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PARKMAN o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2006-04-22 published
MOORE, Robert Harold
Suddenly, at Toronto East General Hospital, on Wednesday, April 19, 2006, at the age of 69. Beloved husband of Anne. Loving step-father of Cheryl CUMMINGS of Prince George, British Columbia, loving cousin of Jean GIORDANO (née LOCK,) and loving step-grandfather of Chantal PARKMAN. Fondly remembered by his loving Friends. Friends may call at Giffen-Mack "Danforth" Funeral Home and Cremation Centre, 2570 Danforth Ave. (at Main Subway), on Tuesday, April 25, 2006 from 2-4 p.m. Legion Service will be held on Tuesday evening at 7 p.m., followed by a complete Funeral Service in the Chapel. Cremation to follow. A memeorial gathering will be held at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 22, 2nd Floor (Woodbine Ave. and Mortimer), on Saturday, May 13th from 1-3 p.m.

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PARKS o@ca.on.grey_county.owen_sound.the_sun_times 2006-10-10 published
GALBRAITH, Gladys
Of Southampton and formerly of Arkwright, passed away peacefully at the Grey Bruce Health Services in Southampton on Monday October 9, 2006 in her 83rd year. Predeceased by her beloved husband Ammie in 1990. Lovingly remembered by children, Doctor Ray and Lois of Point Clark, Rollie and Jeannie of Kitchener and Shirley and Bob ALPAUGH of Arkwright, by grandchildren, Donna McKEE, Scott GALBRAITH, Shanon ALPAUGH, Rhonda ALPAUGH, Karen AURST and Peter ALPAUGH and by 8 great-grandchildren. Sadly missed by best friend and companion Bill PARKS of Southampton and his daughter, Janice and husband Glenn NICKEL and their family, Dallas and Derek. Friends may call at the Paul H. Eagleson Funeral Home in Tara on Wednesday from 2: 00 to 4:00 and 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. The Funeral service will be held in the chapel on Thursday, October 12, 2006 at 11: 00 a.m. Interment in Hillcrest Cemetery, Tara. Memorial donations to Canadian Cancer Society would be appreciated as your expressions of sympathy. Condolences may be expressed online at www.paulheaglesonfuneralhome.ca

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PARKS o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2006-10-04 published
SMELTZER, Pat
Peacefully at London Health Sciences Centre, Victoria Hospital, on Monday, October 2nd, 2006, Pat SMELTZER of London in her 77th year. Loving wife of 51 years to Don. Dear mother of Tom and Sharon of London, and Parker and Maryse of Acton Vale, Quebec. Loving grandmother of Lindsey and Jordan, Terry and Tanya. Predeceased by 5 sisters and 2 brothers. Sadly missed by her nephew Peter PARKS and niece Mary MOSHER. Also remembered by several other nieces and nephews. Visitation will be held on Thursday from 2: 00-4:00 and 7:00-9:00 p.m. at the Westview Funeral Chapel, 709 Wonderland Road North, where the funeral service will be conducted on Friday, October 6th, 2006 at 1: 00 p.m. Interment, Woodlawn Cemetery in Guelph on Saturday, at 10: 30 a.m. in lieu of flowers, those wishing to make a donation in memory of Pat are asked to consider the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario.

