FIRANSKI
FIRBY
FIRESTONE
FIRING
FIRKUS
FIRLOTTE
FIRMAN
FIRST
FIRSTBROOK
FIRTH
FIRANSKI o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-09-17 published
SEGAL,
Arnold
Jerry
After a courageous battle with cancer on Friday, September 16,
2005. Jerry
SEGAL, loving father and father-in-law of Jack and
Laura, Paula and Jeff
BROCK,
Bernard and Carrie
FIRANSKI, Saul,
Kelly FIRANSKI, dear brother and brother-in-law of Irwin and
Peggy, Doreen
MENDELSON,
Roz and Harry
GIEWERCER, beloved son
of the late Anne and Harry
SEGAL, devoted grandfather of Mark,
Eric, Dara, Kyle, Jacob, Harrison, and Sophie. At Benjamin's
Park Memorial Chapel, 2401 Steeles Avenue West (3 lights west
of Dufferin) for service on Sunday, September 18, 2005 at 3: 00
p.m. Interment Pardes Shalom Cemetery. Shiva 60 Beaverhall Drive.
If desired, donations may be made to Jerry Segal Memorial Fund
c/o The Benjamin Foundation, 3429 Bathurst Street, Toronto, M6A
2C3, 416-780-0324.
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FIRANSKI - All Categories in OGSPI
FIRBY o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2005-11-14 published
FIRBY,
Mardell
At University Hospital on Saturday, November 12th, 2005, Don
Firby of London in his 74th year. Beloved husband of Mardell
FIRBY.
Loving father of Susanne
GRIFFITHS, Ken and his wife
Dianne
and Kevin and his wife Christine. Dear grandfather of Kayleigh,
Kristine, Samantha and Brandon. Don was a Master Manager Partsman
for Central Chevrolet for 43 years and 5 years at Ray Cullen
Chev-Olds. A memorial service will be held at Memorial Funeral
Home, 1559 Fanshawe Park Rd. E., on Wednesday, November 16th,
at 1 p.m. (visitation 1 hour prior). Donations to the Canadian
Diabetes Association would be gratefully acknowledged.
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FIRBY o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-03-12 published
ROBERTSON,
Audrey
Irene (née
FIRBY)
On Thursday, March 10, 2005. Beloved wife of H. Nairn
ROBERTSON.
Loving mother of Phyllis Anne (Garry)
BEUBE, of Holland Landing
and Nairn Gard (Karen)
ROBERTSON, of Uxbridge. Proud grandmother
of Sarah, Joshua, Erika and Ryan. Dear sister of Phyllis M.
GILMOUR.
She will be fondly remembered by her niece Nancy
GILMOUR and
nephew Glenn (Maria)
GILMOUR. A private Funeral Service will
be held for the family at the Ogden Funeral Home, Agincourt (416-293-5211)
on Monday, March 14, 2005. Cremation. In memoriam donations to
the Canadian Cancer Society would be appreciated by her family.
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FIRBY - All Categories in OGSPI
FIRESTONE o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-04-12 published
MILLER,
Lillian
On Monday, April 11, 2005 at Toronto Western Hospital after a
short illness. Lillian
MILLER, beloved wife of the late Al
MILLER.
Loving mother of Phyllis and Mickey
KAPLAN,
Earl and Elly
MILLER.
Adored Bubbie of Mark, Cheryl and Barry, Joanna, Edward, and
great-grand_son Abe. Survived by her brother Mickey
FIRESTONE,
her sisters-in-law Faye, Mynne, Eileen and Helen
FIRESTONE.
Predeceased
by brothers Joe, Bill, Louis and Sam, sisters-in-law May and
Anne, brothers-in-law Sam, Alex, and Moishe, and sisters-in-law
Debbie, Rose, and Helen. At Beth Tzedec Synagogue, 1700 Bathurst
Street (Bathurst south of Eglinton) for service on Tuesday, April
12, 2005 at 10: 30 a.m. Interment Beth Tzedec Memorial Park. Shiva
31 Avenal Drive. If desired, donations may be made to the Lillian
Miller Memorial Fund c/o The Benjamin Foundation, 3429 Bathurst
Street, Toronto, M6A 2C3, 416-780-0324.
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FIRESTONE o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-11-27 published
FIRESTONE,
Michael
Dennis
Passed away on Friday, November 25, 2005. Devoted
son of Eileen
and the late Louis
FIRESTONE.
Brother and brother-in-law of Marilyn
and Myron BOLTMAN.
Uncle and great-uncle. Graveside funeral will
be held on Monday, November 28, 2005 at Bathurst Lawn Cemetery,
Kieltzer Section. Call Steeles Memorial Chapel, 905-881-6003
for time. Private Shiva. Donations to the Louis Firestone and
Family Endowment Fund at Baycrest are appreciated.
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FIRESTONE o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-12-06 published
WATSON,
Ethel
M.
Peacefully at Marnwood Life Care Centre on Saturday, December
3, 2005 in her 89th year. Ethel, beloved wife of the late W.
Harold WATSON.
Loved mother of Ted and his wife
Georgina,
David
and his wife
Patsy,
Denise and her husband Claude
MARTEL,
Patricia
FIRESTONE and the late Paul
WATSON.
Fondly remembered by her
grandchildren. Dear sister of Lawrence
ABBS,
Ruth
CROZIER and
the late Ted
ABBS and Pearl
FINLAYSON.
Friends may pay their
respects at the Morris Funeral Chapel, 4 Division Street, Bowmanville
on Wednesday, December 7th, 2005 from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Funeral
service in the Morris Chapel on Thursday at 11 a.m. Interment
Bowmanville Cemetery. Donations to Trinity United Church Building
Fund or Memorial Hospital Foundation, Bowmanville in Ethel's
memory would be gratefully appreciated.
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FIRING o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2005-06-01 published
HARFIELD,
Mildred
Jean (née
MOORE)
Veteran of World War 2 Retired Registered Nurse
Peacefully on May 28, 2005, at the age of 91, in Ottawa. Jean
was born August 13, 1913, in Cobourg, Ontario, the daughter of
Harry MOORE and Amelia Brown
MOORE.
After nursing training in
Toronto, she moved to New York City, where she was working when
she joined the Royal Canadian Air Force as a nursing sister in
1941. While stationed at the Thursk airbase in York, England,
she met Royal Canadian Air Force officer Stanley Frederick
HARFIELD,
whom she married in 1945. She and Stanley lived mostly in Montreal
and Vancouver after the war, and had two children, Bruce and
Sherry. After retirement, they spent as much time as possible
near the ocean, especially in Maui and Birch Bay, Washington.
Stanley died in 2003, and Jean is survived by Bruce and Sherry,
her daughter-in-law Penny
HARFIELD and son-in-law Jack
KIRCHHOFF,
grandchildren Robert and Jason
FIRING, and Andrew, Tim and Jeanne
HARFIELD, as well as her great-grand_son Ruben
FIRING and several
nieces and nephews in Vancouver. According to her instructions,
there will be no formal memorial service. After cremation, her
remains will be returned to Vancouver, where she will be interred
with Stanley at First Memorial Gardens.
