FLYNN o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-06-02 published
Clare SCANLAN
By Tom SCANLAN and Larry
SCANLAN
Monday,
June 2, 2003 - Page
A16
Mother, wife, grandmother, sister, nurse. Born July 15, 1924,
at Tamworth, Ontario Died April 19 in Toronto, of brain cancer,
aged 78.
Clare SCANLAN never lied about her age. She simply never acted
her age. There was a vitality to her, a vibrancy. She would drum
her hands on her knees as punctuation -- exclamation marks! --
to deliver good news: The Jays had bested the Yanks, a Canadian
had won a medal, grandchildren were coming 'round for a visit.
The second child of four, Clarissa Mary Catherine
FLYNN was born
on a farm in southeastern Ontario to Irish-Catholic parents,
Leonard and Gertrude
FLYNN.
Her parents' legacy to her included
great good senses: of humour, justice, the divine.
After acquiring her nursing degree at Hotel Dieu Hospital in
Kingston, Ontario, she met -- on a blind date in Belleville --
our father, Bernard. Photos of the time capture her soft features,
her wavy black hair, her starlet good looks and elegant taste
in clothes.
The children came, in batches of four. Larry, Theresa, Tom and
Wayne arrived when Nakina, in northern Ontario, was home. In
1956, there was a pause as the family settled in the Scarborough
homestead, modest by some standards, but for Clare it was a dream
come true. Then followed the rest of the gang: Stephen, Rosemarie,
Karen and David. Bernard claims a stranger once asked, "Are they
all yours or is it a picnic?"
"They're all mine," he famously replied, "and it's no picnic."
Actually, it was. Mom had a natural ability to make us all feel
special and accomplished (while insisting that she herself was
neither). Feeding and clothing eight children can't have been
easy. Only when we left home, we joke, did we learn to add one
can of water to the soup, not four, or that milk was also available
in non-powdered form. And if Karen's clothes looked a lot like
Theresa's, or David's skates like Wayne's, who cared? We remember
only a house full of people, noise, confusion -- and laughter.
"I used to worry more about having too much money," Clare once
said, "than I did about having too little." Remarkable. And as
the eight of us matured and married, each and every new partner
acquired a second mother.
It was not only what Clare did for family and Friends, but how.
She unfailingly remembered birthdays, visited the sick, befriended
strangers at parties. Hers was a quiet and discreet philanthropy,
almost instinctive.
The grandchildren, the ones who call her "Aunie," were especially
nurtured. Chickadee, she would call each baby, or "Sweet pie."
She'd say, "Oh I love my babes. I worried too much about my own
children, but with the grandchildren, I just love to hear their
stories and all the things they're doing."
After Clare finally stopped nursing at Providence Manor, she
and Bernard took up golfing, got a winter place in Florida, cheered
the Jays. They were pals and on the go. Clare always moved quickly
(as anyone who ever saw her on a putting green will attest).
Life was too precious to move slowly and, besides, she didn't
want to miss a thing. When cancer struck, hard and fast, the
tears came but the laughter stayed. "Your mother taught us how
to live," Dad said, "and now she'll teach us how to die." And
so she did, with great dignity and selflessness. And though our
mother's death hurt us, and always will, to be such an intimate
part of her leave-taking -- at home -- was a privilege.
In our grief, we took comfort when others praised her lack of
pettiness and disdain for gossip, her sincerity and compassion,
how well she listened and appreciated every kindness, her child-like
delight in life itself. We had all been "Aunied" and we will
never be the same.
Tom and Larry are Clare's sons.
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FLYNN o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-06-19 published
Principal was 'a girl's best friend'
The head of Toronto's elite girls' school raised women's issues
long before the rise of feminism
By Allison
LAWLOR
Thursday,
June 19, 2003 - Page R9
Catherine STEELE, a dedicated educator who influenced thousands
of young women during her 20 years as head of Havergal College,
has died at age 93.
When Miss STEELE was appointed principal of the private school
for girls in North Toronto in 1952, she became its first Canadian
principal. The earlier principals were British, "typical of private-school
education," Miss
STEELE once said. She held the position until
1972, but remained closely connected to the school long after
her retirement.
