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REGINA o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2005-06-09 published
TAILOR/TAYLOR, Lois May
Peacefully at Tillsonburg District Memorial Hospital surrounded by her loving family on Wednesday June 8, 2005 Lois May TAILOR/TAYLOR of Brownsville, and formerly of New Buffalo, Michigan age 62 years. Beloved wife of Warner TAILOR/TAYLOR. Dear mother of Christine REGINA (Todd) of Indiana; Mike ARMENTROUT (Charmaine) of Michigan Pat ARMENTROUT (Diane) of South Carolina; Diane FRICK (Gary) of Indiana; Leroy ARMENTROUT of Indiana. Dear stepmother of Terrie (Paul) WILEY; Paul TAILOR/TAYLOR; Tanya TAILOR/TAYLOR; Tricia TAILOR/TAYLOR (Nick) all of Ontario. Cherished and much loved grandmother of 16 grandchildren, and 3 great-grandchildren. Beloved daughter-in-law of Ingrid KETCHABAW. Dear sister of Ken GLOSSINGER of Michigan; Don GLOSSINGER (Jackie) of Michigan. Lois was predeceased by a brother Art GLOSSINGER, and sister June HAWKINS. The family will receive Friends and family at Ostrander's Funeral Home, 43 Bidwell Street, Tillsonburg (842-5221) on Friday June 10, 2005 from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Complete funeral services for Lois will be held in Ostrander's Funeral Home Chapel on Saturday June 11, 2005 at 3 p.m. Reverend Ted McDONALD of Aylmer Full Gospel Church officiating. Interment will take place on Monday in Lakeside Cemetery, New Buffalo Michigan. In Lois's memory at the family's request memorial donations (payable by cheque) may be made to the Canadian Cancer Society. Personal condolences may be sent to www.ostrandersfuneralhome.com

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REGINA o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2005-02-07 published
LOCILENTO, Domenica▼
God called Domenica peacefully from Etobicoke General Hospital on February 6, 2005 at the age of 99. She will be reunited in heaven with her loving husband Antonio. Domenica will be cherished by her dear children Maria (predeceased) (Rocco REGINA,) Frank▼ (Gianna), Rosa (John CANITANO), Giovanna (Guiseppe FILAZZOLA), Angelo (Grace), Teresa and loving friend Bill BURNS. Survived by brother in Italy. She will be held dear in the hearts of her many grandchildren, nieces, nephews, relatives and many Friends. Family will receive Friends at the Fratelli Vescio Funeral Homes Ltd. (8101 Weston Road, south of Langstaff Road, 905-850-3332), on Monday from 7-9 p.m. and Tuesday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. A funeral mass will be celebrated on Wednesday from St. Augustine of Canterbury Roman Catholic Church (on Shoreham, west of Jane Street). Entombment to follow at the Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery (on Yonge Street, south of Hwy. #7). In lieu of flowers, the Locilento family will accept donations to the Heart and Stroke Foundation and Canadian Cancer Society.

