"CON" 2003 Obituary

CONACHER  CONGDON  CONIBEAR  CONKLIN  CONNOR  CONNORS  CONOVER  CONRAN  CONROY  CONVERSE  CONWAY 

CONACHER o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-03-21 published
BEAN, Susanne Duff (née WILSON)
Born May 11, 1936, Susanne died peacefully at the K-W Health Centre of Grand River Hospital on Tuesday, March 18, 2003.
Beloved mother of Elizabeth Louise and Geoffrey Alexander. Cherished sister of Judi CONACHER (Lionel.) Devoted Aunt of Lionel (Joannie,) Duff and Bryce (Trish) CONACHER and Mary, Tupper (Emma) and Bryan BEAN and sadly missed by their mother Bonnie BEAN and their father Donald (Irene) BEAN.
Susanne is predeceased by her parents Bea and Fin WILSON.
She will be fondly remembered by her many, many, many Friends.
A private family service and cremation were held. A celebration of Susanne's life will be held at Trinity United Church, 74 Frederick Street, Kitchener on Friday May 9, 2003 at 11 a.m.
The family would like to thank all of Susanne's doctors and the nursing staff of 6B Oncology at Grand River Hospital for their care and compassion.
In lieu of flowers, donations made to Trinity United Church, Kitchener and Waterloo Community Foundation or Canadian Cancer Society would be appreciated by the family and may be arranged by contacting the Edward R. Good Funeral Home, Waterloo at (519) 745-8445 or www.edwardrgood.com

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CONACHER o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-06-26 published
Died This Day -- Harvey JACKSON, 1966
Thursday, June 26, 2003 - Page R9
Hockey player born on August 19, 1911; left-winger played with the Toronto Marlboros as a junior; 1930, joined Toronto Maple Leafs; formed famous Kid Line with Charlie CONACHER and Joe PRIMEAU five-time all-star; 1932, member of Stanley Cup-winning team 1932-33, led National Hockey League in scoring.

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CONACHER o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-12-12 published
'Galloping Ghost' of Canadian football made five halls of fame
By Randy RAY, Special▼ to The Globe and Mail Friday, December 12, 2003 - Page R17
Ottawa -- If Gordon PERRY had one regret following his illustrious career in Canadian sports, it's that he never competed as a sprinter in the Olympics.
A glance at the Moncton native's résumé clearly shows why he never ran for Canada at the Games: He didn't have time.
Mr. PERRY, who died in Ottawa on September 18 at the age of 100, competed successfully in seven sports. His extraordinary feats earned him a place in five Canadian sports halls of fame: Canadian Football Hall of Fame, Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, Quebec Sports Hall of Fame, New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame and Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame.
Friends and colleagues have compared him to Canada's Lionel CONACHER, who played hockey and football, and American Deion SANDERS who was both a baseball and football player. Mr. PERRY, however, excelled in football, baseball, hockey, boxing, track and field, curling and swimming.
As a kid, "all he ever wanted to do was play sports," says his son Gordon PERRY Jr. of Ottawa. "It seemed like he always had a baseball glove on his hand or skates on his feet. And he could run like a deer." Born of Welsh ancestry in Moncton on March 18, 1903, Mr. PERRY went to school in Moncton and Quebec City. His father Harry, was a composer and musician who played the organ at a church in Quebec City.
Mr. PERRY, who began his working career in banking and stocks in Carleton Place, Ontario, boxed as an amateur in Quebec City and was a goaltender in the Bankers' Hockey League, a highly competitive loop in the 1920s and '30s that played at the Montreal Forum. As a sprinter, Mr. PERRY posted times of 10 seconds and under for 100 yards.
But he's best known for his role as captain of the undefeated Montreal Amateur Athletic Association Winged Wheelers that beat the Regina Roughriders 22-0 in the 1931 Grey Cup game. Small and quick, and standing at just at five foot eight and 165 pounds, PERRY was nicknamed the "Galloping Ghost" because of his elusiveness.
He was a four-time Eastern all-star in the Canadian Rugby Union, precursor to today's Canadian Football League. In 1931, he won the Jeff Russel Trophy as the player who best combined athletic ability with sportsmanship. Sir Edward BEATTY, president of the Canadian Pacific Rail, awarded PERRY the trophy, which earned him $200 on top of his football salary of $1,200.
From 1928 to 1934, the Wheelers squad was built around Mr. PERRY.
"I played both ways," he told The Ottawa Citizen on the eve of his 100th birthday. "I didn't often sit down, that's for sure." He once told the Montreal Gazette the secret to his success against bigger men was that "You can run like hell when you're scared." There was one time, however, when Mr. PERRY couldn't run fast enough.
"He was playing in Montreal against Ottawa and he laughed at a lineman," recalls his son. "When the teams came back here [Ottawa], the guy caught up with my dad and he was carried off the field with three broken ribs. He did not always get away." Mr. PERRY often said baseball was his favourite sport, a game he played with grace and skill. He was invited as a young teen to go to Boston to play but his father would not let him leave Moncton. Later, as a centre-fielder in Montreal, he helped his Atwater Baseball League team win five championships in seven seasons.
After retiring from football in 1934, Mr. PERRY, took up curling. After settling down in Ottawa in 1941, he won curling's Royal Jubilee Trophy in 1953 and 1956. At age 60, he scored a rare eight-ender while competing in a provincial event, says his son, who is president of the Ottawa Curling Club, which for 42 years has run a spring bonspiel in his father's name.
In Ottawa, he worked in several positions with the Bank of Canada. When he retired in the early 1970s, he was involved in the printing and distribution of Canada Savings Bonds -- ironically, working alongside Ron STEWARD/STEWART/STUART, who was once a fleet-footed running back with the Ottawa Rough Riders.
Mr. PERRY continued to curl until he was 90 and played his last round of golf at 98. At 100, the honours continued to pour in. In the 1903 Canadian Football League season, Mr. PERRY was named honorary captain of the Montreal Alouettes.
Mr. PERRY and his first wife, Jay KEITH, had three children, Gord Jr., Pat and Lynn. His second wife was Betty THOMAS. Ms. KEITH and Ms. THOMAS died in their 60s; at age 91, Mr. PERRY married Muriel TAGGART, then a 72-year-old widow. He leaves his wife and three children.

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CONACHER o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-12-30 published
Died This Day
Charles William CONACHER, 1967
Tuesday, December 30, 2003 - Page R7
Hockey player born in Toronto on December 10, 1909; played 12 seasons in the National Hockey League, mostly with Toronto Maple Leafs; played right wing on "Kid Line" with Joe PRIMEAU and Henry (Busher) JACKSON; 1938, traded to Detroit and then to New York scored 225 goals, 173 assists in regular season, with 17 goals and 18 assists in playoffs.