Miss STEELE had a lifelong relationship with the school, being
herself a Havergal "old girl." She attended from 1923 to 1928,
and taught history there in the 1940s.
"She was just a remarkable woman. A woman that truly lived her
values," said Susan
DITCHBURN,
Havergal's current principal.
"She understood that schools like ours couldn't just stand still."
Considered ahead of her time, Miss
STEELE was talking about women's
issues during the 1930s and 1940s, long before feminism was popular.
She encouraged her young female students to use their talents,
and to try to make a difference in the world. She told them to
be ready to take on leadership roles, at a time when men held
most of the top positions.
"I believe," Miss
STEELE once said, "that when we realize we
are world citizens, we shall be on the road to winning the peace."
Inside the walls of Havergal, Miss
STEELE was admired and feared
by the girls. "She wouldn't tolerate nonsense," said her long-time
friend and colleague Marcelle
DEFREITAS.
Yet behind the imposing
presence was a quick and mischievous sense of humour. One morning,
as she took her usual place at the lectern in the school's assembly
hall for morning prayer, she looked down and found a dead mouse
that some of the girls had left for her. She quietly picked up
the mouse and scanned the room for the biology teacher. "I think
this is for you," she said.
After learning that the students had given her the nickname "Stainless
STEELE," she posted on her office door a magazine picture of
a young girl with a mouthful of shiny new braces. The caption
below the picture read: "Stainless [
STEELE] is a girl's best
friend."
Catherine Irene
STEELE was born in Toronto on March 31, 1910.
She was the only daughter of Irene Wilson
STEELE and Robert Clarke
STEELE, who built up a successful seed business. She grew up
with her three brothers in the affluent Forest Hill neighbourhood
and was sent to Havergal in 1923.
Miss STEELE went on to study at the University of Toronto and
the Ontario College of Education. After graduating in the 1930s,
she spent a summer travelling and then she went to teach at a
private girls' school in England.
Back in Canada, she returned to Havergal, this time as a history
teacher. She taught for several years there as well as at St.
Clement's, another girls' school in the city. In between, she
decided to further her education. After saving up enough money,
she headed to New York, where she completed her master's degree
at Columbia University.
At the onset of the Second World War, England was desperately
short of teachers, and Miss
STEELE answered the call. She boarded
a ship and headed to London, where she taught in the East End
during the Blitz.
She returned to Toronto after the war and found herself without
work. Prospective employers often told her that, at age 35, she
was just too old. Eventually she found a job at Ryerson Rehabilitation
Centre, where she taught veterans.
"I never taught more eager pupils," Miss
STEELE said.
Wanting to help a man who had been blinded during the war, Miss
STEELE read him the entire history course. He passed.
From there, Miss
STEELE went to the Royal Ontario Museum, where
she headed the education department. One of her fondest memories
was loading museum objects into a truck and travelling north
to remote communities to bring the museum objects to children
unable to visit Toronto.
While at the Royal Ontario Museum, she got a call from Havergal
asking her to return, this time as principal. During her 20 years
as the school's principal, Miss
STEELE was a fixture.
"She was a presence that was always there," said Harriet
BINKLEY,
who graduated in 1972. "She lived and breathed the school."
Described as a careful, frugal woman, Miss
STEELE lived on the
school's campus in simple quarters. One of her rituals every
night was to walk around the school making sure all the lights
were turned off.
As principal, Miss
STEELE made efforts to attract girls from
different countries and ethnic and religious backgrounds, broadening
the school beyond its Anglican roots. She also tackled inadequate
staff salaries and pensions, and encouraged teachers to take
leaves and pursue their education.
Miss STEELE "lived a life of service," said Reverend Kevin
FLYNN,
minister at the Church of St. Stephen-in-the-Fields in downtown
Toronto. She encouraged others to do the same. At Havergal, she
urged the girls to become involved in community organizations.
She also had them evaluate the annual reports of different charities
to determine which group had the greatest percentage of funds
going directly to programs.
Outside
Havergal,
Miss
STEELE sat on several boards, including
the Elizabeth Fry Society. She also spent many hours at the Church
of St. Stephen-in-the-Fields, helping with the church's programs
for the poor and homeless.