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FIRING o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-11-05 published
FIRING,
Eric
Lars (1952-2005)
Born in Montreal, resident of San Diego. On Friday, October 28,
2005, in hospital, in Bangkok, of natural causes. Will be sorely
missed by father Lars, sister Cheryl, brother Neil and the rest
of the family, as well as Friends in Canada, U.S. and elsewhere.
Although he left us early and unexpectedly, Eric had the courage
and the ability to enjoy the lifestyle he wanted, while having
genuine respect for others, and thus had a very complete and
satisfying life. With a degree in Engineering, Computer Sciences
from U.C.L.A. and a successful career in that field, he was also
self-taught in several domains, including the ability to communicate
in several languages, philosphy, photography, guitar, glass shaping,
neon fabrication and just about everything pertaining to life
itself. He was able to accomplish this as he was gifted with
an unlimited memory. Reception in memory of Eric is not yet planned
due to the international nature of this sad event. Contributions
to the Canadian Red Cross in memory of Eric
FIRING would be welcomed
in lieu of flowers and can be sent to Neil
FIRING, 1061 Chemin
Ste. Claire, Riviere Beaudette, Québec J0P 1R0, 450-269-2348
(call answer after 7 rings) along with your return address. We
love you Eric.
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FIRKUS o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2005-07-29 published
TUPPER,
Rennie
Joy
Rennie was born in Calgary, Alberta, October 31, 1956 and passed
away in Ottawa on Wednesday, July 27, 2005, following a sudden
illness. She is survived by a loving family, her parents Dora
and Errold; her sisters Laurie, Jill and Devon; her brother Shawn
and brothers-in-law Kevin
FIRKUS and Michael
BIRMINGHAM; her
nephews Brae and Cole and her niece Dakota. Rennie has also left
behind many relatives and Friends across Canada who loved her
dearly and her colleagues at Natural Resources Canada who will
remember her with fondness. Those of us lucky enough to know
Rennie will remember unbending love, abundant kindness, a shy
but disarming personality, and simply the biggest heart in the
world. Most of all, she will be missed by Shadow, her unfailing
companion these last seven years. A special thanks to the team
in the Intensive Care Unit at the Ottawa Civic Hospital for all
they did for Rennie and the sensitivity and kindness shown to
her family. Friends may visit at the Central Chapel of Hulse,
Playfair and McGarry. 315 McLeod Street on Monday, August 1, 2005
from 4 to 7 p.m. A Celebration of Rennie's life will be held
in the Chapel on Tuesday, August 2 at 11: 30 a.m. A memorial service
will be held at St. Andrew's United Church, 128 1st Street East,
Cochrane, Alberta on Thursday, August 4, 2005 at 2 p.m. If desired,
memorial donations can be made to the Humane Society.
Condolences/Donations/Tributes at: mcgarryfamily.ca 613-233-1143
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FIRKUS - All Categories in OGSPI
FIRLOTTE o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-03-13 published
DICICCO,
Caroline (née
MANCUSO)
Quietly at Shepherd Village, Friday evening, March 11, 2005 in
her 92nd year, is now at peace. Daughter/Wife/Grandmother/Great-grandmother
and Friend! Beloved wife of Anthony
DICICCO (deceased.) Loving
mother of Michael, Angela (Sheldon)
FIRLOTTE,
Roslyn
(Gordon)
HILLS, John (Yolanda), Carl, and Josie (Brian)
PARKER. Grandmother
of Michael
DICICCO
Jr. (deceased,) Tony, Peter, Paul, and John
DICICCO, Shelley-Lynn
PETERSONS, Andrea
DICICCO, Brian, Chad
and Joel PARKER.
Great-grandmother of Jeffrey, Jeremy, Jessie,
Angela, Alyssa, Joshua, Cassandra, Beau, Trevor, Shane and Shontelle
DICICCO, Leija
PETERSONS, Sydney, Hailie and Tyler
PARKER. Resting
at McDougall and Brown "Scarborough Chapel", 2900 Kingston Road
(east of St. Clair Ave. E.) from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. on Monday,
March 14, 2005 and Tuesday March 15, 2005. Funeral Mass will
be held at Saint Martin de Porres Catholic Church (4179 Lawrence
Ave. E.) on Wednesday, March 16, 2005 at 11 a.m. Interment to
follow at Holy Cross Cemetery. Family requests that donations
to the Alzheimer Society be made in lieu of flowers.
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FIRLOTTE o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-04-16 published
KENNEDY,
Jean
Suddenly at her residence, in Streetsville, on Thursday, April
14, 2005. Jean
KENNEDY (née
FIRLOTTE,) beloved wife of Alex.
Loving mother of Shelley
KENNEDY. Dear sister of Dougall Firlotte
of Moncton, New Brunswick Friends may call at the Lee Funeral
Home Limited, 258 Queen Street South, Streetsville (Mississauga
Road, south of 401), on Sunday, April 17, 2005 from 2-4 and 7-9
p.m. Funeral Service in the Chapel of the funeral home on Monday,
April 18, 2005 at 1 p.m. As an expression of sympathy, donations
to a charity of your choice would be appreciated.
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FIRLOTTE o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-07-22 published
SMITH,
Earl
Glenford
Born February 14, 1921, died July 21, 2005, in his 85th year,
after a very long and courageous battle with cancer. Glen was
the loving husband of Gladys
(FIRLOTTE) for almost 60 years.
Father to Joan (Clem
SHARP) and David (Anna.) Grandfather to
Lyaca (Tim
RIDDLE), Dalen (Anji), Kelly, Kemayla (James
FLEMING/FLEMMING),
Braedon, and Michael. Great-grandfather to C.J., Austin, Trudon,
Miranda, Alystra, Sevoya, and Rachel. Loved brother of Eileen
(GOULD-
BAILEY), Morley, Florence (Wilkinson), Melbourne, and
Grant. Glen was born on a farm in Sandford just north of Uxbridge.
He lived and worked most of his life in Toronto as a banker for
the Toronto Dominion Bank. In retirement Glen returned to Uxbridge.
Glen will be sorely missed by all his family and Friends. Please
join the family for a Celebration of Life, Monday, July 25, 2005.
Open House at 60 Bolton Drive, Uxbridge, 2: 00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
and 7: 00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. A private service was held for the
immediate family at the Sandford Cemetery. In lieu of flowers,
donations can be made to the Canadian Cancer Society in his name.
Glen is finally at peace.
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FIRMAN o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2005-03-01 published
DENOVAN,
Paul▼
Geoffrey▼
It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Paul Geoffrey
DENOVAN at Scarborough Grace Hospital on February 27, 2005. Paul
was predeceased by his loving wife
Gail▼ (née
FIRMAN) and will
be missed by his daughters Lisa
DENOVAN (and her spouse Simon
BURDEN,)
Jill▼ and Susan, by his granddaughters Amanda and Dana
and by his extended family and Friends, especially those from
the Crossroads Complex where Paul and Gail lived for 30 years.