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CONGDON o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-12-06 published
DALGLEISH, Delsya Florence
After an adventurous and fun life, Delsya passed away at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, on Thursday, December 4, 2003, in her 92nd year. Born in Wales and raised in South Africa, Delsya established a stage career in London, England, where she met her future husband. ''Del and Dal'' returned to Toronto where they raised a family and had a wonderful time together. She was a world traveller and local volunteer. Predeceased by her husband Oakley and sons Gary and Peter, Delsya is survived by grand_son Murray (Donna) of Toronto and granddaughter Mary (John CONGDON) of Calgary. Great-grandmother of Jordanne, Stephanie and Grace Jennifer and Michelle. Fondly remembered by Friends and family. The family wishes to thank Marg JACKSON of Saint Elizabeth Health Care for her care and support. A service will be held in the chapel of the Humphrey Funeral Home - A. W. Miles Chapel, 1403 Bayview Avenue (South of Eglinton Avenue East), on Sunday, December 7 at one o'clock. Interment Mount Pleasant Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Mrs. DALGLEISH to Saint Elizabeth Health Care, 90 Allstate Parkway, Suite 300, Markham L3R 6H3, would be greatly appreciated.

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CONIBEAR o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-03-11 published
Kenneth Wilfred CONIBEAR
By Marilyn CONIBEAR Tuesday, March 11, 2003 - Page A16
Canadian pioneer, scholar, writer, teacher, builder. Born August 29, 1907, in Orville, Ontario Died October 4, 2002, in Vancouver, of natural causes, aged 95.
During Ken's "retirement" years, he built, stone by stone, the "Great Wall" of Vancouver on the waterfront behind his home near Jericho Beach. This wall, an unofficial Vancouver landmark, intrigued visitors from around the world who brought or sent stones to be embedded in individual concrete plaques within the wall. From that wall, he invited thousands of visitors to come into his home to share stories and rest a while.
Ken was a man distinguished by intellectual discipline, a love of the language, a respect for all people and the outdoors, as well as personal qualities of patience, kindness, and gentle humour.
His formative years were spent near Fort Resolution on the shores of Great Slave Lake and at Fort Smith, Northwest Territories. He later intrigued his family with tales from as early as 1912, when he remembered vividly taking the train with his mother and four older siblings from Parry Sound, Ontario, to Edmonton, and then taking the last stagecoach from Edmonton to Athabasca Landing. From there they travelled by freight barge along the river and lake systems until they reached their new home, a log cabin at Nagel Snye on Great Slave Lake.
After spending a few years in Fort Resolution, they moved to Fort Smith where his father continued his work as a marine engineer for the Catholic mission on Great Slave Lake and his mother became a respected and successful storekeeper and fur trader.
Ken had little formal education until he went to Edmonton for Grades 11 and 12. He then entered the University of Alberta, and in 1931 won the Alberta Rhodes Scholarship. After completing his English studies at Oxford, he became a writer of Canadian fiction, and had his first of five novels published in 1936 (Northland Footprints)and the last in 2000.
In 1937, Ken was hired by his publisher, Lovat DICKSON/DIXON, to manage Grey OWL's last lecture tour in England. Following the tour, Grey OWL was the best man at Ken's wedding. On the way to the wedding, Lovat DICKSON/DIXON drove the car while Grey OWL and Ken sat in the back seat. Grey OWL threw his arm around Ken's shoulder and said, "Just treat the little lady right, Ken, just treat the little lady right!"
At that point Ken had no idea that Grey OWL was not only not an Indian, but that Grey OWL had five wives and therefore was not exactly qualified to give Ken advice on how to treat his new wife.
Ken returned to the north he loved so much to continue writing about the north and its people and animals, and try to establish a freight business on Great Slave Lake.
He spent several years in the Canadian Navy during the Second World War, had a brief career as executive secretary of the British Columbia Hospitals Association. He was then hired, in 1965, by the newly created Simon Fraser University, at an age, he said, when most people want to retire but when he got the job that he dearly loved.
When he retired from Simon Fraser University (twice) at the ages of 65 and 70, he persuaded the university not to give him a silver tray as a retirement gift, but instead a hand-powered cement mixer. Ken continued his relationship with Simon Fraser University by helping to establish the Simon Fraser University seniors' program and the seniors' Opsimath club until he reached the age of 90 years.
Ken was predeceased by his wife of 50 years, Barbara (née LINKE,) and his son, Peter. He is survived by his wife, Marilyn (ERNEST,) his son John, grandchildren Donald, Tina and Kathy, and six great-grandchildren.
Marilyn CONIBEAR is Kenneth's wife.

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CONKLIN o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-09-20 published
ACLAND, Virginia (née CONKLIN) 1920-2003
After a full and rich life died Friday, September 19. Ginny will be terribly missed by her immediate family - son Laurence, daughter-in-law Anne, and grandchildren Wesley and Erinn - her great buddies/sisters Barbara KENSILL and Doris MANN and their families and her many Friends and admirers. Many thanks to the caring staff at St. Michael's Hospital.

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CONNOR o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-04-04 published
DEVLIN, Major Edward Gordon
Died suddenly on April 2, 2003. A former student of the Royal Conservatory of Music, distinguished World War 2 veteran, avid concert goer and antique collector. Beloved brother of Betty JARVIS, the late Dorothy BAGSHAW and the late John DEVLIN. Dear Uncle of Bill BAGSHAW, Bettyann WARD, Carolyn MacLEOD, John KINGSMILL, Julie, Jane and Lesley DEVLIN and predeceased by his niece Gillian KINGSMILL. Devoted Great Uncle of Joshua, CONNOR and Caitlin KINGSMILL, Laura THORNBERRY, John WARD and Susan ENGLAND, Cameron and Kaylie MacLEOD and Ellie, Kate and Alex POMERANT. The family would like to thank the caring staff at The Briton House. Friends may visit on Saturday, April 5th from 11: 00 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. at Morley Bedford Funeral Home at 159 Eglinton Avenue West (2 stoplights west of Yonge St.), Toronto, following which a private family service will be held. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Toronto Humane Society or a charity of your choice would be appreciated.

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CONNOR o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-09-17 published
CRANSTON, Lynda Lee (née HOFFMAN)
''A Truly Great Mother and Wife''
Died peacefully September 14, 2003 in her home after a long and courageous battle with cancer. Her 51 years were too short and she will be missed. Beloved mother to Jarrett, Galen and Jocelyn (deceased) and cherished wife of Goldie CRANSTON. All of us are better people for having had the privilege of sharing her life with us. Predeceased by her parents, Charles (Bud) HOFFMAN and Irene HOFFMAN (CONNOR,) both originally of Montreal. Lynda is survived by her brother, Barry HOFFMAN and his family of Burlington. Lynda is also predeceased by her parents-in-law Monte ''Mr. C.'' and Stuart CRANSTON of Pakenham, Ontario. Also survived by her brother-in-law, Toller CRANSTON of Toronto and San Miguel, Mexico, who admired her zest for life and shared his quest for colour. Friends and loved ones may pay their respects at the Garden Chapel of Tubman Funeral Homes, 3440 Richmond Road (between Bayshore and Baseline Road), Nepean on Wednesday, September 17th from 5 to 8 p.m. A celebration of her life will be held in the chapel on Thursday, September 18th at 2 p.m. As an expression of profound gratitude, the family would appreciate donations be directed to the Victorian Order or Nurses, without whose help we could not have coped, and with Lynda, fought side by side against this most evil disease. A special thank you to Marsha, who should be sainted. Alternatively donations may be sent to the Ottawa Regional Cancer Centre. Thank you to Dr. JONKERS and the entire staff of O.R.C.C. who gave Lynda both the weapons and the support to fight the battle she did.