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REGINA o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2005-06-14 published
Swim tragedy claims second child victim
Seven-year-old boy dies in hospital a day after his brother drowned
By Joe FRIESEN and Eric VANDEN BUSSCHE, Tuesday, June 14, 2005, Page A15
With reports from Jen GERSON and Ken KILPATRICK in Hamilton
Fergus -- Already reeling from the drowning of their nine-year-old boy, a Toronto family was faced with a mounting tragedy last night as their seven-year-old son died in a Toronto hospital.
Calvin LE had been in critical care at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto after a swimming accident that killed his brother Larry on Sunday.
The LE family spent the day shuttling between the Hospital for Sick Children and the McMaster Medical Centre in Hamilton, where a third son, eight-year-old Anthony, is being treated. Anthony's condition was upgraded to fair from serious yesterday.
The three children were involved in a horrifying incident at a beach in the Belwood Lake Conservation Area near Fergus on Sunday afternoon. The boys were swimming in the shallow water when someone noticed that Anthony was in trouble. He was pulled from the water and bystander Eddie RIVERA began to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The boy's mother was apparently in such shock that she momentarily forgot about her two other sons who had also slipped under the water.
After a frantic 10-minute search, the two boys were pulled from the bottom by Mr. RIVERA of Kitchener, who had just finished reviving Anthony using cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Mr. RIVERA, 28, told the Guelph Mercury that he dove deep into the water and scooped the two boys from the lake bottom, carrying them to the surface.
"It was just cold and dark," he said yesterday. "I knew I was going to run into a face. I guess I was more or less scared."
The boys were swimming at a former quarry site that has been transformed into a bathing area. The designated swimming zone, which is about one metre deep, is roped off with a floating line of white buoys. Beyond that line, the bottom drops off sharply, reaching a depth of five metres in the centre.
There are no lifeguards on duty, nor is there any supervision. Large signs near the beach warn parents that the beach patrol service, which operated until 1996, has been discontinued and that the safety of their children is their responsibility.
Yesterday, the Grand River Conservation Authority, which is responsible for the area, said it would examine safety procedures at all of its beaches in the wake of this incident and another recent drowning near Cambridge, Ontario
Dave SCHULTZ, spokesman for the conservation authority, said the review would likely examine issues such as signage and emergency procedures and might consider the question of staffing.
He said the beach patrol was discontinued partly for financial reasons and partly because it was thought to provide parents with a false sense of security. Members of the beach patrol were not trained lifeguards but watched swimmers.
Mr. SCHULTZ said budget cuts that were accelerated under the government of Mike Harris reduced the conservation authority's funding by several million dollars. A 1996 report to the authority's planning committee recommended cutting the beach patrol service because it was being phased out in other areas of the province and because it would save about $50,000 a year.
At Sick Kids hospital yesterday, more than half a dozen family members, many fighting tears, crowded into a corner of the waiting room of the critical-care unit.
In Hamilton, Le LINH, an uncle from Guelph, was with the boys' parents as they sat at Anthony's bedside.
He said their mother is very upset, but added that he didn't know much more.
"They don't talk too much, so I don't know exactly what happened. I just know they've [the children] been drowned in the water," he said.
He added that he thinks Anthony's condition is improving.
"He's a little bit awake and then they are going to take the tube out," he said. "Once in a while, he is moving and trying to wake up, but he can hear."
At the boys' elementary school, St. Jane Frances Catholic School on Jane Street in North York, principal Maria CIOPPA said the community was shocked and saddened by the news.
Larry's Grade 4 teacher, Maria LA REGINA, said he was a creative child with a mischievous smile. He was so small he would often be confused for a Grade 1 pupil and was known for his funny dances.
Mary Jo DEIGHAN, a spokeswoman for the Catholic School Board, said counselling services will be provided at the school for the next several days.
"This shows how important it is to look after children," Ms. DEIGHAN said. "Never let them out of your sight, not even for a second."
How 2 letter Surnames like LE work in OGSPI

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REGINA o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-02-07 published
LOCILENTO, Domenica▲
God called Domenica peacefully from Etobicoke General Hospital on February 6, 2005 at the age of 99. She will be reunited in heaven with her loving husband Antonio. Domenica will be cherished by her dear children Maria (predeceased) (Rocco REGINA,) Frank▲ (Gianna), Rosa (John CANITANO), Giovanna (Giuseppe FILAZZOLA), Angelo (Grace), Teresa and loving friend Bill BURNS. Survived by brother in Italy. She will be held dear in the hearts of her many grandchildren, nieces, nephews, relatives, and many Friends. Family will receive Friends at the Fratelli Vescio Funeral Homes Ltd. (8101 Weston Rd., south of Langstaff Rd., 905-850-3332) on Monday from 7-9 p.m. and Tuesday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Wednesday from St. Augustine of Canterbury Roman Catholic Church (on Shoreham, west of Jane St.). Entombment to follow at the Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery (on Yonge Street, south of Hwy. 7). In lieu of flowers, the Locilento family will accept donations to the Heart and Stroke Foundation and Canadian Cancer Society.