His family wishes to thank the staff at North York General Hospital
and The Gibson House, especially Jennifer, for their care and
support. A Gathering to Celebrate Paul's life will be held at
The Simple Alternative Funeral Centre, 275 Lesmill Road, (416-4411580),
Thursday March 3, from 4: 00-8:00 p.m. If desired, donations in
his memory to the North York General Hospital or the Canadian
Cancer Society would be appreciated.
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FIRMAN o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-03-01 published
DENOVAN,
Paul▲
Geoffrey▲
It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Paul Geoffrey
DENOVAN at Scarborough Grace Hospital on February 27, 2005. Paul
was predeceased by his loving wife
Gail▲ (née
FIRMAN) and will
be missed by his daughters Lisa
DENOVAN (and her spouse Simon
BURDEN,)
Jill▲ and Susan, by his granddaughters Amanda and Dana
and by his extended family and Friends, especially those from
the Crossroads Complex where Paul and Gail lived for 30 years.
His family wishes to thank the staff at North York General Hospital
and The Gibson House, especially Jennifer, for their care and
support. A Gathering to Celebrate Paul's Life will be held at
The Simple Alternative Funeral Centre, 275 Lesmill Road (416-441-1580),
Thursday, March 3, from 4: 00-8:00 p.m. If desired, donations
in his memory to the North York General Hospital or the Canadian
Cancer Society would be appreciated.
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FIRMAN o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-04-18 published
OSOWSKY,
John▼
Suddenly, on Saturday, April 16, 2005, in his 63rd year. John,
loving and dear father of Julie and her husband Gene
HONDZIO,
Michael and his wife Susan, and Tania. Also survived by the mother
of the children, Anne. Dear brother of Adolko and his wife Cathy
and their children, Adam, Sofia, Natalie, and Christina. Loving
nephew of John and Maria
FIRMAN.
Friends▼ may call at Cardinal
Funeral Home, 92 Annette Street (near Keele), on Tuesday from
2-4 and 6-9 p.m., with Panachida at 8 p.m. Funeral Wednesday
at 9: 30 a.m., then to The Ukrainian Catholic Church Of The Holy
Protection for Mass at 10 a.m. Interment Park Lawn Cemetery.
As an expression of sympathy, donations to the Ontario Heart
and Stroke Foundation would be appreciated.
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FIRMAN o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-04-19 published
OSOWSKY,
John▲
Suddenly, on Saturday, April 16, 2005, in his 63rd year, John,
loving and dear father of Julie and her husband Gene
HONDZIO,
Michael and his wife Susan, and Tania. Dear grandfather of Sophie
and Emily. Also survived by the mother of the children, Anne.
Dear brother of Adolko and his wife Cathy and their children,
Adam, Sofia, Natalie, and Christina. Loving nephew of John and
Maria FIRMAN.
Friends▲ may call at Cardinal Funeral Home, 92 Annette
Street on Tuesday from 2-4 and 6-9 p.m., with Panachida at 8
p.m. Funeral Wednesday at 9: 30 a.m., then to The Ukrainian Catholic
Church Of The Holy Protection for Mass at 10 a.m. Interment Park
Lawn Cemetery. As an expression of sympathy, donations to the
Ontario Heart and Stroke Foundation would be appreciated.
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FIRMAN - All Categories in OGSPI
FIRST o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2005-01-06 published
Bruce MacMILLAN
By Andy LIPCHAK,
Thursday,
January 6, 2005 - Page A20
Educator, founder of Canada
FIRST.
Born
November 6, 1945, in
Toronto. Died September 8, 2004, in an accident, near Oshawa,
aged 58.
I met Bruce
MacMILLAN in 1972 when I first applied for a job
in the Ontario government. Bruce was the personnel officer for
the competition. He phoned me after the interview to tell me
that, although I didn't get the job, he wanted to help me find
another position. I was stunned by this interest and support
from someone I had barely met. Bruce was true to his word, and
so began my own career and my 32-year Friendship with an extraordinary
person.
Bruce left the government soon after I entered. He was restless
and wanted to do something more entrepreneurial. This urge, no
doubt, came from his father who founded what was probably Toronto's
first health food store in 1939. Bruce demonstrated an enterprising
spirit at an early age. As a small boy, he started his own lending
library, issuing cards to neighbourhood children and keeping
a record of borrowed books in a recipe box. The cards were free
and there was no overdue charge.
Later in life, Bruce roped me and many other Friends into other
good causes. One of these was Canada
FIRST, which he founded
in 1993. Canada
FIRST encouraged Canadian youth to explore careers
in math, science and technology by staging an annual national
robotics competition for high-school teams. The students designed
and built the robots that each year had to play a different sport
such as hockey, curling and basketball.
Over its 10 years, more than 11,000 students, teachers, engineering
mentors and volunteers participated. Many students have gone
onto careers in high-tech companies because of the excitement
and inspiration of Canada
FIRST.
Bruce was particularly proud
that a growing number of them were young women. He and his wife,
Janice, were always there to help and encourage the students.
He was presented with the Outstanding Educator Award in 2000
by the 20,000-member Ontario Association of Certified Engineering
Technicians and Technologists.
Bruce raised more than $2-million for Canada
FIRST, but funding
the program was always a struggle. He mortgaged his house and
often put up his own money to pay the bills. He supplemented
his income by chairing federal tribunals in both English and
French to settle unemployment insurance disputes.
Bruce also placed Canada first in other ways. He was fascinated
by politics and was a frequent and perceptive letter-to-the-editor
writer on political issues. During the referendum of 1995, he
started his own campaign to keep Quebec within Canada. He placed
an ad in The Globe and Mail asking Canadians to join him. He
presented the many letters and e-mails he received to Quebec
politicians before the referendum, to demonstrate the Friendship
of other Canadians. A gifted speaker, Bruce also appeared at
unity rallies and town hall meetings. Along with 11 other "ordinary"
Canadians, he participated in the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
program 72 Hours to Remake Canada on the future of Confederation.
Bruce believed that Canada didn't honour its heroes enough. He
became close Friends with James
FLOYD, a patron of Canada
FIRST.
As head of design and engineering for Avro Canada, Jim played
a central role in the development of some of the greatest planes
in Canadian aviation, including the Avro Arrow. Bruce established
a robotics design award in his name and raised money for the
Canada FIRST
Jim
Floyd
Scholarship at the new University of Ontario
Institute of Technology. After Bruce died, Jim asked that the
scholarship be re-dedicated to his friend.
Bruce's life was defined by his energy and generosity, his love
for his family and country, and the pride he took in his many
Friends and the young people he helped.
Andy is Bruce's friend.
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FIRSTBROOK o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2005-03-08 published
FIRSTBROOK,
Virginia
Ann (née
McLARTY)
Passed away in Collingwood on March 6, 2005. She will be dearly
missed by Scott
FIRSTBROOK, her husband of 55 years, her daughter
Joanne REILLY and her husband Keith of Toronto, her son Scott
and wife Paula of Collingwood and daughter Nancy
JENKINSON and
husband Jim of Invermere, British Columbia. Predeceased by her
sisters Margaret
WALLACE and Nancy
BETTSON and brother Alex
McLARTY.
