "Her successes were a lot more on the spiritual side than the financial or career side. I always wonder whatever allowed them to let me be a disc jockey, which is what I started out as. She was always very supportive of me." A private funeral for Lila MacLean is scheduled for Tuesday.