It was not uncommon to see Miss
STEELE's station wagon loaded
with used clothes and furniture for delivery, Reverend
FLYNN said.
In honour of her lifelong work, Miss
STEELE was given two honorary
degrees from the University of Toronto and York University.
Miss STEELE never married nor had any children of her own. "She
was too busy," Ms.
DEFREITAS said.
Miss STEELE died in a Toronto hospital on April 18. She leaves
her brother, Clarke Wilson
STEELE.
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FLYNN o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-06-21 published
FREEMAN,
Willard▼
Arthur,▼ 1922-2003
Arthur, dear husband of Margaret, died June 18, 2003. He was
the loved and respected father of James, Donald and Peter and
grandfather of Jamie, John, Jeffery, Jennifer, Dustin, Wyatt
and Skyler. He is survived by his sisters-in-law Lorna
FREEMAN,
Helen LOVE and Alison
FLYNN (Michael). Uncle Art will be missed,
especially at the cottage, by his nieces and nephews, Wendy and
Paul Sherwood, Malcolm and Elizabeth
GRAHAM, David and Judy
LOVE,
Barbara LOVE,
Jane▼ and Tim
ELLIOT/ELLIOTT, Joe
FLYNN and their children.
Grandpa▼ will also be remembered by Jane MacCabe
FREEMAN, mother
of Jamie, John, Jeffery and Jennifer and Laila
RAHNASTO, mother
of Dustin, Wyatt and Skyler. Cremation has taken place. A service
will be held at Central Presbyterian Church (Charlton and Caroline,
Hamilton, Ontario) on Monday, June 30th at 11 a.m. A reception
will be held in the Guild Room of the Church following the service.
Flowers gratefully declined.
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FLYNN o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-06-24 published
FREEMAN,
Willard▲
Arthur,▲ 1922-2003
Arthur, dear husband of Margaret, died June 18, 2003. He was
the loved and respected father of James, Donald and Peter and
grandfather of Jamie, John, Jeffery, Jennifer, Dustin, Wyatt
and Skyler. He is survived by his sisters-in-law Lorna
FREEMAN,
Helen LOVE and Alison
FLYNN (Michael). Uncle Art will be missed,
especially at the cottage, by his nieces and nephews, Wendy and
Paul SHERWOOD,
Malcolm and Elizabeth
GRAHAM, David and Judy
LOVE,
Barbara LOVE,
Jane▲ and Tim
ELLIOT/ELLIOTT, Joe
FLYNN and their children.
Grandpa▲ will also be remembered by Jane MacCabe
FREEMAN, mother
of Jamie, John, Jeffery and Jennifer and Laila
RAHNASTO, mother
of Dustin, Wyatt and Skyler. Cremation has taken place. A service
will be held at Central Presbyterian Church (Charlton and Caroline,
Hamilton, Ontario) on Monday, June 30th at 11 a.m. A reception
will be held in the Guild Room of the Church following the service.
Flowers gratefully declined.
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FLYNN o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-07-01 published
EBBS,
Adèle ''Couchie'' Page
(STATTEN)
Died serenely, at peace, on Saturday, June 28, 2003, in her own
home 10 days before her 94th birthday. Lovingly cared for by
her son John, his partner Bill
YEADAN and other compassionate
caregivers. Companion since 1924 of the late Dr. Harry
EBBS (1906
- 2000). ''Their portages often diverged but they paddled as
one.'' Daughter of the late Taylor ''Chief'' and Ethel ''Tonakela''
STATTEN.
Sister of Dr. Tay
STATTEN and the late Dr. Page
STATTEN.
Wonderful mother to Bobsie, Susan, John
EBBS. ''Geeya'' was so
proud of her grandchildren (children of Jim
HAYHURST and Sue
EBBS) Cindy
HAYHURST (Scott
HANSON), Jimmy
HAYHURST (Beth) and
Barbara HAYHURST
(Paddy
FLYNN.) ''NanaGeeya'' was joyously entertained
by her great-grandchildren Ben, Cameron, Griffen
HANSON;
Statten,
Quinn, Tatum
HAYHURSAINT_Dear to her always, Eleanor
PARMENTER
and Jean BUCHANAN.