Also sadly missed by grandchildren Brooke and Margot
REILLY,
Trevor and Leslie
FIRSTBROOK and Barbara and Jaime
JENKINSON.
Service will be held at Fawcett Funeral Home, 82 Pine Street,
Collingwood on Wednesday March 9th, 2005 at 2: 00 pm. Reception
following the service at Osler Bluff Ski Club.
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FIRSTBROOK o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2005-03-12 published
FIRSTBROOK,
Ian
Harold, C.D. Major (Ret'd) The Black Watch (Royal
Highland Regiment) of Canada
In Ottawa on March 8th, 2005.
son of the late Harold and Catherine
FIRSTBROOK of Toronto. Brother of Donald Scott of Collingwood.
Loving husband of Nancy
(KOLLE) and devoted father of Sarah (Gordon)
KRIEGER,
Sheilagh, and
David
(Andrea.) Cherished grandfather
of Samantha, Steven, Hannah, and Ella. Will be sadly missed and
fondly remembered by family and Friends. At Ian's request, a
private family service was held followed by cremation. In lieu
of flowers, donations to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, 1900
Merivale Rd. Suite 200, Nepean, Ontario K2G 4N4 would be appreciated.
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FIRSTBROOK o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-01-18 published
DROVER,
Ida
Mary
On Sunday, January 16, 2005 in her 72nd year, beloved wife of
the late William Godfrey
DROVER. Dear mother to Robin
SMITH
(Kenzie)
and Rhonda
BEIRNES
(Murray,) all of Listowel, Kevin (Anne) of
Enderby, British Columbia, Kelly
FIRSTBROOK (Don) of Oakville,
and Kent (Betty) of Fruitvale, British Columbia. Also survived
by 13 grandchildren, 1 great-grandchild, 2 brothers and 5 sisters.
Friends will be received at the Ridley Funeral Home, 3080 Lakeshore
Blvd. W. (between Islington and Kipling Aves., at 14th Street, 416-259-3705)
on Wednesday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Funeral service Thursday
at 11 a.m. from Saint Margaret's Anglican Church, 156 Sixth Street,
followed by cremation. If desired, donations may be made to the
Canadian Cancer Society. Messages of condolence may be placed
at www. RidleyFuneralHome.com
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FIRTH o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2005-01-08 published
CLARKE,
Alice
Peacefully, at London Health Sciences Centre, South Street Campus,
on Thursday, January 6, 2005, Mrs. Alice
CLARKE was in her 92nd
year. Beloved wife of the late Gordon A.
CLARKE.
Loving mother
of Stephen
CLARKE and his wife
Barbara of Mississauga, Joan
CAMERON
and her husband John of Stoney Creek, and Jane
DELAND and her
husband Richard of Windsor. Dear grandmother of Sharon and Sandra
CLARKE, Jason
DELAND and his wife Melanie, Michelle and her husband
Todd STEWARD/STEWART/STUART,
Brenda
CAMERON, Christine and her husband Brock
FIRTH. Dear great grandmother of Britney
FIRTH.
Also survived
by nieces and nephews, Bill and his wife
Judy
GOLDENBERG,
Mark
and his wife
Diane
GOLDENBERG, and Gail and her husband Randy
PARK.
Predeceased by her sister Pearl
GOLDENBERG. Kindly remembered
by her family for the many happy and festive family gatherings.
Provided ongoing support and love to her children and grandchildren.
Worked part time for many years at Woolworths Department Store.
Was a member of St. Andrew Memorial Anglican Church and volunteered
at the McCormick Home. Enjoyed her last two years as a full time
resident at the Grandwood Retirement Home in London. The funeral
service will be conducted at Westview Funeral Chapel, 709 Wonderland
Road North, (2 blocks north of Oxford), on Monday, January 10th,
2005 at 1: 00 p.m. with visiting one hour prior to the service.
Interment, Mount Pleasant Cemetery. Those wishing to make a donation
in memory of Alice are asked to consider the Canadian National
Institute for the Blind.
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FIRTH o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2005-01-21 published
GREENIS,
Josephine
Mary (née
FIRTH) (1917-2005)
She will live in our hearts forever. It is with great sadness
that we have to say goodbye to our mother, mother-in-law, grandmother,
great-grandmother, daughter, sister, aunt, and friend, Josie
GREENIS.
The
Lord took her to Heaven in order to relieve her
pain and suffering after bravely battling Alzheimers. Our mother
passed away on Tuesday, January 18th, 2005 at the age of 87 in
her home at The Westmount in Kitchener, Ontario. Josie was born
on December 8th, 1917 in Sarnia, Ontario, made her home in London,
Ontario where she raised her family and spent her last few years
in Kitchener. Predeceased by husband Max, sisters, Nina and Gloria
and parents Guy and Lily
FIRTH.
Loving▼ mother of Barbara
McNAUGHTON
(Bill,) Max
GREENIS
(Bonnie,)
Linda
McHUGH (Patrick) and Wendy
LAFETE
(John.)
Loving grandmother of Kelly
BROWN (Bob,) Brenda
McNAUGHTON, Brian
McNAUGHTON (Kim), Shannon
GREENIS, Barrie
McNAUGHTON
(Jacqueline) and Jim
GREENIS. Great-Grandma of Meagan
BROWN,
Logan and Bailey
McNAUGHTON.
Visitation in the Lloyd R. Needham
Funeral Chapel (520 Dundas St.) on Sunday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m.
where the funeral service will be conducted on Monday, January
24, 2005 at 11 a.m. Interment at Woodland Cemetery. Memorial
donations in lieu of flowers to the Alzheimer's Society of Kitchener-Waterloo,
233 Frederick Street, Kitchener, N2H 2M7 would be appreciated.
F... Names FI... Names FIR... Names Welcome Home
FIRTH o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2005-11-01 published
JOHNSON,
Enid
Lola (née
HOLT)
Peacefully at Craigwiel Gardens, Ailsa Craig, Sunday, October
30, 2005, Enid Lola
(HOLT)
JOHNSON, formerly of Grand Bend, age
93. Beloved wife of the late R. Lawrence
JOHNSON (1988.) Loved
mother and mother-in-law of Neva and Duncan
McVITTIE of R.R.#1,
Southampton, Nancy and Don
McARTHUR of R.R.#5, Paisley. Loving
grandma of Robin and Rob
RIBBINK,
Larry and Angela
McVITTIE,
Karen McARTHUR and companion John
FIRTH, and great-grandma of
Benjamin RIBBINK,
Samuel
RIBBINK and Ava
McVITTIE. Dear sister-in-law
of Jim and Ruth
JOHNSON,
Mervil and Jessie
JOHNSON, Pat
JOHNSON,
Alvin and Ruby
JOHNSON and Mickey
JOHNSON.