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PARKS o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2006-11-13 published
MICHENER, Mabel (née UNDERWOOD)
Of Saint Thomas, formerly of Sarnia and Windsor, passed away at her residence, Caressant Care on Mary Bucke on Saturday, November 11, 2006, in her 97th year. Wife of the late Charles A. MICHENER (1981.) Mother of Leta POISSON and her husband Joe of St. Joachim, Mervin MICHENER and his wife Marenah of Cape Coral, Florida, Phyllis MacDONALD- LEOPOLD and her husband Jack of Windsor, Lillian HARTFORD and her husband Wayne of Union, David MICHENER and his wife Elaine of R.R.#5, Forest and the late Joyce LITFIN (her husband Ralph of Clearwater, Florida.) Sister of Winnifred DOBBS of Texas, Florence PARKS of Wyoming, Ontario, and Violet SHAND of Sarnia. Also survived by 19 grandchildren, 37 great-grandchildren, 2 great-great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. In addition to her husband and daughter, she was predeceased by son-in-law, Rod MacDONALD, two sisters, Evelyn UNDERWOOD and Ellen VANDENBURGH, and three brothers, John, Henry C. and James UNDERWOOD. Born in Sarnia, Ontario, December 22, 1909, the daughter of the late William C. and Emma (CORNISH) UNDERWOOD. Mrs. MICHENER was a former member of Broderick Memorial Baptist Church, Saint Thomas and the Ladies Aid of the church. In later years she attended First Yarmouth (Plains) Baptist Church. She was a member of Flower City Chapter #91, O.E.S., Saint Thomas. Friends will be received at the Sifton Funeral Home, 118 Wellington Street, Saint Thomas on Tuesday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. The funeral service will be held at First Yarmouth (Plains) Baptist Church (6071 Fairview Rd. at Sparta Line) on Wednesday at 11: 00 a.m. Interment in Elmdale Memorial Park. Memorial donations to Shrine Hospitals for Children or the charity of one's choice gratefully acknowledged.

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PARKS o@ca.on.simcoe_county.nottawasaga.collingwood.enterprise-bulletin 2006-03-01 published
SERVICE, Florence▼ Eileen▼ (JOHNSON)
Passed away at Creedan Valley Nursing Home, in Creemore on Thursday, February▼ 23, 2006 at the age of 83 years. Eileen (JOHNSON) SERVICE beloved wife of the late Bill SERVICE. Dear mother of Don SERVICE and his wife Gail▼ of Collingwood, Joan (Mrs. Ken MONAGHAN) of Collingwood,▼ Lois▼ (Mrs.▼ Murray PARKS) of Ravenna, Gwen (Mrs. James PLUMMER) of Ravenna and the late Dean SERVICE. Dear sister of Les and his wife Shirley▼ JOHNSON of Fenelon Falls, Leone THOMPSON/THOMSON/TOMPSON/TOMSON of Woodstock, Bernice WILLIS of Scarborough and the late Lorene HAMILTON, Harold JOHNSON, Russ JOHNSON and Earl JOHNSON. Lovingly remembered by her 10 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren. Funeral services were held at the Chatterson-Long Funeral Home 404 Hurontario Street, Collingwood on Sunday, February 26, 2006 at 2 p.m. Spring Interment Singhampton Cemetery.

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PARKS o@ca.on.simcoe_county.nottawasaga.collingwood.enterprise-bulletin 2006-03-01 published
SERVICE, Florence▲ Eileen▲ (JOHNSON)
Passed away at Creedan Valley Nursing Home, in Creemore on Thursday, February▲ 23, 2006 at the age of 83 years. Eileen (JOHNSON) SERVICE be loved wife of the late Bill SERVICE. Dear mother of Don SERVICE and his wife Gail▲ of Collingwood, Joan (Mrs. Ken MONAGHAN) of Collingwood,▲ Lois▲ (Mrs.▲ Murray PARKS) of Ravenna, Gwen (Mrs. James PLUMMER) of Ravenna and the late Dean SERVICE. Dear sister of Les and his wife Shirley▲ JOHNSON of Fenelon Falls, Leone THOMPSON/THOMSON/TOMPSON/TOMSON of Woodstock, Bernice WILLIS of Scarborough and the late Lorene HAMILTON, Harold JOHNSON, Russ JOHNSON and Earl JOHNSON. Lovingly remembered by her 10 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren. Funeral Services were held at the Chatterson-Long Funeral Home 404 Hurontario Street, Collingwood on Sunday, February 26, 2006 at 2 p.m. Spring Interment Singhampton Cemetery.

