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THACH o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2005-04-06 published
Ottawa's Cambodian community loses mother and 4 children to fire
Three members of close-knit family escaped alive from blaze above store
By Gloria GALLOWAY, Wednesday, April 6, 2005, Page A9
Ottawa -- Firefighters raced repeatedly up a narrow, smoke-filled staircase early yesterday to save six members of a close-knit Cambodian family who were trapped inside the burning apartment above their grocery store.
In the end, the rescue efforts were mostly futile. Five of the six -- a woman described as pillar of her community and four of her children -- died in the blaze. Only a son-in-law who had arrived recently from Cambodia was pulled from the inferno alive.
He was taken to hospital in critical condition along with his father-in-law, Bacara THACH. Witnesses: say Mr. THACH rescued his one-year-old grand_son, Sipheng, and tried to return for the others before the flames drove him back.
The patriarch tore across the street shortly before 2 a.m. to ask a neighbour to call firefighters back to the street in this city's Chinatown where, a short time earlier, they had extinguished a major fire less than a block away.
The trucks returned in less than three minutes.
"On arrival they encountered heavy smoke, heat and flames," Ottawa's Deputy Fire Chief Jim ULLETT said at a news conference yesterday. A frantic Mr. THACH told them that six of his loved ones were on the second floor of the small blazing building.
Some of the fire crew headed to the back while the others raced up the stairs beside the grocery store entrance.
"The crew that went up the front stairs came upon the first occupant, who they removed to the street, went back in the second time and encountered two more which they brought back down," Deputy Chief ULLETT said.
At the same time, the crew that had climbed the fire escape at the rear of the building were reaching in through a window and removing a fourth victim. That left two still missing.
"They▼ went back in," Deputy Chief ULLETT said. "By now the fire had increased in intensity so they were putting themselves at great risk. They found one, brought that occupant out, went back in, fought the fire for approximately three or four minutes, found a sixth victim and brought that victim out."
Some of the firefighters continued to battle the blaze while others tried to resuscitate the unmoving bodies. But by the time paramedics arrived, it was apparent that the task was hopeless. All five were declared dead at the scene.
"This was two major fires back-to-back, something that happens very rarely," Deputy Chief ULLETT said. "It was a very difficult night and I am very proud of each and every one of them that was on that scene."
Fire investigators say the blaze, the worst in Ottawa in at least 40 years, started in a front bedroom. The fact that several of the victims were found beside a window suggests they may have been searching for an exit when they succumbed to the smoke or flames.
By late morning, photos of a smiling Kol Yan THACH, her daughter Lily, 23, and sons Gary, 14, Danny, 13, and Sonny, 12, had been taped to an exterior wall across the street from the fire that left the floor above the family grocery little more than a brick shell encasing charred rubble. Below the pictures, there was a small pile of bouquets.
The family had been in Canada for about 20 years and all of the boys were born here, as was Lily's one-year-old son, who was taken to hospital with burns in critical condition after Mr. THACH was able to save him.
A steady stream of onlookers, many of them youngsters who had attended Glashan Public School with the three THACH boys, came to stare at the remnants of the apartment and the photos of their lost Friends. Some wiped away tears. Others talked about the athletic young men who loved basketball and were "all-stars" on the school volleyball team.
"They were really nice. I argued with them a lot, but we would chill," said Jeffrey GENERO, 13, who admitted having the occasional falling out with the brothers. "I just became Friends with them again and now I just found out that they're dead."
Money HEANG, an outreach worker for the Cambodian community, was dispatched by the Somerset West Community Centre to help those who were distraught over the loss.
The grocery store was the only one of its kind in the neighbourhood run by Cambodians, she said.
"They were a focal point for news about the community," Ms. HEANG said. They were also known for the fundraising drives they organized to help people back in their home country.
Ms. HEANG, who shopped at the store regularly, said Mrs. THACH "was very friendly. She was a very nice woman."
Yesterday, the fire marshal was still trying to sort out what the caused the tragedy, but two theories were emerging.
Electricity to some of the block was cut off during the earlier blaze, so there was speculation that a candle could have ignited the fire.
A fire inspection of the grocery store in July, 2003, prompted by the family's desire to get a food licence, turned up some unapproved and deteriorating wiring. That was repaired, but the condition of the wiring in the apartment upstairs was unknown.