Remembered by her
nieces, nephews and their families. Predeceased by her grand_son
Kevin McARTHUR, parents Roy and Mae
(GEROMETTE)
HOLT, sister
Beulah HOLT, brothers Jack and Erwin
HOLT.
Resting at the T.
Harry Hoffman and Sons Funeral Home, Dashwood, with visitation
Wednesday 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.; where the Funeral Service will be
held Thursday, November 3, 2005 at 11 a.m. Pastors Art and Evelyn
KRUEGER officiating. Interment Grand Bend Cemetery. If desired,
memorial donations to the Cancer Society or charity of choice
would be appreciated. Condolences at www.hoffmanfuneralhome.com
F... Names FI... Names FIR... Names Welcome Home
FIRTH o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2005-01-22 published
FIRTH,
Jean▼
Carruthers▼
Passed away peacefully at Idlewyld Manor on January 20th, 2005.
Jean▼ was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Norman
FIRTH.
Sister▼ of
C. Grant FIRTH (2002) and Murray
FIRTH (1945.) Jean lived in
Hamilton all her life, she drove for the Red Cross during the
second world war. The family would like to thank the staff at
Idlewyld▼
Manor▼ for their compassionate care. Also Lee
YEARWOOD,
Betty HAMMOND, Sheila
ELFORD, Jo-Anne
LARGE and Tracy
WHITTAKER.
Following Jean's wishes there will be no service. Cremation has
taken place. Arrangements by Dodsworth and Brown Funeral Home,
Ancaster, 905-648-3852.
F... Names FI... Names FIR... Names Welcome Home
FIRTH o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2005-01-24 published
FIRTH,
Jean▲
Carruthers▲
Passed away peacefully at Idlewyld Manor on January 20th, 2005.
Jean▲ was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Norman
FIRTH.
Sister▲ of
C. Grant FIRTH (2002) and Murray
FIRTH (1945.) Jean lived in
Hamilton all her life, she drove for the Red Cross during the
second world war. The family would like to thank the staff at
Idlewyld▲
Manor▲ for their compassionate care. Also Lee
YEARWOOD,
Betty HAMMOND, Sheila
ELFORD, Jo-Anne
LARGE and Tracy
WHITTAKER.
Following Jean's wishes there will be no service. Cremation has
taken place. Arrangements by Dodsworth and Brown Funeral Home,
Ancaster, 905-648-3852. In lieu of flowers, donations to a charity
of your choice would be appreciated by the family.
F... Names FI... Names FIR... Names Welcome Home
FIRTH o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2005-03-26 published
Royce FRITH,
Lawyer,
Politician,
Diplomat 1923-2005
As canny as he was charming, he never seriously ran for office
and instead horse-traded his way into the Senate before being
sent to London as High Commissioner, writes Sandra
MARTIN. An
enthusiastic amateur thespian, he above all relished the drama
of the 1995 turbot wars against Spanish fishermen
Saturday, March 26, 2005, Page S9
Tall, patrician, and impeccably dressed, Royce
FRITH was a natural
communicator who moved through life with charm and grace. A lawyer
by training, a Liberal by avocation, and a performer by instinct,
he had the potential to be either chief justice of the Supreme
Court or prime minister. That he was neither was a mystery to
many, but the most likely explanation was fourfold: He was intensely
private; his many talents, which included acting and singing,
tempted him to enjoy life in the broadest sense; he needed to
make a living; and, although he relished influence, he wasn't
hungry enough to seek real power.
Mr. FRITH suffered two great tragedies in his life -- the breakdown
of his marriage followed by his estranged wife's premature death
in 1976, and the death four years later of his son Greg from
malignant melanoma at age 25 -- but he kept his anguish to himself
and never really spoke about these losses even with his closest
Friends. He maintained the same strict privacy in the last few
years about his own struggle with cancer. Even many of his closest
Friends did not know the extent of his illness.
He served his country as a member of the Royal Commission on
Bilingualism and Biculturalism, as a Senator during the Trudeau
and Mulroney eras, and perhaps most famously as the High Commissioner
to England and Northern Ireland who saved Canada House and who
rallied British fishermen to the Canadian cause during the "turbot
war" with the Spanish in the mid-1990s.
Earlier this week, senators from all sides of the Upper Chamber
rose to pay tribute to Mr.
FRITH.
Liberal
Joyce
FAIRBURN noted
that he had "cut a swath through this place with a potent mix
of intellect, talent, humour, stubbornness, skill and commitment
that challenged the rest of us to think and act well beyond the
boundaries of this chamber." Conservative Lowell
MURRAY, who
had often "crossed swords" with Mr.
FRITH, especially during
the 1990 G.S.T. filibuster, praised him as "a model of bilingualism,"
and an "enjoyable, engaging and interesting companion and a great
raconteur." Long-time political strategist Dorothy
DAVEY, speaking
on behalf of herself and her husband, former Senator Keith
DAVEY,
said, "he brought intelligence and élan to every position he
held and joy and warmth to every Friendship he graced and every
room he entered,"
Royce Herbert
FRITH was born in Lachine, Quebec, the only son
of George Harry
FIRTH and Annie Beatrice
ROYCE. He was educated
at Lachine High School and transferred to Parkdale Collegiate
after the family moved to Toronto in the mid-1930s. He graduated
from the University of Toronto in 1946 and Osgoode Hall in 1949
and then did a Diplôme d' études supérieures (droit) at the University
of Ottawa. By then, he had married Elizabeth
DAVISON, a professional
singer whom he had met through The Toronto Mendelssohn Choir.
Back in Toronto, the
FRITHs lived in Leaside and Mr.
FRITH practised
law on his own for nearly two years before joining two colleagues
to form the firm of Magwood, Frith and Pocock. He made his political
affiliation to the Liberal party early, serving as national treasurer
of the Young Liberal Association in 1949. He got involved in
local politics by sitting on Leaside town council in 1951 and
1952 and serving as reeve in 1953. He won the nomination as the
provincial Liberal candidate for York East in 1955, but lost
by more than 7,000 votes to Hollis
BECKETT, the Conservative
candidate.
He never ran for public office again. Former Senator John
NICHOL
thinks of Mr.
FRITH as a Renaissance man. He speculates that
he didn't actively pursue a career in elected politics because
"his interests were so broad, in the arts and music, that I don't
think he wanted to limit himself to the treadmill existence of
an member of Parliament, or worse, a cabinet minister."
Instead he became a strategist and an organizer, becoming president
of the Ontario Liberal Association in 1960, a position he held
until 1962. By then, he was one of the key members of Cell 13,
a group organized by Keith
DAVEY, then national director of the
Liberal
Party, to build up electoral support for Lester
PEARSON
and his brand of reform liberalism throughout the country after
the party's disastrous showings in the 1957 and 1958 federal
elections. One of Cell 13's key activities, as described by Christina
McCall-Newman in her book Grits, was "travelling show-and tell
demonstrations of canvassing, speaking, and advertising methods"
for novice candidates, collected under the rubric of the School
of Practical Politics. Mr.