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CONNORS o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-06-15 published
Radio pioneer built network
He founded Ontario's first French-language radio station in 1951 when his local station denied francophones airtime.
By Randy RAY Special▲ to The Globe and Mail Monday, June 16, 2003 - Page R7
He started in business as a butcher, and later was a soldier and a hotelier, but Conrad LAVIGNE's first love was show business. Whether he was operating the television stations in Northern Ontario that became the largest privately owned television broadcast system in the world, appearing at the staid proceedings of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, or at conventions, Mr. LAVIGNE often delighted those within earshot with jokes, stories, witty comments -- even singing.
Like the time he sang grace during the annual meeting of the Association for French Language Broadcasters in the 1970s.
"Members of the head table, including myself and Premier Bill DAVIS, walked into the room and stood behind our chairs," recalls Pierre JUNEAU, chairman of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission from 1968 to 1975.
"Mr. LAVIGNE, who was chairman of the French-language broadcasters group, began singing grace in French, and with his very strong voice. People felt sort of strange with this."
When he was done, Mr. LAVIGNE looked at Premier DAVIS and quipped: "Well, Mr. Premier, this is to show you that when you are chairman, you can do whatever you like."
J. Lyman POTTS, former vice-president of Standard Broadcasting, remembers the time in the early 1960s when Mr. LAVIGNE appeared before the Board of Broadcast Governors -- predecessor of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission -- in support of a radio or television station licensing application.
At the beginning of his presentation, Mr. LAVIGNE expressed his regrets that Board of Broadcast Governors member Bernard GOULET had died at few days earlier. Then, without skipping a beat, he looked toward the ceiling and said: "If Bernie were here today, I think he would vote for my application."
"It broke up the room," says Mr. POTTS. "If ever a meeting got dull he'd liven things up. It was a joy to find him at meetings. He was a unique personality."
Mr. LAVIGNE, who was born in the small town of Chénéville, Quebec, on November 2, 1916, and raised in Cochrane, Ontario, died in Timmins, Ontario on April 16 following a lengthy battle with emphysema. He was 86.
Friends, family and business associates say Mr. LAVIGNE had show business in his blood in his late teens. On many evenings, the young man who moved to Timmins from Cochrane at age 18 to open a small grocery store and butcher shop with his uncle would act in plays in the hall of a local church. But he didn't get into the entertainment business in a big way until after he helped Canada's war effort, got married and started his life as an entrepreneur in the hotel business.
In 1942, he sold his butcher shop and enlisted in the Canadian infantry. He became a commando training officer while stationed at Vernon, British Columbia, and in 1944 headed overseas. While on a furlough from Vernon he returned to Timmins and married Jeanne CANIE. The couple raised seven children.
Mr. LAVIGNE returned to Canada in 1946 and bought the Prince George Hotel in Kirkland Lake, Ontario, which at the time was a booming gold-mining town. He sold the business in 1950.
He entered the world of media and entertainment by founding CFCL, the first French-language radio station in Ontario in 1951, in what, essentially, was his way of ensuring the area's large French-speaking population had a voice in the North.
Michelle DE COURVILLE NICOL of Ottawa said her father launched the station after a group of francophones that he was part of in Kirkland Lake was told by the manager of an English-language radio station that they would no longer be given regular air time to discuss issues of interest to French people.
"He was very proud of being a francophone," says Ms. DE COURVILLE NICOL. " When he was told that his compatriots would no longer be welcome on the local station he said, 'Oh, ya!' and got the idea of starting a French-language radio station. He moved to Timmins, applied for a licence and got it."
CFCL soon attracted a faithful audience, especially in Northwestern Quebec, where it could be heard more clearly than French stations in Montreal.
In a 1988 interview with Northern Ontario Business, Mr. LAVIGNE remembered the time he hired a relative unknown named Stompin' Tom CONNORS to perform live on CFCL. The radio station was located above a jewellery store and the pounding from Mr. CONNORS's size-11 boots caused china to fall off the shelves in the store below.
Radio was his first love until the mid-1950s when, on a business trip to southern Ontario, he saw his first television broadcast, on WHAM from Rochester, New York He fell for the concept of television and he and an engineer friend drove to Rochester and learned everything they could about the magic medium of television.
Back in Timmins, Mr. LAVIGNE bought a hill in the north end of the town, named it Mont Sacré-Coeur, built a road to the foot of his hill, and began blasting rock and working in earnest to put a television station on the air. By 1956, CFCL-television was a reality.
"There was always the fear of failure because of the sparse population," Mr. LAVIGNE said at the time. "But we had an engineer with us named Roch DEMERS, who later became president of Telemedia, and together we started putting up rebroadcasting stations between 1957 and 1962."
Kapuskasing's rebroadcasting station was the first such facility in Canada, and it added another portion of the sparsely populated northeastern Ontario market to the growing station's network. Eventually, Mr. LAVIGNE built rebroadcasting stations in Chapleau and Moosonee, Ontario and Malartic, Quebec, and by the time expansion was completed, CFCL-television served 1.5 million people. Eventually, he built the station into the world's largest privately owned system.
For many years he appeared on a very popular CFCL program known as the President's Corner, during which he would sit on camera in a comfortable chair and read and respond to letters from viewers.
Between 1962 and 1970, Mr. LAVIGNE's television network entered the world of high technology with its own microwave network. Mr. LAVIGNE had the northeastern Ontario television market virtually all to himself for about 20 years until the Canadian Television Network (CTV) arrived on the scene. He reacted by building new stations in North Bay and Sudbury with a rebroadcasting station in Elliot Lake to serve Manitoulin Island. Expansion continued in 1976 with the purchase of a bankrupt television station in Pembroke, in the Ottawa Valley. Eventually, Mr. LAVIGNE's private network stretched from Moosonee to Ottawa, and from Hearst to Mattagami, Quebec
"When we first started we had the market all to ourselves," he told Northern Ontario Business. "We had 20 hours a week of local programming, and it was beautiful. We gave the North a unified voice. One time, during a forest fire near Chapleau, our messages arranged for accommodations for 1,000 people in Timmins."
Mr. LAVIGNE divested himself of his broadcasting holdings in 1980, primarily because he was refused permission to operate a cable television service in the North. He remained a director of Mid-Canada Television, the network that grew from his little Timmins station in 1956, and was chairman of the board of Northern Telephone Ltd. For a number of years, he served on the board of the National Bank of Canada, and for 10 years served on the board of ICG Utilities (formerly Inter City Gas.)
His life after broadcasting also included 20 years as a property developer in the Timmins area.
"He was always a physically active person," says Ms. DE COURVILLE NICOL. "In the years he was setting up his television stations he would often go out with the engineers. He was not as happy sitting behind his desk."
Mr. LAVIGNE was elected to the Canadian Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 1990. His wife died in 1995. He leaves Ms. DE COURVILLE NICOL and six other children, Marc, Andrée, Nicole, Jean-Luc, Pierre and Marie-France.