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PARKS o@ca.on.simcoe_county.nottawasaga.stayner.stayner_sun 2006-07-12 published
PEACOCK, Ryan
Suddenly on Wednesday July 5, 2006 at his home in Collingwood at the age of 22. Ryan, beloved son of Yvonne and her husband Wayne PARSONS of Cambridge and Terry PEACOCK and his wife Mona LACOSSE of Stayner. Cherished brother of Melissa. Stepbrother of Cassandra ROBINSON, Real LACOSSE, Gerald and Joshua PARSONS and Mathew GRAHAM. Dear grand_son of Winston and Yvonne PEACOCK of Stayner and Ruth and the late Mansell PARKS of Clarksburg. Visitation took place on Saturday July 8, 2006 from 7-9 in the evening at Fawcett Funeral Homes, Collingwood Chapel, 82 Pine Street. A Funeral service was held in the chapel on Sunday July 9, 2006 at 8 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to New Horizons in Ryan's memory. Friends may leave comments for the family by visiting www.fawcettfuneralhomes.com
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PARKS o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2006-03-03 published
PARKS, Gordon▼ Craigie,▼ Q.C.
Peacefully, in his sleep in Clearwater Beach, Florida on Tuesday February 28th, 2006 during his 80th year. Beloved, only son of the late Margot E. Duthoit PARKS and the late Norman John PARKS. Gordie was the much loved best friend and husband of over 48 years, to Shirley TUCKER- PARKS; a caring and very dear father to Richard (Michelle) and Ian (Liana) and a loving grandpa to Caitlin, Dylan, Alexandra and Nicholas. Born in Winnipeg on November 15, 1926 he obtained his Arts and Law degrees from the University of Manitoba. His career was spent first in the office of the Judge Advocate General and then at External Affairs from 1967 until his retirement in 1990. Gordie was a generous, witty soul who loved his family, his Friends, a good Scotch, a good joke and the many travels in various parts of the world that he and Shirley shared during his retirement. Funeral arrangements are entrusted to Moss and Feaster Funeral Home, 802 N. Fort Harrison Road, Clearwater, Florida 33755. 727-446-2375. A memorial service will be held in Ottawa in May. In memoriam donations may be made to the Ottawa Heart Institute Alumni www.ottawaheartalumni.ca

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PARKS o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2006-03-04 published
PARKS, Gordon▲ Craigie,▲ Q.C.
Peacefully, in his sleep in Clearwater Beach, Florida on Tuesday February 28th, 2006 during his 80th year. Beloved, only son of the late Margot E. Duthoit PARKS and the late Norman John PARKS. Gordie was the much loved best friend and husband of over 48 years, to Shirley TUCKER- PARKS; a caring and very dear father to Richard (Michelle) and Ian (Liana) and a loving grandpa to Caitlin, Dylan, Alexandra and Nicholas. Born in Winnipeg on November 15, 1926 he obtained his Arts and Law degrees from the University of Manitoba. His career was spent first in the office of the Judge Advocate General and then at External Affairs from 1967 until his retirement in 1990. Gordie was a generous, witty soul who loved his family, his Friends, a good Scotch, a good joke and the many travels in various parts of the world that he and Shirley shared during his retirement. Funeral arrangements are entrusted to Moss and Feaster Funeral Home, 802 N. Fort Harrison Road, Clearwater, Florida 33755. 727-446-2375. A memorial service will be held in Ottawa in May. In memoriam donations may be made to the Ottawa Heart Institute Alumni www.ottawaheartalumni.ca

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PARKS o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2006-04-01 published
FRENCH, Terence▼ D'Arcy "Terry" C.V.S.M., E.M., C.D.s, C.L.J., B.A.
Ham License VE3OB Co-Founder of Radio Station CKLC in Kingston Proud Veteran of World War 2 Life Member of Mindes Lodge, No. 253 The Ancient Saint_John's Masonic Lodge, No. 3
Entered into rest peacefully at the Kingston General Hospital Kingston, Ontario, on Wednesday, March 29, 2006, after a brief illness, Terry FRENCH, in his 85th year. Loving husband of the late Muriel 'Bessie' CATTO and by a previous marriage to Marion LEWIS. Dear father of John and his wife Diane▼ of Markham, Kathy FRENCH and her husband Roger FONTAINE of Winnipeg, Barbara PARKS and her husband Ken of Bloomfield, Liz of Kingston, and step-daughter Dimitra Joan. Much loved grandpa of Daniel, Lauren and Benjamin PARKS and step-grandpa of Richard and Natasha. Also survived by his nieces and nephews Cherrie GILLILANT (Don,▼) Jack▼ FRENCH (Marie,) Pat TAILOR/TAYLOR (John▼) and Michael HUTCHINSON/HUTCHISON (Doris) as well as his great nieces and nephews. And last but not least, his beloved and faithful dog, Mindy. Resting at the James Reid Funeral Home, Cataraqui Chapel (1900 John Counter Boulevard) Kingston, on Sunday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Members of the Ancient Saint_John's Lodge, No. 3, are requested to assemble at the funeral home on Sunday at 7 p.m. for a masonic service. All sister lodges are respectfully invited to attend. Funeral Monday, April 3, 2006 for service at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, (130 Clergy Street▼) in Kingston, at 1: 30 p.m., The Reverend Lincoln BRYANT officiating. Interment Cataraqui Cemetery. As expressions of sympathy, memorial donations made to the Kingston Hospitals Joint Advancement Foundation (Kingston General Hospital Foundation) or to a charity of your choice would be appreciated. (Donations by cheque only please). James Reid Cataraqui Chapel Kingston (613) 544-3411 www.jamesreidfuneralhomme