FRITH, was a key trainer in these
"campaign colleges."
Before the 1963 election that gave Mr.
PEARSON his first minority
government, the perfectly bilingual Mr.
FRITH was a practising
lawyer, the host of a television program called Telepoll on the
newly formed CTV network, and an applicant before the Board of
Broadcast Governors for a licence to establish a private radio
station in Windsor, close to the border with the United States.
He got the licence, much to the annoyance of Windsor member of
Parliament Paul
MARTIN, who thought it should go to a local,
and four months later relinquished it in favour of his silent
partner, media czar Geoffrey
STIRLING.
Mr. DAVEY was not pleased at these public rufflings of Liberal
party solidarity, which provided John
DIEFENBAKER with fuel for
his scathing wit. In his 1986 book, The Rainmaker, he wrote:
"Though never quite a dilettante, Royce was not prepared to commit
totally to anything, least of all a political career." He went
on to say that he regarded Mr.
FRITH as "a squandered political
resource" who might even have been prime minister. "Too often,
however, he slid by on his remarkable personality."
Mr. PEARSON did not share that view. One of his first acts as
Prime Minister was to establish the Royal Commission on Bilingualism
and Biculturalism, with Mr.
FRITH as one of ten commissioners.
He served the Commission faithfully and well, saying at one point
in the hearings that: "If one section of the country sees it
as consisting of a majority and a minority while the other sees
it as an equal partnership, this does not provide a fertile ground
for the exchange of culture. Until we can find ways to change
these attitudes, the present conflict will continue."
Earlier this week, Keith
SPICER, who was appointed Canada's first
Commissioner of Official Languages by Pierre
TRUDEAU in 1970,
paid tribute to Mr.
FRITH who served as his legal adviser. "Royce's
advice, in those days when language was still a minefield of
anger, misunderstanding and prejudice, was fundamental to the
success of the Official Languages Act."
As canny as he was charming, Mr.
FRITH struck himself an advantageous
deal when the Liberals wanted him to be Ontario campaign manager
in the late 1970s. Perhaps Mr.
FRITH knew how hard it would be
to deliver Ontario to the Liberals in the wake of Mr.
TRUDEAU's
imposition of the War Measures Act and wage and price controls.
He was willing to give up his lucrative law practice to serve
the party but he asked for, and received, an appointment to the
Senate in 1977. He then took on running the Ontario campaign
in the 1979 election, the election that saw Mr.
TRUDEAU trounced
by Joe CLARK's
Progressive
Conservatives.
In the Senate, Mr.
FRITH was an active and gifted debater and
served as deputy leader of the government from 1980 to 1984,
deputy leader of the Opposition from 1984 to 1991 and leader
of the Opposition from 1991. Working in Ottawa gave him the opportunity
to spend more time in nearby Perth, his mother's ancestral home
in the Ottawa Valley, and to indulge his passion for amateur
theatricals, including playing Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady.
"Quite frankly," said Senator David
SMITH, "he was better looking
than Rex Harrison and he had a real polish and flair."
He resigned his Senate seat in 1994, five years before mandatory
retirement at age 75, to become High Commissioner to London,
his final and most triumphant period of public life. He waged
two major campaigns. Under his predecessor Fredrik
EATON, appointed
by Brian MULRONEY, there was a serious danger that the lease
on Canada House in its flagship location in Trafalgar Square
in London, was going to be allowed to lapse. Mr.
FRITH was appalled
and did his utmost to point out that losing Canada House was
going to be a blow to Canadian tradition and prestige. He also
discovered that under the terms of the lease, Canada had to restore
the building to its original condition before handing it back
to the Crown. Instead of saving money, giving up Canada House
was going to cost a great deal. That proved a winning argument
in those cost-conscious days.
Former Liberal Cabinet minister Brian Tobin, now a lawyer in
the private sector, had trained as a young candidate with Mr.
FRITH in one of the many campaign colleges. He appreciated Mr.
FRITH's brand of Liberalism. "He understood the private sector
very well, but he also had a huge heart and understood that not
only did you have to produce wealth in this society, you have
to be fair to those who have fewer advantages."
But what really endeared Mr.
FRITH to him was the role he played
in the turbot wars when Mr. Tobin was federal minister of fisheries.
Members of the fishing community in Cornwall started flying Canadian
flags because they were upset by the over-fishing that they themselves
were seeing by the Spanish and the Portuguese and they sympathized
with Canada's position. Mr.
FRITH went to visit them to say thank
you. "He did a marvellous job," said Mr. Tobin. "He was such
an articulate, persuasive personality that he could walk into
a community he had never been in before in his life at a time
like that and really embody Canada in the most positive sense
of the word."
When asked if he had a favourite memory of Mr.
FRITH, he said,
"I see this big tall guy in a bow tie with chiselled features,
big grin, flashing eyes looking for the next big cause, bare
knuckles and all, to embrace. And that's Royce."
If Mr. FRITH was disappointed when he was recalled in 1996 to
make way for former Cabinet minister Roy MacLaren to succeed
him in London, he kept it to himself.
The Vancouver law firm now called Borden Ladner Gervais invited
him to join them as a consultant on British and European affairs.
The climate was better than in Ottawa and he had Friends there,
especially former Senators John Nichol and George Van Roggen.
He quickly became the centre of a social circle that revolved
around the Vancouver Symphony, the board of Pearson College and
the Vancouver Club. "Royce would walk in every day," said David
Smith, "looking like he had just come off Jermyn Street, tailored
by Savile Row. I never needed to book anything [when I went to
Vancouver], all I had to do was go to the Vancouver Club and
there he would be looking like a million dollars."
Mr. FRITH's daughter Valerie also moved to Vancouver where she
taught for a number of years in the publishing program at Simon
Fraser University. He never remarried, although he had many close
women Friends, most notably Hillary Haggan in recent years.
Royce Herbert
FRITH was born in Lachine, Quebec, on November
12, 1923. He died of pneumonia as a complication of malignant
myeloma at home in Vancouver on March 17, 2005. He was 81. He
is survived by his daughter Valerie and her family.
F... Names FI... Names FIR... Names Welcome Home
FIRTH o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2005-07-25 published
FIRTH,
Edith▼
Grace, B.A., B.L.S., LL.D.
At Toronto on Saturday, July 23, 2005 in her 79th year. Edith
Grace FIRTH, predeceased by her parents Thomas and Amy
FIRTH,
brother Daniel
FIRTH and sisters Isabel
McGOWAN and Mary
FIRTH.
She will be fondly remembered by her dear friend Josef
CERMAK,
Gerry McGOWAN,
Marjorie
FIRTH, and nieces and nephews Margaret,
Elizabeth, Thomas, Allison, Diane, Robert and their families.