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REGINOLD o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-09-17 published
THURAIRAJASINGAM, Muttiah Edward
(Formerly Anglo Ceylon Trades Agency's Managing Director Manjulas Enterprises Pvt. Ltd.). Dearly beloved husband of Winifred, loving father of Manjula (U.K.), late Vinothkumar and of Inbakumar (Australia), Thanjula (Australia), Mohankumar (U.K.) and Niranjula (U.K.) loving father-in-law of Anton STRONG (U.K.,) Shamila (Australia,) Thevathayan (Australia), and Sanjayan (U.K.); much loved grandfather of Saja and Jonathan STRONG (U.K.,) Angel, Abigail and Joseph (Australia), Vinoth and Vivek (Australia), Andrea, Aaron and Alicia (U.K.); brother of Grace, late Navaratnam and of Doreen, Ruth, Rajasingham, Ranji and Jeeva; brother-in-law of Rajadurai, Ambikapathy, Rajasooriar, late Kulamani and of Christy, Candappa, Mr. and Mrs. SABARATNAM, Mr. and Mrs. REGINOLD, Shelton, Mr. and Mrs. LOGE, Mr. and Mrs. GLEN, Mr. and Mrs. RAJADURAI and Mr. and Mrs. TERRENCE. Remains lay at A.F. Raymond's Funeral Parlour, Sri Lanka on Friday, September 16th from 11 a.m. onwards. Cortege leaves the Parlour on Saturday, September 17th at 4 p.m. Burial at General Cemetery, Kanatte (Roman Catholic Section).

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REGNIER o@ca.on.kent_county.wallaceburg.wallaceburg_courier_press 2005-03-23 published
REGNIER, Joseph▼ Louis▼
Jospeh▼ Louis▼ " Louie▼" REGNIER of Wallaceburg passed away on Saturday, March 19, 2005 in his 77th year. Louie drove taxi cab in Wallaceburg for over 42 years. Dear friend and companion to Grace McNEIL. Loving▼ father and father-in-law of Daniel, Douglas, Linda LONGVAL, Elaine CAMPBELL and Norman MORRIS, Mary and Mattheos MATTHEOS and Ronald and Lori REGNIER. Dear grandfather of Chris, Jaclyn, Sara, Joseph and Phillip REGNIER, Jennifer, Tamara, Vicki and Nathalie LONGVAL, James II and Jeremy and Deseray CAMPBELL and Victor and Katerena MATTHEOS. Great grandfather of Hailey. Brother of Beatrice CUMMINGS and Katie and Floyd CRAVEN. Friends may call at the Haycock-Cavanagh Funeral Home, 409 Nelson Street in Wallaceburg from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. on Tuesday. Funeral Services will be celebrated by Fr. Greg BONIN on Wednesday, March 23, 2005 in the chapel at 11 a.m. The interment will follow in Dresden Cemetery. If desired, remembrances to the M.S. Society or the Canadian Cancer Society may be left at the funeral home. 519-627-3231.

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REGNIER o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2005-03-21 published
REGNIER, Joseph▲ Louis▲ " Louie▲"
Joseph▲ Louis▲ " Louie▲" REGNIER of Wallaceburg on Saturday, March 19, 2005 in his 77th year. Louie drove taxi cab in Wallaceburg for over 42 years. Dear friend and companion to Grace McNEIL. Loving▲ father of Daniel, Douglas, Linda LONGVAL, Elaine CAMPBELL, Mary MATTHEWS and Ronald REGNIER. Brother of Beatrice CUMMINGS and Katie and Floyd CRAVEN. Friends may call at the Haycock-Cavanagh Funeral Home in Wallaceburg from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. on Tuesday. Funeral Services will be held Wednesday, March 23, in the chapel at 11 a.m. Interment to follow in Dresden Cemetery.