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CONOVER o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-09-04 published
Artist and portraitist refused to compromise
Works in his trademark use of colour hang in the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital and in private collections
By Carol COOPER Special to The Globe and Mail Thursday, September 4, 2003 - Page R9
When the director of the University of Toronto's Hart House Gallery needed a portrait of Hart House warden Dr. Jean LENGELLÉ, she called artist Gerald SCOTT.
"In this case, Gerry was a perfect fit for Jean, because Jean wanted something that was not staid and traditional, which is certainly Gerry," said the director, Judi SCHWARTZ.
"He [Dr. LENGELLÉ] liked the patterning approach that Gerry took, and the two of them got along very well."
Mr. SCOTT painted the 1977 LENGELLÉ portrait and countless others in the manner of his friend and mentor, Group of Seven artist Fred VARLEY.
"Gerry placed colours together that you wouldn't think of, and when you stand back from the painting, you get the effect of the work, and when you get closer to it, you start to notice the colours," Ms. SCHWARTZ said of the LENGELLÉ portrait.
One of the foremost Canadian portrait painters, whose works hung in the inaugural exhibition of Toronto's prominent Greenwich Gallery along with those of Michael Snow, Graham Coughtry and William Ronald and are found in the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital and numerous private collections, Mr. SCOTT died of cancer at the age of 76. Along with Dr. LENGELLÉ, Mr. SCOTT's subjects included a Bermudan prime minister and a Baroness Rothschild. One of six children, whose father worked as a building engineer and car salesman, Gerald William SCOTT was born in Saint John. Although his birth certificate reads September 30, 1926, Mr. SCOTT always said it was wrong and he was born in 1925. To help support his family during the Depression, Mr. SCOTT danced on the city's docks, missing school to do so. After service in the Canadian army during the Second World War, he returned to Toronto where his family had settled.
There he met and married the Italian countess Josephine Maria INVIDIATTA. An English teacher who recognized her husband's gifts, she taught Mr. SCOTT to read. Thereafter, he read incessantly, devouring all types of material. Countess INVIDIATTA also encouraged Mr. SCOTT to attend the Ontario College of Art, now named the Ontario College of Art and Design.
Graduating from the college in 1949, Mr. SCOTT won the Reeves Award for all-round technical proficiency in drawing and painting. After a short career in advertising and turning down an opportunity to do a cover for Time magazine, he focused on fine art.
Mr. SCOTT taught at his alma mater part-time from 1952 to 1958 and full-time for a period beginning in 1963. And he participated in shows at both The Roberts Gallery and The Greenwich Gallery, later renamed The Isaacs Gallery.
While other artistic styles, such as abstract expressionism came and went, Mr. SCOTT continued with portraiture. "He didn't want to compromise his style," said his son Paul SCOTT. "He didn't follow trends."
Lacking the time to develop a body of work for a show, and with a self-effacing temperament which disliked the gallery scene, by the mid-eighties Mr. SCOTT no longer exhibited his work, sticking to commissions and teaching, and writing plays and poetry.
Teaching took up much of Mr. SCOTT's time, and he was known as a good one. For 25 years, he taught at the Three Schools of Art and later at the Forest Hill Art Club, both in Toronto.
"He was an inspirational teacher," said Michael GERRY, a student of Mr. SCOTT for six years and now an instructor at Central Technical High School in Toronto.
"He was one of the few people around who understands the vocabulary. He really knew his lessons. Not only was he skillful, he was thoughtful, unusually thoughtful. Colour and temperature were his specialty."
Said his friend and fellow artist Telford FENTON, "He had wonderful use of colour. It spoke to you."
A deliberate, patient and methodical instructor, popular with Rosedale matrons, Mr. SCOTT taught his students to observe colour. "He could see colour everywhere," said Joan CONOVER, who served as a portrait model for Mr. SCOTT. 'They're [the colours] there, Joanie,' he would say to me. 'All you have to do is stop looking. Close your eyes and then open them, very quickly. Close them, open them again, and you'll get a brief glimpse [of the colours].'"
Mr. SCOTT also demonstrated painting for his students. "Most teachers would not demonstrate," said another SCOTT student Roger BABCOCK. " His demonstrations were like a Polaroid picture. They would form before your eyes."
When students complained of lack of subjects, Mr. SCOTT told them how he stayed up nights painting works of his hand.
As he taught, Mr. SCOTT discussed the Bible, religion or politics. But he would not discuss his war experiences, according to Ms. CONOVER. "It made his stomach hurt," she said.
Mr. SCOTT used his right thumb for certain strokes, and was highly critical of his work, only signing it with persuasion.
Good Friends since the fifties with Mr. FENTON, the pair was known as the Laurel and Hardy of the art world.
Once, they sold the same painting to three different clients, eventually making good to all three. Another time while sailing, Mr. SCOTT's boat crashed into the dock of the Royal Canadian Yacht Club. Always charming Mr. SCOTT ended up in the club's bar, along with those of his party, treated to a round of drinks.
Mr. SCOTT continued working until he suffered a heart attack three years ago.
He died on July 13 and leaves his partner Joyce, two ex-wives, children Paul, Sarah, Hannah, Rebecca, Aaron, Amelia Jordan, Jarod and Dana, and five grandchildren. His first wife, Josephine, and a son, Simon, predeceased him.

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CONRAN o@ca.on.manitoulin.howland.little_current.manitoulin_expositor 2003-05-07 published
Mary CHAMBERS McQUAY
In loving memory of Mary Chambers McQUAY, April 9, 1916 to May 3, 2003.
Mary McQuay, a resident of Mindemoya, died at her residence on Saturday, May 3, 2003 at the age of 87 years. She was born in Peterborough, daughter of the late George and Mabel (FOLEY) TURNBULL.
Mary graduated as a Registered Nurse in 1942 and worked in hospitals in Kingston, where she met Jack McQUAY, who was an intern at the same hospital. They married in 1944, and lived in Kingston before moving to Mindemoya in 1947. Jack began his medical practice in Mindemoya and Mary assisted for many years running the office. Mary had a warm, friendly manner and enjoyed socializing with her many Friends. She will be remembered for her dedication to her family and to her community. Mary participated in and supported many community activities over the years. She was accomplished in sewing, knitting and baking, and often contributed her home-made items to bazaars and bake sales. She volunteered for the Red Cross, the Mindemoya Hospital Auxiliary, Meals on Wheels, and the ambulance service. She enjoyed gardening, and participated in the Mindemoya Horticultural Society flower shows in years past. She was active in the local Women's Institute. An enthusiastic member of the Mindemoya Curling Club, she continued curling until she was well into her 80s, while in the summer she enjoyed golfing. She was an avid bridge player in the local bridge club. She was a member of St. Francis of Assisi Anglican Church, where she sang in the choir for many years, and participated in the life of the parish through the Anglican Church Women's group. Always interested in crafts, she created many beautiful pieces in pottery and paper tole crafts.
Dearly loved and loving wife of Dr. Jack McQUAY. Loved mother of Marilyn (husband Martin CHILTON) of Kingston, Paul (fiancée Marion CARROLL) of Fort McMurray, Alta, Janice McQUAY of Toronto and Mindemoya and Betty McQUAY of Toronto. Also survived by Athena McQUAY of Edmonton. Proud grandmother of Peter McQUAY, Jane HOEKSTRA (husband Terry,) Stephen McQUAY and Jim CHILTON and great grandchildren Ethan, Sydney and Liam. Dear sister of Reta CONRAN, Gladys MITCHELL (husband Charlie,) Bruce TURNBULL (wife Alice,) Norma RAYCRAFT (husband Glen,) Billie McNEIL and brother-in-law Earl HARMAN. Also survived by many nieces and nephews. Predeceased by sisters and brothers Marjorie McLEOD, Walter (Bud) TURNBULL, Ted TURNBULL, Gwen HARMAN and sister-in-law and brothers-in-law Marie TURNBULL, Alan McLEOD, Harold CONRAN and Gene McNEIL. Friends called the Saint Francis of Assisi Church in Mindemoya on Monday, May 5, 2003. The funeral service was held on Tuesday, May 6, 2003 with Reverend Canon Bain Peever officiating. Interment in Mindemoya Cemetery. Culgin Funeral Home