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THACH o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-04-06 published
Ottawa fire kills 5 in family
3 rescued from blaze in flat over grocery store
Man, son-in-law and grand_son in critical condition
By Andrew MILLS, Staff Reporter
Ottawa -- As fire ripped through his family's apartment over their grocery store, Macara THACH was able to rescue his grand_son before turning back into the blaze to try to save more of his family.
But the flames had grown and they seared THACH's hair, hands and face, and he was forced to retreat.
Minutes later, firefighters arrived; they were able to save only one of THACH's six other family members, his son-in-law, Bunny Svay, 25. Five died at the scene.
They were identified by Friends and neighbours as THACH's wife, Kol Yan THACH, their daughter Lily, 23, and their sons Gary, 14, Danny, 13, and Sunny, 12.
Police have not yet confirmed the names.
THACH, his son-in-law and grand_son, Sy PHENG, thought to be about 14 months, all were in the hospital yesterday in critical condition.
Firefighters do not know what caused the blaze that ripped through the Mekong Grocery and upstairs three-bedroom flat, but are calling it Ottawa's worst fire in memory.
Crews attacked the fire from both ends of the two-storey building in Ottawa's Chinatown district. One crew ventured up the front stairs twice, removing three victims.
"At the same time, the crews went in through the back and encountered a victim, said deputy chief Jim ULLETT. " The▲ crews went back in...
"They found one, brought that occupant out, went back in and fought the fire for approximately three or four minutes, found the sixth victim and brought that victim out."
The victims were pronounced dead at the scene, said paramedics chief Anthony DI MONTE.
A family friend, Sao THOK, said the family had been in Canada about 20 years. Only their daughter, Lily, was born abroad, when THACH and his wife were living in a refugee camp on the Thai-Cambodian border.
The young couple had joined many other Cambodians who fled fighting between the Khmer Rouge and Vietnamese troops. For years, they shuffled from refugee camp to refugee camp, waiting to be admitted to another country, Sao THOK said.
Eventually the family made it to Canada and for the past few years their livelihood has depended on the Mekong Grocery, an Asian convenience store named after the river that snakes through their homeland. The shop was a mom-and-pop business, customers said, where all family members were expected to pitch in.
Three weeks ago, Lily's husband, a man she had married in Cambodia a few years ago, arrived in Canada for the first time, neighbours said yesterday.
There was a party to mark his arrival and some of this city's 1,500 or so Cambodians attended.
When the fire broke out sometime before 1: 40 a.m. yesterday, there were eight people living in the tiny apartment above the Mekong Grocery.
Everyone would have been in bed: the three boys in their bunk beds in the living room, Lily, her husband and the toddler, in the cramped back bedroom and Macara and Kol YAN, both in their mid-50s, each in their tiny rooms in the front, said Guerin GARVEY, 13, a friend of the boys.
The fire probably started in one of the front bedrooms, said Trevor BAIN of the Ontario Fire Marshall's Office.
That office and the Ottawa police arson squad are investigating the blaze.

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THACK o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-08-13 published
FRYER, Jeanne Marie (née NEWTON)
It is with great sadness that we announce her sudden passing on Monday, August 8, 2005. Loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. She is survived by her husband Robert FRYER of Thornbury, her brother Jack NEWTON and his wife Barbara of Birmingham, England, her son Steven WYLIE and his wife Cindy and grand_sons Brian and Michael of Mississauga, her son Michal THACK and his wife Cindy with granddaughters Bailey and Courtney of Cayuga, Ontario, her daughter Barbara DEANGELIS and her husband Lance MacMASTER of Mississauga and grand_son Jason DEANGELIS and his fiancée Jessica FERGUSON and great grand_son Adrian DEANGELIS of Hamilton, and her son Christopher THACK and his fiancée Valerie ALFRED of Toronto. A memorial service to celebrate Jeanne's life is planned for Monday, August 15 at 1: 00 p.m. at First Baptist Church in Thornbury, Ontario. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to First Baptist Church of Thornbury.