Librarian; head of Canadian History Department, Metropolitan
Toronto Library 1977-82; joined Reference Division Toronto Public
Library 1949; in charge of rare Canadiana 1952-82; author 'The
Town of York' 1962-66; 'Toronto in Art' 1983; various catalogues,
reviews and articles on historical subjects; recipient American
Association for State and Local History Certificate of Merit 1963
Canadian Historical Association Certificate of Merit for Local
History 1967; Centennial Medal 1967; Toronto Historical Board
Award of Merit 1974; City of Toronto Book Award 1984; Hon. LL.D.,
Trent University; member Multicultural Historical Society Ontario
(Director); Ontario Historical Studies Series (Director); Champlain
Society Council and Publishing Committee (General Editor Ontario
Series 1963-71); National Archival Appraisal Board; Presbyterian
Church General Assembly Committee on History; Bibliographical
Society Canada (Council 1964-67, 1973-77); Ontario Historical
Society (Executive Committee 1965-67, Editorial Board 1972-77).
Friends may call at the Turner and Porter Yorke Chapel, 2357
Bloor Street West, at Windermere, east of the Jane subway, on
Tuesday from 4-8 p.m. A private funeral service to be held with
interment at the Durham Cemetery. If desired, memorial donations
may be made to the charity of your choice.
F... Names FI... Names FIR... Names Welcome Home
FIRTH o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2005-07-26 published
Librarian became expert on history of Toronto
By Sandra MARTIN,
Tuesday,
July▼ 26, 2005, Page S7
Toronto -- Edith
FIRTH studied history before she became a librarian.
She combined those disciplines as a writer and archivist compiling
volumes of early Toronto documents that were invaluable to historians
and other scholars who were trying to write about the beginnings
of Canada's biggest city.
Born in Lindsay, Ontario, on January 27, 1927, she grew up in
North Bay. After earning degrees in modern history and library
science from the University of Toronto, she joined the staff
of the Toronto Public Library working first in general reference
and later rare books. She became head of the manuscript collections
in The Baldwin Room and The Toronto Room in the early 1960s.
She published a number of guides and catalogues including Early
Toronto Newspapers 1793-1867, The Town of York, 1793-1815 and
Toronto in Art. She died in Toronto on July 23. She was 78..
A full obituary is forthcoming.
F... Names FI... Names FIR... Names Welcome Home
FIRTH o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2005-07-30 published
Edith FIRTH,
Librarian And Scholar: 1927-2005
Historian who wrote the book on early Toronto was a librarian
with a gift for inspired research, writes Sandra
MARTIN.
Although
she retired in 1982, the Toronto Public Library still profits
from her work
By Sandra MARTIN,
Saturday,
July▲ 30, 2005, Page S9
A woman of impeccable intellectual standards, Edith
FIRTH edited
landmark collections of documents about the early history and
culture of Toronto. As head of Canadian manuscripts at the Toronto
Public Library for 30 years, she belonged to the tradition of
scholar/librarians -- professionals who publish their own research
while providing the tools that enable others to write and study.
"She created a scholarly haven for historians and geographers
in the Baldwin Room," said geographer John
WARKENTIN, who first
met her as a graduate student in the early 1950s. "Aside from
leading just about everybody and their brother to the materials
that they built their reputations on, she was very important
as a historian," said writer Stephen
OTTO. "
Almost anything she
put on paper herself will stand the test of time."
"She was much more than capable," said historian Maurice
CARELESS.
"She was very confident and rightly so because she knew what
she was doing. I felt a great sense of trustworthiness in her
work." As for her books, "they really were very good."
Tall, elegant and reserved, she had a quick sharp wit that she
shared with close Friends and confidants. While clumsy or inept
researchers were treated courteously and given access to the
documents they requested, she was known to mutter: "That man
is a menace."
"We are still reaping the benefit of what she did throughout
her career," said David
KOTIN, her successor as manager, special
collections, at the Toronto Public Library. "She put her stamp
on them and the staff." The library's holdings now include 25,000
books relating to Canada published before 1900, about 30,000
broadsides, posters and ephemera and 80,000 pictures.
Edith Grace
FIRTH grew up in North Bay, Ontario, where her geologist
father had taken up teaching high-school science. The youngest
of four children of Thomas and Amy
FIRTH, she left home in the
late 1940s to attend the University of Toronto, graduating with
an honours degree in modern history and a degree in library science.
After graduation, she joined the staff of the Toronto Public
Library, where she worked in general reference. In 1952, she
was put in charge of the Treasure Room, where the library's rare
books, especially Canadiana, were housed.
She began studying for a master's degree in history in the early
1950s while continuing to work at the Toronto Public Library
and to prepare her first publication, Guide to the Manuscript
Collections in the Toronto Public Libraries, which was issued
in 1954.
Prof. WARKENTIN, the geographer, met her in J.M.S.
CARELESS's
senior seminar on the history of Old Ontario at that time. They
were both a little older than the other students and they "hit
it off together." He remembers her "steely regard" for good scholarship.
"Her standards were very high, and she was quite independent-minded."
Prof. CARELESS remembers her as "highly capable and very engaging
and intelligent." She never finished the graduate degree, perhaps
because she was doing historical research in her job and didn't
feel the need of another qualification. In 1961, she completed
Early Toronto Newspapers, 1793-1867, a catalogue of newspapers
published before Confederation in the Town of York and the City
of Toronto.
When the Toronto Public Library opened its Reference Library
Addition in its building at St. George and College Streets in
1960, Ms. FIRTH was put in charge of the new Baldwin Room of
Manuscripts and Canadiana (named after Reformer Robert Baldwin,
an early advocate of responsible government) and the Toronto
Room, which housed current and bound volumes of Toronto newspapers
and the Early Toronto Picture Collection.
She and Prof.
WARKENTIN renewed their Friendship when they met
up again in the early 1960s as volunteers with the Champlain
Society, an organization devoted to increasing public access
to and awareness of our documentary heritage. "She was the general
editor of the Ontario series and I was elected to the council
[of the Champlain Society]," he said. "We were quite junior members,"
at least compared to the "titans of Canadian history" on the
board at the time -- a list that included W.L. Morton, Donald
Creighton, C.P. Stacey, W.K. Lamb (Dominion archivist and the
first national librarian of Canada) and Leslie Frost, the recently
retired premier of Ontario. "And there was Edith -- shy and reserved,
but, if she made any remarks, they listened because it was very
clear that she was respected as a scholar."
The early 1960s was an optimistic time for Canadian studies in
the run-up to the centennial celebrations. Ontario, and its capital
city, were no exception. It was in this era, when public money
was available to underwrite large historical projects, that Ms.
FIRTH made her mark as the editor of The Town of York, 1793-1815,
which was published by University of Toronto Press and the Champlain
Society in 1962 (with financial support from the Ontario government,
thanks largely to Mr. Frost and his successor, John Robarts).
She had spent more than three years amassing and editing documents
related to the early history of Toronto from the library's own
collections, the federal and provincial archives and many other
repositories and historical societies in Canada and the United
States.
In a review in The Globe, Col.
STACEY, the military historian,
declared The Town of York "the most important book on the history
of Toronto in many years." He described it as "a big handsome
volume of documents" from "the day in 1793 when Col. and Mrs.