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PARKS o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2006-04-01 published
FRENCH, Terence▲▼ D'Arcy "Terry" C.V.S.M., E.M., C.D.s, C.L.J., B.A.
Ham License VE3OB Co-Founder of Radio Station CKLC in Kingston Proud Veteran of World War 2 Life Member of Mindes Lodge, No. 253 The Ancient Saint_John's Masonic Lodge, No. 3
Entered into rest peacefully at the Kingston General Hospital Kingston, Ontario, on Wednesday, March 29, 2006, after a brief illness, Terry FRENCH, in his 85th year. Loving husband of the late Muriel 'Bessie' CATTO and by a previous marriage to Marion LEWIS. Dear father of John and his wife Diane▲▼ of Markham, Kathy FRENCH and her husband Roger FONTAINE of Winnipeg, Barbara PARKS and her husband Ken of Bloomfield, Liz of Kingston, and step-daughter Dimitra Joan. Much loved grandpa of Daniel, Lauren and Benjamin PARKS and step-grandpa of Richard and Natasha. Also survived by his nieces and nephews Cherrie GILLILANT (Don,▲) Jack▲ FRENCH (Marie,) Pat TAILOR/TAYLOR (John▲▼) and Michael HUTCHINSON/HUTCHISON (Doris) as well as his great nieces and nephews. And last but not least, his beloved and faithful dog, Mindy. Resting at the James Reid Funeral Home, Cataraqui Chapel (1900 John Counter Boulevard) Kingston, on Sunday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Members of the Ancient Saint_John's Lodge, No. 3, are requested to assemble at the funeral home on Sunday at 7 p.m. for a masonic service. All sister lodges are respectfully invited to attend. Funeral Monday, April 3, 2006 for service at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, (130 Clergy Street▲▼) in Kingston, at 1: 30 p.m., The Reverend Lincoln BRYANT officiating. Interment Cataraqui Cemetery. As expressions of sympathy, memorial donations made to the Kingston Hospitals Joint Advancement Foundation (Kingston General Hospital Foundation) or to a charity of your choice would be appreciated. (Donations by cheque only please). James Reid Cataraqui Chapel Kingston (613) 544-3411 www.jamesreidfuneralhomme

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PARKS o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2006-04-19 published
SHARKEY, Brian David
Suddenly in Ottawa on Sunday, April 16, 2006 in his 56th year, Brian SHARKEY, cherished husband of Joyce SHARKEY (née PARKS) Dear father of Jennifer (Dan WALKER) and Michael (Tammy TAILOR/TAYLOR) proud grampa of Griffin WALKER, Ashton SHARKEY and Mason TAILOR/TAYLOR. Sadly missed by brothers Allan, David, their families; Aunt Emma and the Parks families; remembered by step-brothers/sisters of the Roberts family. Brian was a steel salesman who started his career at Drummond McCall Toronto, moving in 1977 to Edmonton. He was manager of Hunter Steel, Brantford until 2001. In 1986, a heart transplant at London Health Sciences Centre, London, thanks to a young donor and his family, extended Brian's life for 20 precious years. Please sign your donor card and tell your family. Friends will be received at the McCleister Funeral Home, 495 Park Road North, Brantford on Thursday 7-9 p.m. Funeral service in the chapel on Friday at 1: 30 p.m. Interment at Mount Horeb Cemetery, Lindsay. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to the Lions Club, Camp Dorset or a charity of your choice gratefully appreciated. McCleister (519) 758-1553 mccleisterfuneralhome@rogers.com "Longing for another season at the cottage, another round of golf, one more glass of wine in Paris."