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REGNIER o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2005-06-14 published
DUGGAL, Ajudhia Nath " Doug"
Peacefully passed away on Sunday, June 12, 2005. Loving husband of Asha DUGGAL and father of Dr. Neil DUGGAL (Louise RAYMOND,) Dr. Naven DUGGAL (Pamela PURI) and Dr. Anil DUGGAL (Heather RICHARDSON). Devoted son-in-law of Mr. Brij and Mrs. Parkash SEHGAL. son of the late Jagan Nath and Shiva Devi DUGGAL. Brother of Badri, Kailash, Som, Amar and Santosh (Mohinder MALHOTRA) and families. Dedicated grandfather of Chloé, Camille, Émilie, Jaden and Evan. Loved by all his nieces and nephews. Born in India, educated in England and in Canada in the late 1950's and early 1960's. Doug worked for many years at the National Energy Board retiring to teach economics and mathematics. Thanks to the dedicated staff at the Ottawa Cancer Clinic and the Ottawa General Hospital. Great appreciation for the loving care from Doctors REGNIER, GOSS, LOCHRIN, JONES, the cancer clinic nurses Gail and Caroline, as well as 5 east nursing staff Lorna, Linda, Judy and Jocelyne. Thanks also to the Community Care Access Staff and The Victorian Order of Nurses. He will be sadly missed by his family and many Friends. The family will appreciate donations to the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation, 503 Smyth Road, Ottawa, Ontario K1H 1C4.
Friends may visit the West Chapel at Hulse, Playfair and McGarry, 150 Woodroffe Avenue, Ottawa on Tuesday, June 14, 2005 from 7-9 p.m. Cremation service will be held at the Pinecrest Chapel, 2500 Baseline Road on Wednesday, June 15, 2005 at 11 a.m.
Dad fought his illness with courage and dignity until his last breath. He lived for his family and his family lived for him. He will forever live in our hearts and be a pillar of strength for us and his loving wife "Baboo".

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REGNIER o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-11-15 published
O'SULLIVAN, Gerard " Gerry" Joseph
Born April 18, 1925, Toronto. He passed away November 13, 2005, in the Queen Elizabeth 2 Victoria General Site. He was the son of the late Denis and Elizabeth (KERSHAW) O'SULLIVAN. Gerry graduated in 1946 from the University of Toronto with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He later went on to have a varied and interesting career in nuclear engineering with Atomic Energy of Canada at Sheridan Park, Ontario. He wanted best to be known for doing his job well - as a husband, a father, a grandfather and an engineer. He enjoyed the camaraderie of Friends: playing golf, bridge and bowling, all associated with Brightwood Golf and Country Club, Dartmouth. His spontaneous sense of humour amused and endeared him to many. He is survived by his beloved wife of 53 years, Josephine (Jo) née STRICKEY of Sydney, Cape Breton Island, his dear daughter Marianne (DARIUSZ,) the apple of his eye - granddaughter Anna, his brother Jack, his sisters Mary BROOKS, Helen HEAKES, Agnes (Wilfred) NEVINS, Bernadette (Jim) SWIFT, all of Ontario, Maureen (Jim) SMITH, Quebec, many nieces and nephews. Cremation has taken place. Visitation will be held 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. on Wednesday, November 17, 2005 in A.L. Mattatall Funeral Home, Dartmouth. A Mass to celebrate Gerry's life will be held at St. Peter's Church, Dartmouth, Thursday, November 17th, at 12 noon, Father Owen Connelly officiating. Burial in Resurrection Cemetery, Cape Breton Island at a later date. Family flowers only, please. Memorial donations can be made to the Canadian Cancer Society, St. Peter's Church or a charity of your choice. Special thanks to Doctors LOUCHRIN, REGNIER, LAURIE and CAULDRELIER and nurses on the 5th floor of the Ottawa General Hospital. Also to Drs. Archibald, Morzycki, McIntyre, Johnson, and Somers, nurse Heather Beaton and the nurses on 6A of the Victoria General Hospital. Email condolences to almattatallfh@alderwoods.com

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REGO o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2005-02-16 published
WHITMAN, Marjorie (née OWEN)
Peacefully at home, surrounded by loving family after a courageous battle with cancer, on February 15 at age 82. Predeceased by her beloved husband Dr. Rodger WHITMAN. Dear father of Janis BISBACK (Peter), Hensall, Anita McGRATH (Jim), Selkirk, Joanne and Darlene DEE both of Hamilton and Laura and Ernst HEUSER, Stevensville. Loving▼ grandma to Victoria REGO (Clayton,) Peter-Owen BISBACK, David BISBACK, Kevin LINDSAY (Shannon), Trevor LINDSAY and Renee LINDSAY. Special Great-grandma to Olivia and Lauren REGO. Dear Sister-in-law of Vern WHITMAN (Eileen), Eleanor COUSINS and Marion DAWDY. The family will receive Friends at the WHITMAN residence at 22 Wheeler Road, Selkirk, on Thursday, February 17 from 1-5 and 7-9. Funeral Service to be held at Saint John's Anglican Church, Cheapside on Friday, February 18 at 1 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Alzheimer Society, Cancer Assistance Program or charity of your choice.