From birth Couchie summered under canvass,
first at Geneva Park, Lake Couchiching, where her father directed
the Central Toronto Young Men's Christian Association camp and
from 1913 when the Stattens took a lease on Canoe Lake, Algonquin
Park. In 1921 and 1924 Camps Ahmek and Wapomeo were founded.
Graduate of Brown P.S., Bishop Strachan School, University College
U31T, O.C.E. Inductee of the University of Toronto Sports Hall
of Fame. Teacher at Oakwood Collegiate, after which she assumed
full-time directorship of Wapomeo until retirement in 1975. Involved
member of the Canadian, Ontario and American Camping Associations,
Bolton Camp Committee, Young Men's Christian Association Board.
Founding member of the Society of Camp Directors. Supporter of
the Taylor Statten Bursary Fund and Camp Tonakela in Madra, India.
Recipient of the Directors' Award of Friends of Algonquin. Patron
of the Tom Thomson exhibit, in memory of her husband, at the
Algonquin Park Visitors Centre. Loyal sister of Kappa Kappa Gamma.
Avid member of the Federation of Ontario Naturalists, Toronto
Mycology Society, the Toronto Camera Club, Rotary Club of Toronto
Inner Wheel, Women's Auxiliary at the Hospital for Sick Children,
University Women's Club. Enthusiastic member of Osler Bluff Ski
Club and Rosedale Golf Club. Founding member of Lawrence Park
Community Church. She and Harry travelled widely sharing their
passion for children in camping, paediatric medicine and other
youth causes. Her strong leadership, fairness, integrity, wisdom
and instinct to see the good in all has touched thousands and
will be her legacy for generations. If you wish, remember Couchie
by donating to The Camping Archives, Bata Library, Trent University,
Peterborough, Ontario K9J 7B8 or to any of the above organizations.
In early September a Celebration of her Life will be held at
Lawrence Park Community Church, Toronto. Friends on Canoe Lake
are invited to renimisce and tell tall tales at her beloved Little
Wapomeo Island on Monday, July 7th, 3-6 p.m. Memories may be
posted at www.firesoffriendship.com. ''Here Let the Northwoods'
Spirit Kindle Fires of Friendship.''
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FLYNN o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-08-20 published
Ex-politician and war hero
FLYNN dies
Was chairman of Metropolitan Toronto
By James RUSK Municipal Affairs Reporter Wednesday, August 20,
2003 - Page A17
Dennis FLYNN, a war hero who parachuted into France on D-Day
and eventually rose to be chairman of Metropolitan Toronto, died
yesterday morning as he was preparing to observe an army reserve
exercise at Canadian Forces Base Petawawa.
Mr. FLYNN, 79, who had been in poor health in recent years, collapsed,
apparently of a heart attack, at his hotel in Pembroke, and was
pronounced dead at Pembroke General Hospital, the Canadian Armed
Forces said in a statement.
Mr. FLYNN was mayor of Etobicoke from 1972 to 1984, the longest-serving
mayor of the Toronto suburb, and was chairman of Metropolitan
Toronto from 1984 to 1988. He continued to serve on Metro Council
until the 1997 amalgamation that created the new City of Toronto.
He served on the Toronto Police Services Board and was awarded
the Order of Canada in 2001.
Major Tim LOURIE, public-relations director of the exercise,
said Mr. FLYNN travelled to Pembroke on Monday to observe a reserve
exercise in which the Toronto Scottish Regiment (the Queen Mother's
Own,) of which Mr.
FLYNN was the honorary lieutenant-colonel,
was participating.
"Unfortunately, he didn't even get out to see us here," Major
LOURIE said. The regiment received the call that he had collapsed
in the hotel just before a group of honorary colonels was heading
out to observe the exercise.
Mr. FLYNN, was born in County Cork, Ireland, in 1923. When he
was two years old he migrated with his family to the Kensington
section of Toronto, long a melting pot for immigrants.
In 1938, at age 15, he joined the Toronto Scottish and volunteered
for active service at the outbreak of the Second World War. In
1942, he joined the joint Canadian-American unit that came to
be known as the Devil's Brigade, and in 1943, he transferred
to the 1st Canadian Parachute Regiment.