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PARKS o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2006-12-06 published
John EDMEADS, Physician (1936-2006)
Gifted healer and teacher who was considered the world's expert in headaches and migraines once described his own lingering agony as 'still flapping its bat-like wings behind my brow'
By Ron CSILLAG, Special to The Globe and Mail, Page S7
Toronto -- Women make up roughly 75 per cent of the three million migraine sufferers in Canada. So why is it that new drugs to help manage acute migraines can, for some women at certain times, make their headaches worse? Doctor John EDMEADS, Canada's migraine guru, had an unvarnished answer: "Most physicians are men."
Not all headaches are created equal, and as many as 40 per cent of menopausal women who take migraine medication may find their headache getting worse. There are ways around the problem, such as hormone replacements with lower doses of estrogen, but "it's amazing how many neurologists out there don't know that," Doctor EDMEADS once observed.
Find a doctor who has what you have, goes the old saw; the empathy will be automatic. A migraineur himself, Doctor EDMEADS knew what his patients were going through. Deploying his customary oratorical flourish, he once described his own lingering agony as "still flapping its bat-like wings behind my brow." A patient's first few weeks off pain pills were "seven purple shades of hell."
A gifted healer, a much loved and widely admired teacher, administrator, expert witness and all-around wit, Doctor EDMEADS was considered Canada's, if not the world's, pre-eminent medical specialist in headaches and migraines. Anyone needing a brain doctor on the day of his memorial service in Toronto was likely out of luck; they were all packed into a room honouring a man lauded as a physician's physician and neurologist's neurologist, yet without a whiff of pretence.
"Doctors got better at diagnosing migraines because of John," said Canadian neurologist David Dodick, who completed a fellowship in headache studies under Doctor EDMEADS a decade ago and now works at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. "Ask anyone who the most gifted speaker on the subject was, and they would all say 'Dr. EDMEADS.' I've never heard a negative word about him, ever, around the world."
A neurologist at Toronto's Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre for 39 years and professor at the University of Toronto's medical faculty, where he won two Silver Shovel teaching awards for best clinical lecturer, Doctor EDMEADS knew well that even the word migraine can weaken knees. It was largely on his watch that the skull-splitting condition was understood, and has been proven as a neurological disorder, not just something triggered by too much gin, chocolate or a whiney two-year-old.
Even with recent advances, an estimated one-third of sufferers do not seek treatment, and migraine continues to be misunderstood, undertreated, and underdiagnosed.
The Migraine Association of Canada has noted some painful numbers: In Canada, 3.2 million adults and 250,000 children suffer from migraines, and absenteeism and loss of productivity resulting from migraines cost the economy $20 every second, or about $600-million annually.
Last year's Canadian Migraine in Women Survey alarmingly suggested that 32 per cent of Canadian adult women suffer from debilitating migraines (the worldwide ratio is 18 per cent of women and 6 per cent of men, but the prevalence for women is thought to be vastly understated).
Dr. EDMEADS placed hope in a relatively new class of migraine medications called triptans, but "he was not the sort of guy who sat in a lab and looked at molecules," said Valerie South, a nurse and author of the 1996 book Migraine. "He was the king of bedside manner. He let his patients do the talking."
Among them was Catherine Cripps, who was referred to Doctor EDMEADS after two other doctors were stumped by her "indescribable" pains. "He nailed it right away," recalled Ms. Cripps, who was diagnosed as having 11 leaks in her spinal cord -- with no cure. Even so, "he counselled me in such a way as to give me strength and hope. I will always be grateful for that."
Painkillers had their place, but Doctor EDMEADS felt that some migraineurs may be better off taking no medication at all. He and other specialists recognized that up to 40 per cent of Canadian sufferers have medication-induced headaches from both prescribed and over-the-counter drugs.