John Graves
SIMCOE and the Queen's Rangers arrived to found the
settlement, down to the end of the War of 1812, during which
the place was twice raided by the Americans."
Five years later, on the eve of the centennial year, Ms.
FIRTH
compiled The Town of York, 1815-1834: A Further Collection of
Documents of Early Toronto. She pushed the story ahead to the
incorporation of "dirty little York" into the city we know as
Toronto and the election of journalist William Lyon
MacKENZIE
as its first mayor.
By then, the newly minted Toronto, which had more than 9,000
inhabitants and was the biggest town in Upper Canada, had survived
the cholera epidemic of 1832 and the nascent battles between
MacKENZIE the reformer and the members of the ruling oligarchy
later known as the Family Compact. In reviewing this volume for
The Globe, Col.
STACEY praised Ms.
FIRTH for "the skill and ingenuity
with which she has hunted documents from their hiding places
and explained them, and for the lucid introduction with which
the volume begins."
Prof. WARKENTIN was a frequent user of the Baldwin Room, which
moved to the new Raymond Moriyama facility on Yonge Street that
was opened as the Metro Toronto Reference Library in the early
1970s. He had many occasions to watch Ms.
FIRTH in action on
the floor, or in her office "scribbling away on her research"
and attending to administrative work.
Of course, she wasn't working all the time. She and her older
sister, Mary, an English teacher, lived in a house in Etobicoke,
cared for their widowed mother and attended to an older sister
who suffered from Alzheimer's disease. When they could, the two
sisters travelled -- mainly to England -- and collected commemorative
China, a passion that had begun when Edith's father had given
her a plate celebrating the young Princess Elizabeth after the
coronation of George Virgin Islands.
After
Mary died in 1975, Ms.
FIRTH continued to build the collection,
which eventually included a Charles II plate from 1673, wares
celebrating William and Mary and the Glorious Revolution of 1688
and a 1722 mug mourning the death of Queen Anne. The collection
of nearly 400 pieces, which was displayed on shelves in the recreation
room in her basement, was eventually sold at auction for £160,000
at Christie's in London in 1999.
She retired in 1982 at 55, perhaps with the intention of writing
more books or devoting more time to her hobbies and her nieces
and nephews. The following year, she published Toronto in Art:
150 Years Through Artists' Eyes to coincide with the city's sesquicentennial.
The selection was limited to 70 works by 130 artists chosen for
their historical value in depicting the city from 1834 to 1983.
It won the City of Toronto Book Award in 1984.
Writer Stephen
OTTO met her first as a library user and then
came to know her well when he headed up the Ontario Heritage
Conservation program in the mid-1970s. The odd thing, says Mr.
OTTO, was that she didn't write more actively or productively
after she retired. It was "almost as if she wanted to throw away
her scholarship," he said. Instead, she indulged her passion
for Dandie Dinmont dogs, a breed of Scottish terriers.
In the past few years, the family affliction of Alzheimer's disease
began flexing its deadly tentacles. Lawyer Joseph
CERMAK (a dear
friend who met her after he arrived as a refugee from Czechoslovakia
in 1949 and found a job as an assistant at Toronto Public Library)
kept a caring watch over her, organizing a housekeeper and finally
a nursing home a few weeks ago.
Edith Grace
FIRTH was born in Lindsay, Ontario, on January 27,
1927. She died of Alzheimer's disease in Toronto on July 23,
2005. She was 78. She is survived by a brother-in-law, a sister-in-law,
six nieces and nephews and their families.
F... Names FI... Names FIR... Names Welcome Home
FIRTH o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2005-08-06 published
BAKER,
Philip
Edwin
Derry
Retired Senior Judge of the Ontario Court of Justice (Provincial
Division) passed away Saturday, July 30, 2005 at Kingston General
Hospital in his 79th year, surrounded by his family. Predeceased
by his parents Jessie
(ROBINSON)
BAKER and Lieut.-Colonel Edwin
Albert BAKER, co-founder of the Canadian National Institute for
the Blind, brothers David and John, and his much-loved childhood
caregiver Edith (Edie)
ELLIOT/ELLIOTT. Survived by his loving wife of
53 years, Mary
(FIRTH)
BAKER, his sister Judy
SHEARD, children
Vicki (married to Lee
McNAUGHTON,)
Matthew (married to Susan
CARRINGTON,) and Robbie (married to Leslie
GALBRAITH.)
Obnoxiously
proud grandfather to Peter, Ginny and Heather
McNAUGHTON,
Jamie
BAKER and Boris
BAKER.
Phil aspired to wisdom and fairness in his work, treating everybody
with dignity and respect. He will long be remembered for his
contribution to the administration of justice, but for those
who knew him, he will be remembered best for his sense of humour
and affable nature.
Our family would like to express our deep appreciation to the
doctors, palliative care team and particularly the nurses of
Kidd 4 at Kingston General Hospital for both the quality of their
care and their assistance during this most difficult time. In
accordance with Phil's wishes, in lieu of a funeral or memorial
service, we will hold a celebration of his life on his birthday,
August 12th, from 6 p.m.-10 p.m. at Fort Frontenac Officers'
Mess, next to the Wolfe Island Ferry Terminal in Kingston. As
expressions of sympathy, donations to the Canadian National Institute
for the Blind would be greatly appreciated by the family.
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FIRTH o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-12-04 published
WILLIAMS,
Edith
May (née
DART)
Peacefully, with family by her side, on Friday, December 2, 2005,
in her 96th year, at Sunrise Senior Living in Unionville. Beloved
wife of the late Byron. Edith is survived by her daughter Marjory
and her husband Jack
WALTERS.
She will be missed by her grand_son
Scott, great-grand_son James, granddaughter Shari and her husband
David DUNCAN, and sister Ruth
FIRTH.
Friends will be received
at the Dixon-Garland Funeral Home, 166 Main St. N. (Markham Rd.),
Markham, on Monday from 12: 30 p.m. until time of Service in the
Chapel at 1: 30 p.m.
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FIRTH o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-12-24 published
DUNN,
Ethel
Louise
Peacefully at Simcoe Manor, Beeton on Friday, December 23rd,
2005. Ethel
DUNN of Beeton and formerly of Bracebridge, in her
88th year. Beloved wife of the late Larry
DUNN. Survived by Judy
FIRTH and her husband John of Barrie and Bill
DUNN of Bracebridge.
Loving▲ grandmother of Steven
FIRTH,
Tim and Terry
DUNN and the
late Jason
FIRTH. Dear sister of Marie
CAMPBELL,
Edith▲
O'BRIEN,
Joan HARDINGE, Gord
HOLMES, the late Elsie
HARDY, Mae
BALDING,
Art and Jack
HOLMES, Doris
WILLS, Nora
ELLIOT/ELLIOTT and Marge
DAVIS.
At Ethel's request, a Family Service will be held at a later
date. Cremation has taken place. Memorial donations to the charity
of your choice would be appreciated by the family and may be
made through the Steckley-Gooderham Funeral Homes, 30 Worsley
Street, Barrie, Ontario L4M 1L4.
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