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REGO o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-04-05 published
AMARELO, Cristovao " Cris"
Longtime manager of Southwest Bindings in Scarborough. Peacefully, surrounded by his family at the William Osler Health Centre, Brampton on Monday, April 4th, 2005 at the age of 54 years. Cris, beloved husband of Marilena (née REGO.) Loving▲ father of Odessa, Ray, and Shaun. Dear brother of Manuel (Maria) of Toronto, Moses (Maria) of Whitby, Leo (Vangie), Mike (Rosa), Jaime (Julia) of Mississauga, and Dina (Paul MacHADO) of Ajax. He will be greatly missed by many nieces, nephews, relatives and Friends. Special thanks to Dr. Margaret BALCEWICZ, and all of the caring nurses and staff of the Brampton Hospital Oncology Department. Visitation at the Scott Funeral Home "Brampton Chapel", 289 Main St. N., 905-451-1100 on Tuesday, April 5th, 2005 from 6-9 p.m. and Wednesday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Funeral Thursday at St. Jerome's Church (Chinguacousy Rd., north of Steeles), Brampton for Mass at 12 p.m. Cremation. In memory of Cris, donations to the Canadian Cancer Society would be appreciated. Sign a book of condolences at www.obituariestoday.com

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REGO o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-12-13 published
REIS, Maria (née REGO) (March 2, 1919-December 11, 2005)
Of Maynard Nursing Home, Halton Street. Visitation 1-4 and 6-9 p.m. Wednesday at the Ryan and Odette Funeral Home, 1498 Dundas St. W., at Dufferin, Toronto. Mass 9 a.m. Thursday at St. Agnes Church to Prospect Cemetery. Mrs. REIS, who died at her residence, was predeceased by husband Henrique, and sons Joseph and Robert. Surviving are: daughters, Regina MIRANDA (John), Vivelina BENCZE, Marcy LABILE (Nick,) Elda PECE (Leo,) Armanda PECE (Mike;) son Samuel REIS (Carol;) daughters-in-law, Orminda REIS and Susan REIS; 19 grandchildren; 7 great-grandchildren. Parking is no problem - simply enter from Dufferin, just north of Dundas.

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REGT o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-11-30 published
DE REGT, Peggy (née COURTNEY)
Peacefully at the Oakville Trafalgar Hospital on Monday, November 28, 2005 at the age of 71. Loving mom of Kerri CAMERON and her husband Brian and Jaynie EZEWSKI and her husband Chris. Dear grandma to Courtney, Colleen, Valerie, Darcy and Patrick. Predeceased by her brother Bruce COURTNEY and her nephew Todd, and fondly remembered by Bruce's wife Jo Anne and Glenn. Peggy will be lovingly remembered by her many family and Friends. Friends may call at the Turner and Porter "Peel" Chapel, 2180 Hurontario Street, Mississauga (Hwy. 10 N of Queen Elizabeth Way) on Thursday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Funeral Service to be held in the Chapel on Friday, December 2, 2005 at 1 p.m. Interment Springcreek Cemetery. If desired, remembrances may be made to a charity of your choice.

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REGU o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-03-12 published
BROWN, Lee " Edith Leola" (née COLE)
Formerly of Southampton and Sauble Beach. Daughter of the late Edith and Secord COLE of Owen Sound, passed away peacefully in her sleep in Barrie, Ontario on Thursday, March 3, 2005. Lee was in her 80th year and is survived by her husband of 60 years (Bob) Robert W. BROWN of Innisfil Gardens Retirement Home, her daughters, Cathy (Keith) HAMPSHIRE of Lefroy, and Jan (David) KUBBINGA of Oshawa. Lee was a loving grandmother to Laurie (Danny) REGU, Christian (Megan) HAMPSHIRE, Laura HAMPSHIRE, Ashley and Robert KUBBINGA. She was also an adoring great-grandmother to Logan REGU. Mrs. BROWN was predeceased by her brothers Carmen, Bill and Bev COLE and granddaughter Meaghan KUBBINGA. At Mrs. BROWN's request, there was no visitation or funeral service. Donations may be made to The Hospital for Sick Children or the Canadian Cancer Society.