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THACKER o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2005-05-07 published
THACKER, Bertram G. “Bert&rdquo
Bertram G. “Bert” THACKER of Saint Thomas passed away peacefully surrounded by his family at the Saint Thomas-Elgin General Hospital on Thursday, May 5, 2005, in his 93rd year. Beloved husband for over 62 years to Margaret “Maggie” (BRAZIER) THACKER. Dearly loved father of Colin THACKER and his wife Marlene of North Bay, Lynn BELL and her husband Jim of Waterloo, Heather HOGAN and her husband Michael of London, and Jill McDONALD and her husband Michael of Vero Beach, Florida. Cherished grandfather of Christopher THACKER, Jeremy, Patrick and Meaghan BELL, Ryan HOGAN and his wife Jennifer, Caitlin, Graeme, Alexandra and Lara McDONALD. Loving great grandfather of Mackenzie HOGAN. Dear brother of Leslie THACKER and his wife Ruth of Waterloo, Sydney THACKER and his wife Shirley of Lindsay, and Doris OLIVE of Dunrobin. Also survived by many nieces and nephews. Predeceased by sisters, Betty HORDEN and Joan OLEY and a brother, Leonard THACKER.
Born in Lewishman, Surrey, England, September 14, 1912, son of the late Bert and Bessie (PURCHASE) THACKER. During the Second World War, Bert served with the Royal Canadian Engineers in France, Belgium, Holland and Germany. He came to Saint Thomas in 1953 and became the Chief Executive Officer of the Saint Thomas-Elgin General Hospital in 1954 (the same year it opened), retiring in 1977. Mr. THACKER was a founding member of the Canadian College of Health Service Executives, a Life Fellow of the American College of Hospital Administrators and served on the board of the Ontario Hospital Association. He was a Charter President and founder of the Friendship School (Community Living), Saint Thomas, served as a board member of Fanshawe College (1979-1984) and in 1977 received Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal. In 1954 he joined the Rotary Club of Saint Thomas, served as president, was District Governor (1977) and a twice recipient of the Paul Harris Fellowship. He was an active member of Trinity Anglican Church, Saint Thomas, a Past President of the Saint Thomas Golf and Country Club, a former volunteer for Mealson-Wheels and the Canadian Cancer Society and a life member of St. David's Lodge #302, Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons Cremation has taken place and private interment will be made in the Old Saint Thomas Churchyard, Walnut St. Friends will be received at the Sifton Funeral Home, 118 Wellington Street, Saint Thomas on Monday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. A public memorial service will be held at Trinity Anglican Church (Wellington & Southwick Streets), Saint Thomas on Tuesday at 11: 00 a.m. Memorial donations to the Canadian Cancer Society, the Saint Thomas-Elgin General Hospital Foundation or the Rotary Club of Saint Thomas Foundation grateful ly acknowledged.

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THACKER o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2005-05-31 published
HODGINS, Mary Olive (THACKER)
Peacefully with her family at her side at Saint Marys Memorial Hospital on Monday, May 30, 2005 Mary Olive (THACKER) HODGINS of Saint Marys and formerly of Blanshard Twp. in her 87th year. Beloved wife of the late Percy Scott HODGINS (1998.) Dear mother of Jim and Lynda HODGINS of Granton, Joan and Jim EMERY of Waterloo, Marlene and Joe FRENCH of Granton and Gwen and Kim BEDFORD of Waterford. Loving grandmother of Scott and Lisa and Philip HODGINS Paul, David and Rosalie, Joel and Rachel EMERY; Jenine and Ken FRENCH and Amber, Christopher and Noël BEDFORD. Dear sister-in-law of Margaret THACKER, Reta STANDEAVAN and Eileen CRAWFORD all of Saint Marys. Predeceased by her sisters Helen DOBSON and Muriel LANGFORD and her brother Leonard THACKER. Friends may call at St. James Anglican Church, Church Street, Saint Marys on Wednesday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. where the funeral service will be held on Thursday, June 2, 2005 at 11 a.m. with Reverend Dr. Dalice SIM officiating. Interment St. James Cemetery, Clandeboye. Donations to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, St. James Anglican Church or the charity of your choice would be appreciated by the family. C. Haskett and son Funeral Home, 223 Main Street, Lucan entrusted with arrangements (519) 227-4211.