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CONROY o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-11-15 published
Sculptor 'entirely original'
A wood carver from a young age who made many public works, he was befriended by the Group of Seven and later carved their tombstone epitaphs
By Bill GLADSTONE, Special to The Globe and Mail Saturday, November 15, 2003 - Page F10
A Canadian sculptor who as a young man was adopted by the Group of Seven has died in Toronto. E. B. COX, who prided himself on achieving artistic and commercial success without ever taking a penny in government grants, was 89.
Mr. COX was a young associate, of some of the Group of Seven with whom he went on northern sketching trips; A. Y. JACKSON once complimented him on his "good sense of form." He later carved their tombstone epitaphs.
A wood carver from a young age, he came to master stone and even the delicate art of faceting and carving precious stones; he also tried metal, ceramics and glass. Because he liked to work fast, he pioneered the use of power tools to quicken the chiselling process, a technique that purists initially disdained as a form of cheating.
According to one 1990s guide-book, he had "more sculpture on view in Toronto's public places than any other single artist." His 20-piece Garden of the Greek Gods, originally installed in the 1950s on the Georgian Peaks near Collingwood, Ontario, was later relocated to the far more populous grounds of the Canadian National Exhibition near the Dufferin Gate. The only fully human representation in the group, an 11-foot-high statue of Hercules, was carved from a six-tonne piece of Indiana limestone -- "the biggest piece of stone used by a sculptor in Canada," according to friend and patron, Ken SMITH.
Among his many other public works are a fish fountain for a courtyard at the former Park Plaza Hotel, a stone bear for the Guild Inn, a stone Orpheus for Victoria College, lavish countertops and railings for historic bank buildings, a large seated lady for McMaster University and whimsical creatures for a school yard in Milton, Ontario
Having mastered big, he also excelled at small: He used to claim that he invented coffee-table art. He carved little totem poles to put himself through university, and became known for his small bear sculptures, which he sold at popular prices, especially at Christmas. "At university, I damned near starved," he would explain. "I don't believe in starving artists."
Influenced by Iroquois and West Coast Haida art, he focused on bears, beavers, birds and other animals as well as human torsos, masks and heads; he often caught the animals in quirky fluid poses and never failed to capture their essential natures. He once crafted an all-Canadian limited-edition chess set for the Hudson's Bay Co., with beavers as pawns, coureurs de bois as knights, Indian princesses as queens, and so on. He was "the great bridge between aboriginal art and modern art," according to Mr. SMITH and others. A picture book about him, featuring an essay by Gary Michael DAULT, was published by Boston Mills Press in 1999.
"He was entirely original," said Toronto sculptor Dora DE PEDERY- HUNT. "Absolutely nobody else did what he did. What style he had was entirely his. I call him a real good sculptor, a real good artist."
The younger of two brothers, Elford Bradley COX was born on July 16, 1914, in Botha, Alberta., where his family made a short-lived attempt at farming; he learned to carve by watching his maternal grandfather whittle kindling by the fireside. He persisted in sculpting even though his pious father was vehemently opposed to the creation of "graven images," he told Toronto Life magazine in 1997. The family returned to Bowmanville, Ontario, where E. B. spent most of his childhood, and where his mother died suddenly after an epileptic attack when her favoured son was a young teenager. When it was time for him to go to university, "his father sent him off with $5, a suitcase and a wish of good luck," said Kathy SUTTON, the younger of his two daughters.
Studying languages at the University of Toronto from 1934 to 1938, Mr. COX was befriended by German professor and painter Barker FAIRLEY, who introduced him to A. Y. JACKSON, Fred VARLEY and Arthur LISMER of the Group of Seven.
Mr. COX started teaching languages at Upper Canada College, but soon left to join the war effort as an intelligence officer, interrogating prisoners of war in Europe.
Afterward, he resumed teaching at Upper Canada College, and devoted part of a summer to a school canoe trip on the Mississauga River the next summer he escorted a group of boys on an even more adventurous trip down the Churchill River in the barren lands. "That was just unheard-of in those years," recalled Terence A. WARDROP, who joined that expedition and became Mr. COX's lifelong friend and solicitor. "It was a big trip and it was almost historic the rivers and some of the lakes were unmapped in 1948."
Quitting his teaching job in 1949, Mr. COX married the former Betty CAMPBELL, bought a farm near Palgrave, Ontario, and discovered that he could survive as a full-time artist. (Although he considered government subsidies poisonous, he once applied for a government grant to study Canadian stones suitable for sculpting -- and was turned down. "I did my stone research without their damn-fool money," he told The Globe and Mail in 1970.) Moving to a rural property in north Toronto and later to a Victorian house in eastern Toronto, he separated from his wife but remained on excellent terms with her and their daughters.
Being partial to pranks, he once purchased a canoe for his wife as a gift and, to achieve maximum surprise, paddled it to the dock at the family cottage in a rented disguise. Along with his love of humour, Friends recall his sharp wit and his ability to cut through social pretense. "He said he wanted his gravestone to read, 'I told you I was sick,' " recalled art dealer John INGRAM. " That's what I remember about him -- his great sense of humour and just what a wonderful compassionate guy he was. He tried to give this air of being an old curmudgeon, but in fact, he was anything but."
Becoming a mentor to many young artists, Mr. COX generously shared his tools and experience with them. "He didn't have much mentoring when he was learning to be an artist -- people didn't help him so he took the opposite tack," said his daughter Kathy.
Always enthusiastic and full of ideas, he was usually in his workshop early in the morning -- and kept on working even after losing his sight in his final years. His home was full of fine sculpture and painting, including a portrait of Mr. COX by Mr. FAIRLEY that hung over the mantel. "It was a lovely place, and by the time you got out of there, you were in a buying fever," Mr. SMITH recalled. "E.B. himself was part of the fun of buying stuff. People were just charmed by the atmosphere he created." He was also famously not particular about the prices he asked from genuine admirers of his work.
As for his art's place in the world, he was confident it would last, at least in the physical sense. "We'd have these long philosophical talks about whether there was an afterlife and what legacy to leave behind," friend Eric CONROY recalled. "He'd say that his stone works would be there long after Rembrandt's paintings had crumbled."
E. B. COX died in Toronto on July 29, leaving his wife Betty, daughters Sally SPROULE and Kathy SUTTON, two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