He jumped into Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944, where he was
wounded by German fire. After recovery, he rejoined the regiment,
jumped into Germany on March 24, 1945, in Operation Varsity,
the crossing of the Rhine River, and was wounded again when part
of his leg was shattered by machine-gun fire as he escorted two
German prisoners across the Rhine.
As a result of the wound, Mr.
FLYNN walked with a cane for the
rest of his life. "One of his most self-deprecating comments,
when talking to young soldiers, was that he had made only three
jumps. One was for practice, one was on D-Day, and the third
and last was across the Rhine," commented Lieutenant-Colonel
Mike TRAYNER, commanding officer of the Toronto Scottish.
After the war, he joined the City of Toronto's clerk's department,
and rose to be protocol officer. He failed in his first run for
mayor of Etobicoke in 1969, but upset the incumbent, Doug
LACEY,
in 1972.
In 1984, he was elected chairman of Metropolitan Toronto, replacing
Paul GODFREY, now president of the Toronto Blue Jays, who was
then leaving Toronto politics to become publisher of the Toronto
Sun. His career as Metro chairman ended in 1988, when he lost
to Alan TONKS, now a member of parliament.
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FLYNN o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-10-16 published
LAMONT,
Jean
Annette
(ROBINS)
Jean died peacefully, on Tuesday, October 14, 2003 in Toronto,
with her children Doug and Anne at her side; in her 84th year.
Predeceased by her loving husband and friend of 53 years, Bruce
Maitland LAMONT, a former senior international executive with
Royal Bank of Canada. Survived by son, James Douglas and his
wife Kathy, stepchildren Melissa and August and step-great granddaughter,
Elizabeth; and daughter Anne and husband Christopher
JAMES and
their daughter, Kathleen. Cherished sister of Joan
BAILEY and
her children, Robin (Marie,) Joanne (Ken
HOLT,)
John
(Clare)
and Janet (Heino
CLAESSENS) and their families. Remembered by
sisters-in-law Pauline
FLYNN
(Hank) and Meribeth
LAMONT and their
families and the extended
LAMONT clan. Special thanks to cousin
Joanne HOLT for all her support and help over the last few years.
Thank you to the staff and Mom's new Friends at the Kingsway
Retirement Residence, Etobicoke for their Friendship and support
in making the Kingsway her home away from home. A graduate of
MacDonald Hall, Guelph University (1940) and Toronto Western
Hospital School of Nursing (1943) she was always proud of her
accomplishment as one of Canada's first female nursing flight
attendants with Trans Canada Airways. Mom was an avid bridge
player and golfer, a social dynamo who cherished her wide circle
of Friends. A celebration of her life will be held on Saturday,
October 18, 2003 at 11: 00 a.m. at Knox Presbyterian Church, 89
Dunn Street (at Lakeshore Road), Oakville. If desired, in lieu
of flowers, donations in Jean's memory to a charity of your choice
would be appreciated.
Mom, a Grand Slam and a hole-in-one to you. Love always.
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FLYNN o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-12-24 published
Fight master set standards for stage combat
Canadian Press, Wednesday, December 24, 2003 - Page R9
Stratford, Ontario -- Patrick (Paddy)
CREAN, a longtime fight
director at the Stratford Festival who set international standards
on staging combat in theatre, died Monday after an illness. He
was 93.
Mr. CREAN, who was a competitive fencer, began choreographing
fights in 1932 when he was working in his native England as an
actor in The Legends of Don Juan. From then on he was frequently
hired to stage fight scenes in theatre and movies such as The
Master of Ballantree and The Sword of Sherwood Forest. He worked
with actors including Paul
SCOFIELD,
Laurence
OLIVIER, Trevor
HOWARD, Alec
GUINNESS, Douglas
FAIRBANKS Jr. and Errol
FLYNN,
often acting as
FLYNN's stunt double in movies.
Mr. CREAN first came to the Stratford Festival in 1962 to be
fight arranger for a staging of Macbeth and ended up by making
Stratford his home. He remained as festival fight director until
1983, arranging combat scenes for such demanding productions
as The Three Musketeers. He continued to work as an actor, sometimes
taking small roles in shows for which he had done fight arranging
and also performing a one-man show, The Sun Never Sets. A funeral
will be held Saturday in Stratford.
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