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THACKERAY o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2005-01-12 published
LAYCOCK, Iva▼ Marie▼
Passed away peacefully at Fairview Mennonite Home in Cambridge, on January 11, 2005, in her 89th year. Predeceased by her husband Earl Russell LAYCOCK, originally of Radisson, Saskatchewan. Survived by her sister Mary GRAHAM of Locust Hill, Ontario. Beloved mother of Edwin THACKERAY and his wife Sondra, Larry Earl LAYCOCK and his wife Ilona,▼ Faye▼ Virginia▼ MILES and her husband Robert, Eric Paul LAYCOCK and his wife Brigitte.▼ Beloved▼ grandmother of Kimberly, Christopher, Lynette, Erin, Larson, Kathryn, Tristan, Larissa, Kevin, Jay, Kelly, Mark, Lee and Adam. Great-grandmother of Taylor, Maxwell, Nikki, Lauren, Jade, Kaela, Kelsea, Audrey, Evan and Kate. She will be fondly remembered by many relatives and Friends. Visitation will be held at the "Scarborough Chapel" of McDougall & Brown, 2900 Kingston Road (east of St. Clair Avenue East), on Thursday, January 13, 2005 from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. Funeral Service will be on Friday, January 14, 2005 at 11 a.m. in the chapel. Interment to follow at Resthaven Memorial Gardens.

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THACKERAY o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-01-12 published
LAYCOCK, Iva▲▼ Marie▲▼
Passed away peacefully at Fairview Mennonite Home in Cambridge, on January 11, 2005 in her 89th year. Predeceased by her husband Earl Russell LAYCOCK, originally of Radisson, Saskatchewan. Survived by her sister Mary GRAHAM of Locust Hill, Ontario. Beloved mother of Edwin THACKERAY and his wife Sondra, Larry Earl LAYCOCK and his wife Ilona,▲ Faye▲ Virginia▲ MILES and her husband Robert, Eric Paul LAYCOCK and his wife Brigitte.▲ Beloved▲ grandmother of Kimberly, Christopher, Lynette, Erin, Larson, Kathryn, Tristan, Larissa, Kevin, Jay, Kelly, Mark, Lee and Adam. Great-grandmother of Taylor, Maxwell, Nikki, Lauren, Jade, Kaela, Kelsea, Audrey, Evan and Kate. She will be fondly remembered by many relatives and Friends. Visitation will be held at the "Scarborough Chapel" of McDougall & Brown, 2900 Kingston Road (east of St. Clair Ave. E.) on Thursday, January 13, 2005 from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. Funeral Service will be on Friday, January 14, 2005 at 11 a.m. in the chapel. Interment to follow at Resthaven Memorial Gardens.

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THACKERAY o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-01-13 published
LAYCOCK, Iva▲ Marie▲
Passed away peacefully at Fairview Mennonite Home in Cambridge, on January 11, 2005, in her 89th year. Predeceased by her husband Earl Russell LAYCOCK, originally of Radisson, Saskatchewan. Survived by her sister Mary GRAHAM of Locust Hill, Ontario. Beloved mother of Edwin THACKERAY and his wife Sondra, Larry Earl LAYCOCK, Faye Virginia MILES and her husband Robert, Eric Paul LAYCOCK and his wife Brigitte. Beloved grandmother of Kimberly, Christopher, Lynette, Erin, Larson, Kathryn, Tristan, Larissa, Kevin, Jay, Kelly, Mark, Lee and Adam. Great-grandmother of Taylor, Maxwell, Nikki, Lauren, Jade, Kaela, Kelsea, Audrey, Evan and Kate. She will be fondly remembered by many relatives and Friends. Visitation will be held at the "Scarborough Chapel" of McDougall and Brown, 2900 Kingston Road (east of St. Clair Ave. E.) on Thursday, January 13, 2005 from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. Funeral Service will be on Friday, January 14, 2005 at 11 a.m. in the chapel. Interment to follow at Resthaven Memorial Gardens.