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REGULAR o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-03-06 published
CIERO, Antonio " Tony"
Suddenly as a result of a motor vehicle accident on March 4, 2005 at the age of 35. Beloved husband of Mandy (née REGULAR) and son of Maria and his late father Gaetano. Cherished by his sister Ripalda (Mario CIPRIANO,) niece Christina, and by many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and Friends. Relatives and Friends will be received at the Bernardo Funeral Home, 2960 Dufferin St. (2 streets south of Lawrence Ave.) on Sunday from 2 to 4 and 6 to 9 p.m. and Monday from 6 to 9 p.m. The Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Tuesday, March 8, 2005 at 10 a.m. in Saint Thomas Aquinas Church (640 Glenholme Ave. - Eglinton Ave. east of Dufferin St.). As expressions of sympathy, donations to M.A.D.D. and/or the Canadian Cancer Society will be appreciated by the family.

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REGULY o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2005-11-09 published
Beland HONDERICH, Newspaper Publisher (1918-2005)
Micromanager changed the Toronto Star from a scoop-an-edition news sheet into an information-based vehicle for an emerging middle class, writes Sandra MARTIN
By Sandra MARTIN, Wednesday, November 9, 2005, Page S9
An outsider who joined the Toronto Star as a "wartime replacement," Beland (Bee) HONDERICH worked his way up through the newsroom to become editor, publisher and ultimately chairman of the board of the country's largest and most colourful city newspaper. Its archives can boast staff bylines belonging to Ernest Hemingway (he likened it to "serving in the Prussian army under a bad general"), Pierre Berton, Gordon Sinclair and Peter Newman.
A micromanager and a curmudgeon who was feared more than he was loved, he transformed and modernized the Star, built a legendary newsroom in the late 1950s and 1960s, fought and won a newspaper war with the now defunct Toronto Telegram, bought up its circulation lists and its fleet of community newspapers, crusaded in support of diversity, national unity and cultural nationalism, and acquired Harlequin Enterprises, for many years a substantial cash cow for Torstar Corp.
"He took a paper that mattered and turned it into a great newspaper. I think his impact on Canadian journalism and his craft was huge," said his son, John HONDERICH, himself a former editor and publisher of the Toronto Star and now a member of the board of directors of Torstar Corp.
He was hard to love, but easy to respect, said Peter NEWMAN, editor-in-chief from 1969 to 1971. "I was always impressed by his wisdom, his determination and his optimistic view of the Canadian future. Unlike most publishers, his ideology went way beyond the bottom line. He never really understood the Canada that stretched beyond the shadow of the C.N. Tower, but he loved the idea of this country."
Beland (Bee) Hugh HONDERICH was born in Baden (near Kitchener,) Ontario, one of six children of John William HONDERICH, a Mennonite postmaster and railway agent, and Rae Laura (ARMSTRONG,) a Presbyterian. Religion was a contentious and omnipresent factor, according to Mr. HONDERICH's youngest brother, philosopher Edgar (Ted) HONDERICH. His father liked unusual names. He called his eldest son Loine and he named his second son after a physician named Béland in Montreal.
During the Depression, the family home was sold at auction when the mortgage holder foreclosed. Beland left school after Grade 8 to help support the family and began working as the Baden correspondent for the Kitchener Record (now The Record) in 1935 at the age of 17.
He did well covering two big fires in his community and made the move to the Toronto Star as a wartime replacement in 1943, earning $35 a week. He had been rejected from the armed forces because he had poor eyesight and a bad ear. When he got to the Star, he was told "all the good men were away fighting" and warned that there wouldn't be a job for him when they came back.
Shy, private, and insecure -- the poorly educated country man in the big city -- he "always felt he had to work twice as hard," according to his son, John.
Mr. HONDERICH told the journalist Doug (now George) FETHERLING in a 1983 interview for Saturday Night magazine that "you produced or else," explaining that he covered two speeches a day, delivering a few facts and a couple of "punchy" quotes. "It left a deep impression on my mind... what people are interested in is information." This was a lesson he would apply when he had control of the paper.
