Dear editor:

I read with shock the news of Kekoo Gatta’s drowning death in the Sept. 5 edition of The Lake Report.

Kekoo was a volunteer, business leader, philanthropist, family patriarch and valued member of this community.

In his business, Gatta Homes, Kekoo respected the rules, setting himself apart from some of the other developers in NOTL.

He took pride in building quality family homes. He valued the heritage of the region and was a community builder, not just a developer concerned with maximizing profits above all else.

He was a generous donor to the Niagara-on-the-Lake Museum and other community institutions. He did his giving quietly, without fanfare and expected nothing in return.

I met him on a few occasions. The first time was at a function at the NOTL Museum, where I am an active member.

We talked about fishing for salmon and he told me about his friend who couldn’t afford his own boat but would borrow Kekoo’s to fish on Lake Ontario.

I mentioned how much my wife and I enjoyed eating fish and the next day he and his wife showed up at our door with five pounds of fresh salmon his friend had caught.

My heart goes out to the Gatta family. Your grief is unimaginable but hopefully you can take solace in the legacy Kekoo has left behind. He will be missed.

Stewart Hall
NOTL