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THACKERAY o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-05-01 published
CHURCH, Robert B.
Born 1928, entered into rest suddenly, at his home in Lindsay, on Thursday, April 28, 2005. Bob CHURCH, in his 77th year, was the loving husband of Dorothy Jean (née CUMMING) and predeceased by his first wife Dorothy (née GRAY/GREY.) Sadly missed by his children Judy (Warren) HURREN, Bob Jr. (Patricia), Susan (Tracy) and Vicki (Jim) ATHANASSIOU. Loved grandfather of Christopher, Katherine, Elizabeth HURREN, Lori PIDGEON, Julie, Bobby CHURCH, George and Michael ATHANASSIOU. Proud great-grandfather of Jacob, Joshua, Emily, Grace and Claire. Bob will be missed by Dorothy Jean's family, Linda (Jerry) WILSON, Margaret (Peter) THACKERAY and Heather (Bill) ROOYAKKERS. Grandpa Bob was loved by Evan, Carla, Laura and Sarah. Bob was the son of the late Thomas and Hattie CHURCH, and the youngest brother of Thomas, William, Jack and Thelma CHURCH. Friends are invited to call at the Stoddart Funeral Home, 24 Mill Street, Lindsay (toll free 1-877-427-8434) on Sunday from 2-4 p.m. Funeral Service will be held in the Chapel on Monday, May 2 at 3: 00 p.m. Interment Eden Cemetery, Cambray. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to the organization of your choice would be appreciated by the family.

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THACKERAY o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-05-27 published
TIMLIN, Royce Bernard
Peacefully at East General Hospital in Toronto, on Tuesday, May 24, 2005, in his 77th year. Predeceased by his parents, Bruce and Una (THACKERAY) TIMLIN, and his sister the late Katherine (TIMLIN) QUINLIN all of Roseneath. Survived by his brother Eldon (Jean) TIMLIN of Cobourg, as well as their children Carol TIMLIN (Gilles CHARBONEAU), Don (Tammy) TIMLIN, Susan (John) DOLAN and their families. Also survived by his brother-in-law Stafford Quinlin (Barb MONK) of Cobourg. Royce will be especially missed by his nieces Patricia (Wayne) HAMMOND, Michelle (Robert) SMOKE, and his nephews Danny (Ruth) QUINLIN and Dennis QUINLIN as well as their families. Following cremation, a funeral service will be held at the Roseneath United Church on Saturday, May 28th at 11 a.m. A private family burial will follow at the request of the deceased. There will also be a memorial service held at the Don Mills United Church, 126 O'Connor Drive, Toronto, Ontario on Saturday, June 4th, at 10: 30 a.m. In lieu of flowers, those wishing to make memorial contributions to the Diabetes Association or the Canadian Cancer Society would be appreciated by the family. Open The Gates Of Heaven, A Gentle Soul Has Come Home To Rest.

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THACKERAY o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-08-12 published
ATKINSON, Winnifred▼ Mae
It is with great sadness we announce the passing of Winnifred Mae ATKINSON. She peacefully left us at Mount Sinai Hospital just before midnight on Wednesday, August 10, 2005 in her 92nd year. She leaves behind 2 sons, Bob ATKINSON (deceased) and Jack ATKINSON, daughter Kathy ENGLAND, son-in-law Bruce ENGLAND, daughters-in-law Sue ATKINSON (deceased,) Madeline ATKINSON, 6 grandchildren, Scott ATKINSON, Stephanie CRUZ, Christie ATKINSON, Greg ATKINSON, Ryan ATKINSON and Lindsay ENGLAND. She also leaves behind 2 great-grandchildren, 2 sisters, Marjorie ROBERTS of Fenlon Falls, Betty HAIRE of Perth, Ontario, and brother Jack THACKERAY. Following cremation, a memorial service will be held and announced at a later date. All donations would be gratefully accepted by the Salvation Army. She will be sorrowfully missed by her family and Friends.

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THACKERAY o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-08-16 published
ATKINSON, Winnifred▲ May (née THACKERAY)
On August 10th, 2005 at Mount Sinai Hospital. Winnifred (Win) ATKINSON, wife of the late Charles, dear mother of Jack (Madeline,) Kathy (Bruce ENGLAND) and the late Robert (Sue.) Grandmother to Scott (Janice) ATKINSON, Gregory ATKINSON, Stephanie CRUZ and Lindsey ENGLAND, Christie and Ryan ATKINSON, great-grandmother to Rebecca and Joseph ATKINSON, Kelsey ATKINSON and Tyler CRUZ. Loving sister of Jack THACKERAY, Marjorie ROBERTS and Betty HAIRE. Cremation. Memorial service will be held at Carfrae Chapel in Mount Pleasant Cemetery on Wednesday, August 17th, 2005 at 1 p.m. call 416-485-9129 Ext. 229 (Lucy) for directions.