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CONVERSE o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-01-10 published
The castle lights are growing dim
Canadian television icon made his mark as star of The Hilarious House of Frightenstein
By John McKAY Canadian Press Friday, January 10, 2003, Page R11
Billy VAN, the diminutive, manic comic actor who starred in Canadian Broadcasting Corporation-Television's Nightcap in the 1960s and The Hilarious House of Frightenstein in the seventies, died Wednesday. He was 68.
Mr. VAN, who had been battling cancer for about a year and had a triple heart bypass in 1998, died at Toronto's Sunnybrook Hospital, said his former wife, Claudia CONVERSE.
While a familiar fixture on Canadian television for decades, he also worked in the United States on variety shows such as The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, The Ray Stevens Show and The Bobby Vinton Show.
Mr. VAN even gained fame for the Colt .45 beer commercials he made for 15 years and for which he won a Clio Award.
But he invariably returned to Toronto in shows like The Party Game, Bizarre with John Byner, The Hudson Brothers Razzle DAzzle Show and Bits and Bytes.
His wife, Susan, said that while he had opportunities in the U.S., Mr. VAN had no regrets about staying in Canada.
"He was quite happy when he came back," she said. "He had the taste of the life down there and [said] 'Okay, that's fine, I'd rather be at home.' "
Ms. CONVERSE agreed that Mr. VAN had been happy with his career and had worked non-stop until his heart bypass.
"I don't know of many Canadians that stay in Canada who get their full recognition," she said. "When he went to the States, definitely. But there isn't a star system in Canada so it's kind of difficult."
Mr. VAN -- then Billy VAN EVERA -- went into show business at the age of 12 and back in the 1950s, he and his four musically inclined brothers formed a singing group that toured Canada and Europe. Most also went on to adult careers in show business.
After his heart surgery, Mr. VAN was semi-retired but continued to do voiceover work for commercials and animated programs. His last major on-screen role was as Les the trainer in the television hockey movie Net Worth in 1995.
Mr. VAN and long-time colleagues Dave BROADFOOT and Jack DUFFY made appearances in recent years to support the fledgling Canadian Comedy Awards.
"I'm all for that enthusiasm," Mr. VAN said about the awards launch in 2000.
"Billy was one of my closest Friends," said Mr. DUFFY, who added that he called Mr. VAN several times a week after he became ill.
"We were sort of buddies under the skin. We got to know each other really well at Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and then we worked on Party Game together for a number of years. He was a close friend and I will miss him very much."
Mr. DUFFY said a lot of doors opened for Mr. VAN when he did The Sonny and Cher Show,but he was happy to come home to his native Toronto, where he was born in 1934.
"He came back and we were glad to have him back."
Entertainer Dinah CHRISTIE, with whom Mr. VAN worked on The Party Game for a decade, called him a brave and glorious person.
"He would take on anything and was . . . a totally gracious guy," she said. "I'm just going to miss him like we all are going to miss him. He soldiered through this bloody cancer thing so wonderfully. I knew he was just trying to get through Christmas."
Ms. CHRISTIE said Mr. VAN had some hideous experiences in the U.S. He had seen a man shot to death next to him in a New York hotel, and had his Los Angeles home broken into twice.
"He never felt safe there. And he was such a Canadian that he always felt safe here."
Mr. VAN's picture is on the Canadian Comedy Wall of Fame at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Broadcast Centre in Toronto, along with those of Al WAXMAN, Wayne and Shuster and Don HARRON.
The Hilarious House of Frightenstein starred Vincent PRICE, with Mr. VAN as host and a variety of characters, including The Count, a vampire who preferred pizza to blood and who wore tennis shoes as well as a cape. The hour-long episodes were taped at Hamilton's CHCH-Television and are still seen in syndication around the world.
Nightcap was a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation satirical show that predated Saturday Night Live by a dozen years. Its cast included Al HAMEL and Guido BASSO and his orchestra.
Mr. VAN leaves his wife, Susan, and two daughters from previous marriages, Tracy and Robyn.
A private funeral will be held in Toronto on Monday.
Billy VAN, actor and entertainer; born in Toronto in 1934; died in Toronto on January 8, 2003.