Far from being dismissed when peace was declared, he was promoted to financial editor in 1945, named editor-in-chief a decade later and elected a director of the company in 1957.
The Toronto Star is a private business like other newspapers in Canada, but it is unusual in that it is owned by a group of families and it operates according to a set of principles established by the late Joseph ATKINSON Sr. He became editor in 1899, quickly turned the struggling newspaper around and soon acquired a controlling interest. In 1911, Harry C. HINDMARSH joined the paper. He became Mr. ATKINSON's lieutenant and his son-in-law. Together, they turned the newspaper into the home of "razzle-dazzle journalism," ordering saturation coverage of big stories and indulging in huge headlines, full-page pictures and wacky stunts. They also supported the Liberal Party and social-welfare issues such as mothers' allowances, unemployment insurance, old-age pensions, minimum wages and the rights of labour unions. The combination of Christian piety, free-wheeling Fabian socialism and popular journalism was good for circulation and advertising revenues. By 1913, the Star was Toronto's largest paper and Mr. ATKINSON was its controlling shareholder.
He died in 1948, leaving an estate of more than $8-million, putting the bulk of it, including the ownership of the paper, into the Atkinson Charitable Foundation, which he had established six years earlier. In his will, he directed that profits from the paper's operations were "for the promotion and maintenance of social, scientific and economic reforms which are charitable in nature, for the benefit of the people of the province of Ontario" and he stipulated that the paper could be sold only to people who shared his social views.
Mr. HINDMARSH became president of the five-person board established to govern the paper and carry out Mr. ATKINSON's wishes. However, the Ontario government, led by Conservative Leslie FROST, and rival newspapers, including The Globe and Mail and The Toronto Telegram, argued that the foundation was merely a device to avoid paying succession duties on Mr. ATKINSON's estate.
The FROST government passed a law forbidding charitable foundations from owning more than 10 per cent of a profit-making business. The Star was given seven years to sell its business interests, with the foundation's trustees, officers and directors allowed to buy them, subject to the approval of the Supreme Court of Canada.
While this wrangling was going on, Mr. HINDMARSH dropped dead of a heart attack on December 20, 1956. The new board of the Atkinson Foundation was made up of Joseph S. ATKINSON (son of the late Mr. ATKINSON,) his sister Ruth HINDMARSH (widow of Mr. HINDMARSH), Burnett THALL, William J. CAMPBELL and Mr. HONDERICH.
In 1958, after swearing before the Supreme Court that they would uphold the principles outlined in Mr. ATKINSON's will, they were allowed to buy the newspaper. They paid $25.5-million in a leveraged buyout, which Globe business columnist Eric REGULY has called "the steal of the century." They put down $1-million in cash and secured most of the rest by selling debt and preferred shares to the public.
Mr. HONDERICH, who had been editor for three years and on the board for one, had no family money or other resources to draw upon. He was living in a duplex with his wife and three children. "We had one couch and one chair," said his son John. "The Bank of Commerce virtually put up all the money, but the security was the shares of the largest newspaper in the country."
In addition, Mr. HONDERICH took a personal loan for his 15-per-cent share, helped by advice and references from accountant, cultural nationalist and later politician, Walter GORDON. Today, Torstar Corp., the media conglomerate that owns the Star, is worth about $1.7-billion.
As editor and then publisher, Mr. HONDERICH built the great Toronto Star newsroom of the late 1950s and 1960s. He transformed the paper from a flashy, scoop-an-edition news sheet into an information-based vehicle for columnists and critics. He quickly realized, according to journalist Val SEARS, that the real market in the postwar period lay in finding readers among the young middle class in the suburbs who were moving up through the social strata.
They wanted context and information, not just headlines. Ron HAGGART worked as a columnist for the Star in the sixties. Mr. HONDERICH had the right ideas about how to change the Star, which was a stodgy, old-fashioned paper, according to Mr. HAGGART. "It was still a paper that believed the most recent event deserved a headline because it had happened in the last hour."