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THACKRAY o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2005-03-28 published
SMITH, Geraldine Eleanor (née MacQUAIG)
Peacefully at the Village of Sandalwood Park, Brampton on Friday, March 25, 2005 in her 91st year. Geraldine, beloved wife of the late Douglas SMITH. Loving mother of Elizabeth of Mississauga, the late Bruce and the late Karen. Fondly remembered by her grandchildren Kimberley, Tanya, Graham, Alexander, Sonja, her great grand daughter Madeleine, her sister Amy COLDWELL and her nephew Peter THACKRAY. Deeply missed by Barry (husband of Karen), Lea (wife of Bruce) and Dan (father of Madeleine). Visitation at Smith's Funeral Home, 485 Brant Street, (one block north of City Hall) Burlington (905-632-3333) on Tuesday, March 29, 2005 from 12 noon until time of Funeral Service in the chapel at 1 p.m. Cremation to follow at a later date.
www.smithsfh.com

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THAIN o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2005-03-13 published
LEDUC, Leopold W.
Leopold W. of Saint Thomas, and formerly of Ottawa, Montreal and Florida, on Saturday, March 12, 2005, at the Saint Thomas - Elgin General Hospital, in his 74th year. Dearly loved husband of Virginia (PRUE) LEDUC and loved father of Lise (LEDUC) and her husband Terry ROWE of Saint John's, Newfoundland, Suzanne (LEDUC) and her husband James THAIN of Saint Thomas, Laura (LEDUC) and her husband Conrad EAGAN of Sanford, Florida, Paul LEDUC and his wife Shelley of Cold Lake, Alberta and Peter LEDUC and his wife Kimberley of Sandford, Florida. Dear brother of André LEDUC of Tillsonburg. Loved grandfather of Curtis, Matthew, Andrew, Aimée, Emilie, Jacob, Kelsey, Jacqueline, Jessica, Sydney, Rachelle and Jamiée. Leopold was born in Glenelm, Quebec on March 6, 1932, the son of the late J.B.L. (Paul) and Lucienne (DUMOUCHEL) LEDUC. He was a graduate of McGill University and taught high school in Rosemere, Quebec and then became Organizational Development Consultant in Ottawa. The Mass of the Christian Burial will be celebrated at Saint Anne's Church on Monday at 2 p.m. Visitation at the Church on Monday from 1-2 p.m. Cremation to follow. Private family interment of ashes at a later date in Notre Dame Cemetery, Malone, New York. Remembrances may be made to the Saint Thomas - Elgin General Hospital Foundation (Palliative Care Unit).

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THAIN o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2005-11-04 published
DAVIS, Beatrice Lillian (née HOUGH)
Of Valleyview Home, Saint Thomas, on Wednesday, November 2, 2005, at her late residence, in her 102nd year. Beloved wife of the late Cory John DAVIS (1993) and dearly loved mother Doreen and her husband Alan THAIN of Saint Thomas, Marion PARRACK (husband the late Donald PARRACK,) Saint Thomas and Vivian and her husband Harold FOWLER of Saint Thomas. Dear sister-in-law of Jean HOUGH of Woodstock. Predeceased by 3 sisters and 4 brothers. Much loved grandmother of Jim and his wife Susan, Thain, Judy and her husband Bill DENNEY, Linda and her husband David CUNNINGHAM, Steven and his wife Candice PARRICK, Perry and his wife Aline FOWLER and Martin and his wife Debbie FOWLER. Sadly missed by 14 great grandchildren and 8 great great grandchildren and several nieces and nephews. Beatrice was born in England on March 7, 1904 the daughter of the late George and Dinah HOUGH. Resting at Williams Funeral Home, 45 Elgin Street, Saint Thomas where funeral service will be held Saturday at 2: 00 p.m. Interment to follow in South Park Cemetery. Visitation Saturday from 1: 00 to 2:00 p.m. Remembrances may be made to Valleyview Home or charity of choice.