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CONWAY o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-04-12 published
'He kept a little flame of geometry alive'
Superstar University of Toronto mathematician considered himself an artist, but his seminal work inevitably found practical applications
By Siobhan ROBERTS Saturday, April 12, 2003 - Page F11
Widely considered the greatest classical geometer of his time and the man who saved his discipline from near extinction, Harold Scott MacDonald COXETER, who died on March 31 at 96, said of himself, with characteristic modesty, "I am like any other artist. It just so happens that what fills my mind is shapes and numbers."
Prof. COXETER's work focused on hyperdimensional shapes, specifically the symmetry of regular figures and polytopes. Polytopes are geometric shapes of any number of dimensions that cannot be constructed in the real world and can be visualized only when the eye of the beholder possesses the necessary insight; they are most often described mathematically and sometimes can be represented with hypnotically intricate fine-line drawings.
"I like things that can be seen," Prof. COXETER once remarked. "You have to imagine a different world where these queer things have some kind of shape."
Known as Donald (shortened from MacDonald,) Prof. COXETER had such a passion for his work and unrivalled elegance in constructing and writing proofs that he motivated countless mathematicians to pick up the antiquated discipline of geometry long after it had been deemed passé.
John Horton CONWAY, the Von Neumann professor of mathematics at Princeton University, never studied under Prof. COXETER, but he considers himself an honorary student because of the COXETERian nature of his work.
"With math, what you're doing is trying to prove something and that can get very complicated and ugly. COXETER always manages to do it clearly and concisely," Prof. CONWAY said. "He kept a little flame of geometry alive by doing such beautiful works himself.
"I'm reminded of a quotation from Walter Pater's book The Renaissance. He was describing art and poetry, but he talks of a small, gem-like flame: 'To burn always with this hard, gem-like flame, to maintain this ecstasy, is success in life.' "
Prof. COXETER's oeuvre included more than 250 papers and 12 books. His Introduction to Geometry, published in 1961, is now considered a classic -- it is still in print and this year is back on the curriculum at McGill University. His Regular Polytopes is considered by some as the modern-day addendum to Euclid's Elements. In 1957, he published Generators and Relations for Discrete Groups, written jointly with his PhD student and lifelong friend Willy MOSER. It is currently in its seventh edition.
Prof. COXETER's self-image as an artist was validated by his Friendship with and influence on Dutch artist M. C. ESCHER, who, when working on his Circle Limit 3 drawings, used to say, "I'm Coxetering today."
They met at the International Mathematical Congress in Amsterdam in 1954 and then corresponded about their mutual interest in repeating patterns and representations of infinity. In a letter to his son, Mr. ESCHER noted that a diagram sent to him by Prof. COXETER that inspired his Circle Limit 3 prints "gave me quite a shock."
He added that " COXETER's hocus-pocus text is no use to me at all.... I understand nothing, absolutely nothing of it."
While Mr. ESCHER claimed total ignorance of math, Prof. COXETER wrote numerous papers on the Dutchman's "intuitive geometry."
Though Prof. COXETER did geometry for its own sake, his work inevitably found practical application. Buckminster FULLER encountered his work in the construction of his geodesic domes. He later dedicated a book to Prof. COXETER: "By virtue of his extraordinary life's work in mathematics, Prof. COXETER is the geometer of our bestirring twentieth century. [He is] the spontaneously acclaimed terrestrial curator of the historical inventory of the science of pattern analysis."
Prof. COXETER's work with icosohedral symmetries served as a template of sorts in the Nobel Prize-winning discovery of the Carbon 60 molecule. It has also proved relevant to other specialized areas of science such as telecommunications, data mining, topology and quasi-crystals.
In 1968, Prof. COXETER added to his list of converts an anonymous society of French mathematicians, the Bourbakis, who actively and internationally sought to eradicate classical geometry from the curriculum of math education.
"Death to Triangles, Down with Euclid!" was the Bourbaki war cry. Prof. COXETER's rebuttal: "Everyone is entitled to their opinion. But the Bourbakis were sadly mistaken."
One member of the society, Pierre CARTIER, met Prof. COXETER in Montreal and became enamoured of his work. Soon, he had persuaded his fellow Bourbakis to include Prof. COXETER's approach in their annual publication. "An entire volume of Bourbaki was thoroughly inspired by the work of COXETER," said Prof. CARTIER, a professor at Denis Diderot University in Paris.
In the 1968 volume, Prof. COXETER's name was writ large into the lexicon of mathematics with the inauguration of the terms "COXETER number," " COXETER group" and "COXETER graph."
These concepts describe symmetrical properties of shapes in multiple dimensions and helped to bridge the old-fashioned classical geometry with the more au courant and applied algebraic side of the discipline. These concepts continue to pervade geometrical discourse, several decades after being discovered by Prof. COXETER.
Prof. COXETER became a serious mathematician at the relatively late age of 14, though family folklore has it that, as a toddler, he liked to stare at the columns of numbers in the financial pages of his father's newspaper.
He was born into a Quaker family in Kensington, just west of London, on February 9, 1907. His mother, Lucy GEE, was a landscape artist and portrait painter, and his father, Harold, was a manufacturer of surgical instruments, though his great love was sculpting.
They had originally named their son MacDonald Scott COXETER, but a godparent suggested that the boy's father's name should be added at the front. Another relative then pointed out that H.M.S. COXETER made him sound like a ship of the royal fleet so the names were switched around.
When Prof. COXETER was 12, he created his own language -- "Amellaibian" a cross between Latin and French, and filled a 126-page notebook with information on the imaginary world where it was spoken.
But more than anything he fancied himself a composer, writing several piano concertos, a string quartet and a fugue. His mother took her son and his musical compositions to Gustav HOLST. His advice: "Educate him first."
He was then sent to boarding school, where he met John Flinders PETRIE, son of Egyptologist Sir Flinders PETRIE. The two were passing time at the infirmary contemplating why there were only five Platonic solids -- the cube, tetrahedron, octahedron, dodecahedron and icosahedron. They then began visualizing what these shapes might look like in the fourth dimension. At the age of 15, Prof. COXETER won a school prize for an English essay on how to project these geometric shapes into higher dimensions -- he called it "Dimensional Analogy."
Prof. COXETER's father took his son along with his essay to meet friend and fellow pacifist Bertrand RUSSELL. Mr. RUSSELL recommended Prof. COXETER to mathematician E.H. NEVILLE, a scout, of sorts, for mathematics prodigies. He was impressed by Prof. COXETER's work but appalled by some inexcusable gaps in his mathematical knowledge. Prof. NEVILLE arranged for private tutelage in pursuit of a scholarship at Cambridge. During this period, Prof. COXETER was forbidden from thinking in the fourth dimension, except on Sundays.
He entered Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1926 and was among five students handpicked by Ludwig WITTGENSTEIN for his philosophy of mathematics class. During his first year at Cambridge, at the age of 19, he discovered a new regular polyhedron that had six hexagonal faces at each vertex.
After graduating with first-class honours in 1929, he received his doctorate under H. F. BAKER in 1931, winning the coveted Smith's Prize for his thesis.
Prof. COXETER did fellowship stints back and forth between Princeton and Cambridge for the next few years, focusing on the mathematics of kaleidoscopes -- he had mirrors specially cut and hinged together and carried them in velvet pouches sewn by his mother. By 1933, he had enumerated the n-dimensional kaleidoscopes -- that is, kaleidoscopes operating up to any number of dimensions.
The concepts that became known as COXETER groups are the complex algebraic equations he developed to express how many images may be seen of any object in a kaleidoscope (he once used a paper triangle with the word "nonsense" printed on it to track reflections).
In 1936, Prof. COXETER was offered an assistant professorship at the University of Toronto. He made the move shortly after the sudden death of his father and following his marriage to Rien BROUWER. She was from the Netherlnds and he met her while she was on holiday in London.
As a professor, Prof. COXETER was known to flout set curriculum. Ed BARBEAU, now a professor at the U of T, recalled that at the start of his classes, Prof. COXETER would spread out a manuscript on the desks at the front of the room. During his lecture, he would often pause for minutes at a time to make notes when a student offered something that might be relevant to his work in progress. When the work was later published, students were pleasantly surprised to find that their suggestions had been duly credited.
Prof. COXETER was also known to show up to class carrying a pineapple, or a giant sunflower from his garden, demonstrating the existence of geometric principles in nature. And he was notorious for leaping over details, expecting students to fill in the rest.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's resident intellectual, Lister SINCLAIR, was one of Prof. COXETER's earliest students. He once recounted that Prof. COXETER would "write an expression on the board and you could see it talking to him. It was like Michelangelo walking around a block of marble and seeing what's in there."
Asia Ivic WEISS, a professor at York University, Prof. COXETER's last PhD student and the only woman so honoured, describes an incident that perfectly exemplifies Prof. COXETER's math myopia. Going into labour with her first child, she called him to cancel their weekly meeting. Prof. COXETER, who never acknowledged her pregnancy, said not to worry, he would send over a stack of research to keep her busy when she got home from the hospital.
Despite several offers from other universities, Prof. COXETER stayed at University of Toronto throughout his career.
Like his father, he was a pacifist. In 1997, he was among those who marched a petition to the university president's office to protest against an honorary degree being conferred on George BUSH Sr. Prof. COXETER recalled with disdain Robert PRITCHARD's telling him, "Donald, I have more important things to worry about."
After his official retirement in 1977, Prof. COXETER continued as a professor emeritus, making weekly visits to his office. These subsided only in the past several months. On the weekend before his death, he finished revisions on his final paper, which he had delivered the previous summer in Budapest.
In his last five years, he survived a heart attack, a broken hip (he sprung himself from the hospital early to drive to a geometry conference in Wisconsin) and, most recently, prostate cancer.
Considering his 96 years of vegetarianism and a strict exercise regime, he felt betrayed by his body. "I feel like the man of Thermopylae who doesn't do anything properly," he commented recently after an awkward evening out, quoting nonsense poet Edward LEAR.
Prof. COXETER died in his home, with three long last breaths, just before bed on the last day of March.
His brain is now undergoing study at McMaster University, along with that of Albert EINSTEIN. Neuroscientist Sandra WITELSON is tryng to determine whether his brain's extraordinary capacities are associated with its structure.
Prof. COXETER met with her at the beginning of March and learned that the atypical elements of Einstein's brain, compared with an average brain, were symmetrical on both right and left sides.
Prof. WITELSON said she wondered whether there might be similar findings with Prof. COXETER's brain. "Isn't that nice," he said. "I suppose that would indicate all my interest in symmetry was well founded."
Prof. COXETER leaves his daughter Susan and son Edgar. His wife died in 1999.
Siobhan ROBERTS is a Toronto writer whose biography of Donald COXETER will be published by Penguin in 2005.