Among the stable of writers and editors Mr. HONDERICH enlisted or celebrated were: Pierre Berton as a daily columnist, Charles Templeton as managing editor, Nathan Cohen as drama critic, Milt Dunnell on sports, Gwyn (Jocko) Thomas on crime and Peter NEWMAN as Ottawa editor and editor-in-chief.
He loved to hire people, said journalist Robert FULFORD, who worked for the Star twice (from 1958 to 1962 and from 1964 to 1968), but he quickly grew bored with them. Managing editors were a notoriously endangered species, according to Mr. FULFORD, who once joked that after more than two years on the job, managing editors took on the look of "hunted animals." When he was having trouble sleeping at night, police reporter Jocko Thomas was said to recite the names of the more than 40 city editors who served during his long career at the paper.
Mr. NEWMAN spent seven years at the Star, leaving in 1971 in "frustration because [Mr. HONDERICH] was always stone-cold certain about what he didn't want, but not good at suggesting practical options."
He could be a bully. "He wasn't a particularly big man, but he looked big to his employees. He tended to tower," said Mr. SEARS, who worked for Mr. HONDERICH for about 25 years in a number of capacities, including Ottawa bureau chief and Washington correspondent. "He spoke low, but he made his position very clear. On the other hand, he was certainly the best publisher I ever worked for because he knew what he wanted and he would back you up."
Saying that he and Mr. HONDERICH fought a lot, especially when he was editor of the editorial page, Mr. SEARS said he always thought it was a mistake to try to outguess his boss. Mr. HONDERICH seemed aware of his power. "He once said to me, 'If I walk through that newsroom and I say to someone it is a nice day, by the final edition I have two full pages on the weather," said Mr. SEARS.
Stories abound about Mr. HONDERICH's tendency to micromanage. When he was editor, he behaved as though he was the publisher and when he became publisher and president in 1966, "he acted as though he owned the paper outright," Mr. FULFORD said.
Staffers were obsessed with anticipating his wishes, often with bizarre results. Somebody heard that "Bee" believed that a colour photograph had to have red in it, so Star photographers took to stowing red jackets in their cars and asking people to put them on before snapping their pictures, or so the story goes.
"Bee had a phobia about accompanying each picture in his paper with explanatory cutlines," recalled Mr. NEWMAN. "I got hell once for running an illustration of Gina Lollobrigida, the Italian film star, standing beside a male dwarf, because I had left out the 'left' and 'right' identifications."
During his years at the newspaper, Mr. HONDERICH oversaw the introduction of colour, the shift from an afternoon to a morning paper, a Sunday edition and the appointment of the first ombudsman at any paper in Canada. He was also a driving force behind the establishment of the Ontario Press Council. In 1976, he was appointed chairman and chief executive officer of Torstar Corp. He continued to serve as publisher until September, 1988.
Mr. HONDERICH married three times. His and his first wife Florence divorced in 1962. He married Agnes KING in 1968. Star legend has it that he called the paper from the airport as he and his bride were leaving on their honeymoon and asked for the front page to be read to him. She died of cancer in 1999 after a long and painful illness. "He was amazingly diligent in the way he cared for her," said his son John.
That same year he became engaged to Rina WHELAN, a widow he had met many years before (when both were married to other people) in the barbershop of the Hotel Vancouver, where she worked as a manicurist. "This is one of the great love stories," John HONDERICH said, "I have had the honour of standing up for him at two of his three weddings."
The HONDERICHs lived in the penthouse of La Carina (Rina's House,) a condominium she had developed and built on English Bay. "He was a wealthy man and she was a wealthy woman," commented Mr. HONDERICH's brother Ted, "and so both were under suspicion of being gold diggers."
Mr. HONDERICH became more left wing in his politics as he became older, said his brother. "All newspaper publishers are accused of being ruthless, but actually they are activists," he said. "They want to make things happen and they don't like things hanging on in an indecisive way."
Beland Hugh HONDERICH was born on November 25, 1918, in Baden, Ontario. He died yesterday in St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver after a massive stroke. He was 86. He is survived by his first wife Florence, his third wife Rina, three children, six grandchildren and one brother.

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