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THAIN o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2005-11-09 published
SMITH, Patricia D. (née HARVEY)
A resident of R.R.#1 Morpeth, Patricia D. SMITH passed away on Monday, November 7, 2005 at London Health Sciences Centre, Westminster Campus at the age of 71. Born in Howard Township, daughter of the late William and Florence (McCAIN) HARVEY. Beloved wife of Max SMITH for 48 years. Dear mother of Stephen SMITH and his wife Esther of R.R.#4 Blenheim, Janet PINDER and her husband Bryan of Rodney, and Lisa SMITH of Niagara Falls. Grandmother of Scott SMITH, Ryan SMITH, Nathalie SMITH, Michael PINDER, Jennifer PINDER, Katelyn PINDER, and Laura PINDER. Sister of Ruthanne THAIN and her husband Doug of Blenheim, Janet HARVEY of London, Bill HARVEY and his wife Treena of Chatham, and Merilee COOMBS and her husband Chris of London. Sister-in-law of Marjorie GIDDIS of Ridgetown and the late Earl GIDDIS, James R. and Alda SMITH, Madeleine SMITH and Wylie SMITH. Also survived by a number of nieces and nephews. Patricia was a member of the Morpeth Heritage Club and Morpeth United Church. She worked for 25 years as a Residential Counsellor at the Southwestern Regional Centre prior to her retirement. Family will receive Friends at the McKinlay Funeral Home, 76 Main Street East, Ridgetown on Wednesday from 7: 00-9:00 p.m. and on Thursday from 2:00-4:30 p.m. and 7:00-9:00 p.m. Funeral Service will be held at the Funeral Home on Friday, November 11, 2005 at 1: 30 p.m. with Reverend Barry DICKSON/DIXON officiating. Interment in Morpeth Cemetery. Donations made by cheque to Canadian Diabetes Association or charity of choice would be appreciated. Online condolences may be left at www.mckinlayfuneralhome.com

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THAIN o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2005-12-31 published
RANKIN, John Alexander
It is with great sadness the family announces that John Alexander RANKIN, age 59, passed away peacefully on Friday, December 23, 2005, in the presence of his family after a long struggle with cancer. He is survived by his loving wife, Barbara (PUDDISTER,) and his mother-in-law, Pauline PUDDISTER. Loving father, of Jennifer, Andreina, Barry, Sara and son-in-law Terry. Papa of Joshua, Kyle, Emily and Taylor. Dearly missed by his sisters Betty MELZER, Jo-Anne (Maurice) LAKE, and Marilyn (David) THAIN. John was predeceased by his parents Mina (2000) and John (1987). Born in London, he attended Princess Elizabeth Public School and G.A. Wheable Secondary. He lived in Pickering, Ontario for most of his adult life. Funeral service was held at The Simple Alternative Funeral Home, 1057 Brock Road, Pickering on Tuesday December 27, 2005. Memorial donations to the Canadian Cancer Society are appreciated.

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THAIN o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-01-22 published
THAIN, Harold Gordon
(Veteran World War 2, Essex Scottish Regiment) After a valiant struggle, at the Humber River Regional Hospital with his family by his side, on January 20, 2005, in his 83rd year. Harold, beloved father and dearest friend of Gordon, Linda, Diane and Michael and Heather and Paul. Loving brother of the late Donald THAIN and the late Janet THAIN. Harold will be fondly remembered as "Archie" and a companion of D-Day. Friends will be received at the Sherrin Funeral Home, 873 Kingston Road (west of Victoria Park Ave.) (416-698-2861) on Monday, January 24, 2005 from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. Funeral Service to be held in our Chapel on Tuesday, January 25, 2005 at 11: 00 a.m. Interment Duffin Meadows Cemetery, Pickering, Ontario. Memorial donations to the Alzheimer Society would be greatly appreciated.

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THAIN o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-04-26 published
JOHNSTON, Dorothy (THAIN)
Of Lucknow and formerly of Toronto, suddenly on Friday, April 22, 2005, age 72. Predeceased by husband Bill and son David. Survived by 3 children, Thain, Elizabeth and Margie, 8 grandchildren and 5 step-grandchildren. Sister of Betty ROWSONE, Alberta CLARKE and Sandy THAIN. Funeral service from MacKenzie and McCreath Funeral Home, Lucknow (519-528-3432) Tuesday, April 26, 2005 at 2: 00 p.m. Donations appreciated to Canadian Hearing.