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CONWAY o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-07-24 published
CONWAY, Katharine Jane (née EDGAR)
Died in Montreal 22nd July 2003, aged 67. Much loved by all her family. Funeral directed by Mount Royal Commemorative Services, Montreal. Please call for date and time 514-279-6540. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Salt Spring Island Conservancy would be appreciated. Condolences may be sent to: www.everlastinglifestories.com

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CONWAY o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-12-11 published
Husband, wife found dead in their car kilometres from home
By Erin CONWAY- SMITH, Thursday,▼ December▼ 11, 2003 - Page A18
A couple who vanished a week ago were found dead in their car yesterday a few kilometres west of their Etobicoke home. The husband was still behind the wheel and his wife was in the passenger seat.
Toronto Police had issued a provincewide alert for Steve YAREMA, 82, and his wife Tekla, 78, after they disappeared last Thursday without contacting their two daughters or long-time neighbours. Police called their behaviour unusual and were particularly concerned because Mr. YAREMA had a heart ailment and had left his medication at home.
The couple's car was found yesterday morning at the edge of a soccer field, deep in a ravine behind a Slovenian nursing home in south Etobicoke near Highway 427.The blue Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme appeared to have broken through a thicket, plunged down a steep hill and somehow avoided hitting a cluster of tall trees before coming to rest at the far side of the field.
A nursing-home staff member discovered the car and called police, Detective Nelson ANDREW said. Forensic experts and accident reconstruction specialists were dispatched to determine how the couple died.
Last night, police had not released the details of what had happened and Det. ANDREW would not say whether foul play is suspected in the case.
"We're not ruling anything out at this point," he said, adding that autopsies will likely be performed today.
Long-time residents of Lillibet Road, the YAREMAs were described by neighbours as kind and dignified people.
After hearing the couple were missing, neighbours began keeping an eye out for them.
"We were all keeping watch on the house," said Natalie CHYRSKY, 48, a neighbour who has known the YAREMAs for more that 15 years. "Waiting to see that blue car come rolling in."
She said it was very difficult to learn that the car had been found only a few short kilometres from the their home.
Mr. YAREMA took great pride in his 1995 Oldsmobile, prizing the mobility and independence it afforded him and his wife in their later years, Ms. CHYRSKY said.
Although his health problems had escalated last summer, the couple were still able to live in their home and take good care of the property, she said.
"I don't think Mr. YAREMA liked the idea of an old-folks home. He was very proud, very independent," Ms. CHYRSKY said.
"After being married for so long, they really looked out for each other."
Mr. YAREMA was a retired construction supervisor and Mrs. YAREMA was a homemaker. Like Ms. CHYRSKY and several other neighbours, both were of Ukrainian heritage.
Family was very important to the YAREMAs.
The two daughters lived nearby and the couple had several grandchildren, Ms. CHYRSKY said.
The YAREMAs loved tending their perennial flower garden and their huge vegetable garden and every summer would take Ms. CHYRSKY a basket of tomatoes, fresh off the vine.
"They really lived for their garden," she said.

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CONWAY o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-12-16 published
Former National Hockey Leaguer MAGNUSON killed, RAMAGE injured in car crash
By Erin CONWAY- SMITH, Tuesday, December▲▼ 16, 2003 - Page S1
Former National Hockey League defenceman Keith MAGNUSON was killed in a three-car collision yesterday when he was a passenger in a car driven by former Toronto Maple Leaf captain Rob RAMAGE.
RAMAGE was injured in the car crash north of Toronto.
MAGNUSON played 11 years with the Chicago Black Hawks.
York Regional Police said RAMAGE was driving a blue Intrepid that was involved in the accident, caused when one of the vehicles apparently went out of control.
RAMAGE was in an Etobicoke, Ontario, hospital last night, being treated for a broken femur, police said.
The accident, which occurred in Vaughan, happened about 5 p.m., but rescue workers were unable to remove the body until after 10 p.m. Police didn't believe weather was a factor in the accident.
Sergeant Igor CHOMIAK said late last night that an investigation is under way.
A third person, a woman, was being treated for non-life threatening injuries last night.
It was reported that RAMAGE was travelling back to Toronto from Bolton, northwest of the city, after attending the funeral of former National Hockey League player Keith McCREARY, who died last week after a battle with cancer. McCREARY was the chair of the National Hockey League Alumni Association and RAMAGE is the vice-chair.
RAMAGE is a frequent guest commentator on FanSports KFNS, a St. Louis radio station. Last night, the station had posted a notice on an internal bulletin board informing staff about RAMAGE's accident.
RAMAGE, 44, played 1,044 games in the National Hockey League from 1979 to 1994. He served as Maple Leaf captain from 1989 to 1991.
MAGNUSON was born on April 27, 1947, in Wadena, Saskatchewan. He played college hockey at Denver University, where he helped the Pioneers to the N.C.A.A. championship in 1968 and 1969. He was a mainstay on defence for the Blackhawks from 1969 to 1979.

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CONWAY o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-12-18 published
Mississauga man arrested in stabbing death of wife
By Erin CONWAY- SMITH, Thursday,▲ December▲ 18, 2003 - Page A17
A Mississauga man was arrested in the death of his wife after she was found stabbed at their home early yesterday morning.
Zofia BONDER, 45, died shortly after arriving at hospital with a fatal stab wound to her chest.
Her husband, Maciej BONDER, 46, was found at the family home with self-inflicted stab wounds.
He was treated for the minor injuries and released from hospital into the custody of Peel Regional Police, who were to charge him with second-degree murder yesterday. He will appear in court today.
The BONDERs have three children, all home at the time of the incident.
There were no other injuries.

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