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THALER o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2005-01-01 published
THALER, Szaindle " Sally" (née LUSTIGER)
After a brief illness on Saturday, December 25, 2004, in her 84th year. Beloved wife of the late Berl. Loving mother and mother-in-law of Mina and Robert ADELAND (London,) Anne and John HICKEY (Nova Scotia), Henri and Barbara (New York) and Sam (Montreal). Cherished Bubbie of Ethan, Shauna, Evan, Robyn, Talia, Emile and Aaron. Predeceased by her siblings Masha, Joseph, Aaron, Sandle and Estuschia, who perished in the Holocaust. Funeral services took place in Montreal on December 27, 2004. Donations in her memory may be made to the Canadian Diabetes Association, 442 Adelaide Street North, London N7B 3H8, 673-1630.

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THALL 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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THALL o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-12-23 published
Star vet balanced tech, people skills
Heart attack strikes long-time employee at age of 69
Helped evolution from bulky computers to programming
By Patrick EVANS, Staff Reporter
Innovative, witty, full of love. It doesn't matter whom you ask, everyone describes Glenn EVERINGHAM the same way.
He thrived in an atmosphere of change. His legacy as a 30-year Toronto Star veteran was in bringing the circulation department up to speed in the age of technology, automating systems that hadn't changed in decades.
EVERINGHAM died of a heart attack December 14 at age 69 after receiving a clean bill of health from his doctor a few days before.
Born in Toronto on August 4, 1936, EVERINGHAM attended Givens Public School and Central Technical School. He kicked off his career at the Star in the payroll department in the mid-1950s. Those were low-tech days, when the office was full of cash and guarded by a man with a gun.
But when the first computers arrived at the Star -- lumbering giants that filled rooms -- he was fascinated by the possibilities they offered. He mastered the new technologies and moved on to a job in the data processing department as an information technology worker. But EVERINGHAM wanted to do more.
"He worked hard days and weekends at the Star, and he was working nights becoming a certified general accountant," said his second son, Adam, 43. In those years of working while going to school, EVERINGHAM's days were long. He would often sleep at the Star.
But the work paid off. He moved into the circulation department in the mid-to-late '70s and as controller in the department he revolutionized it with new technologies, said his oldest son, Mark, 47. EVERINGHAM brought in the Star's first subscriber database. He also brought in a computer program in the mid '80s that could tally how many papers had been sold. Prior to that it was all done with pen and paper, based on information the paper's truck drivers brought back at the end of their day.
Former colleague in circulation Martin THALL said small luxuries newspaper subscribers take for granted -- calling to suspend subscription when going on holiday -- were all new in EVERINGHAM's time. The technology he spearheaded made these things possible.
When he retired from the Star in the mid '80s, EVERINGHAM kept active as a computer programmer. In the months before his death he was still busy writing programs for the payroll department in Adam's business.
Another former colleague in circulation, Dave STEWARD/STEWART/STUART, recalled EVERINGHAM. " The man would sit there almost in silence at a meeting. You'd swear he'd fallen asleep, and then he'd suddenly come out with a profound statement that would send the meeting in a completely different direction."
But for all the technological savvy, co-workers and family remember him most for his humour and heart.
"He taught me the importance of respecting the people who work with you. That was more important than browbeating them," STEWARD/STEWART/STUART said.
Adam recalled a family friend with no relatives and no money who developed Alzheimer's disease. "My dad took care of him," Adam said. EVERINGHAM paid for the man to be in a home until he died almost five years later.
There was a lot of love in EVERINGHAM's life.
He met his wife, Tracy, in the mid '50s when, as a favour for a friend, he picked up Tracy and her mother in his car when they arrived in Canada from England. EVERINGHAM and Tracy said they fell in love at first sight and their relationship deepened throughout a 48-year marriage. "My mom used to sit with my dad every morning and have a tea before he went to work," Adam said.
Besides his wife and sons Mark and Adam, EVERINGHAM's leaves daughter Alison, 35, and five grandchildren.
The family shared memories of EVERINGHAM at a small service Tuesday.

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