"These patients feel they have to take something for pain all the time, but in this case, the medication may not be doing them any good," he told a 1995 news conference. In one study, six months after withdrawal, about 70 per cent of patients reported they were able to cope without painkillers. "They still have migraines, but they don't feel out of control."
So what did Doctor EDMEADS take for his own head pain? Would you believe Alka-Seltzer? "It's liquid and it goes right to the root of the trouble immediately," chuckled his sister, Marilyn HENRY. "He believed in it religiously."
Neither did he gloss over garden-variety tension headaches, which affect about one-third of adults. They may not enjoy the pride of place of migraines, "but they do represent a very significant problem for many people. The pain is less severe than that of migraine, and the picture of an attack less dramatic, but the long-term suffering of someone with truly intrusive tension-type headaches can often be equivalent to that due to the migraine."
Two brain-related events figured in Doctor EDMEADS's formative years: He stuttered as a child and adolescent. Speech therapy and lots of practice helped him overcome the condition -- in spades. He went on to win pretty much every teaching award in the field (yet felt compelled to complete a master's degree in education at the age of 60). And his father died of a brain tumour while Dr. EDMEADS was a 25-year-old resident. As a family member, he was not permitted to treat his father.
Neurology had been a fairly popular specialty at the time of his graduation from the University of Toronto's medical school in 1959 but headache wasn't. The story goes that one day 45 or so years ago, Doctor EDMEADS was meeting with his mentor, Doctor Henry BARNETT. A pharmaceutical salesman entered and asked Doctor BARNETT to conduct a study on a new migraine drug. "There's your expert," Dr. BARNETT quickly sidestepped, pointing to his young protégé.
Dr. EDMEADS "accepted the challenge and did the study and became an expert," said Don COWAN, a former physician-in-chief at Sunnybrook (a position held by Doctor EDMEADS from 1994 to 2001.)
In 1988, Doctor EDMEADS was part of a medical team that testified on behalf of Kenneth James PARKS, a 24-year-old who had stabbed his mother-in-law to death and pleaded not guilty by reason of somnambulism. The sleepwalking defence worked, and Mr. PARKS was acquitted.
Dr. EDMEADS also researched the history of migraines for the World Headache Alliance and found many historical figures who suffered from the disorder, perhaps even having been influenced by it. They included painter Vincent Van Gogh, writers Virginia Woolf and Lewis Carroll, Napoleon, Julius Caesar and Elvis Presley.
It was not for nothing that Doctor EDMEADS bore a striking resemblance to actor Alan Alda, down to the tall and lanky frame. Like Hawkeye Pierce, Doctor EDMEADS's wit was irreverent but never cutting. A sampling, courtesy of his friend of 40 years, psychiatrist Fred SHEFTEL:
Hospitalized with his cancer, Doctor EDMEADS asked Friends not to call his wife after 10 p.m. "She'll think it's the hospital telling her I'm dead"
A medical expert was "anyone who comes from more than 50 miles away with slides"
Most lectures "are characterized by the information on the slide going from the mouth of the lecturer to the ears of the listener without going through the minds of either"
The extent of injuries and disabilities arising from post-traumatic whiplash disorder "depends on the kind of car the driver sees in the rearview mirror -- Ford or Mercedes."
Did Doctor EDMEADS diagnose his own terminal condition? No one knows, but he did come to work one day and instructed his loyal assistant, Hazel JOFFE, to throw away the slew of awards, plaques and citations on his wall, calling them "pure vanity." She took them down, but moved them to a residents' room at Sunnybrook named for him.
Dr. EDMEADS was the first Canadian to serve as president of the American Headache Society, which awarded him one final, posthumous kudo: The 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award.
Dr. John Gordon EDMEADS was born in Toronto on April 15, 1936, and died there on November 16, 2006, of acute leukemia. He was He leaves his wife, Catherine BERGERON, a neuropathologist; a son, Christopher; brother Ralph and sister Marilyn HENRY.

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PARKS o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2006-12-21 published
THOMPSON/THOMSON/TOMPSON/TOMSON, Mary▼ Eleanor▼ (née SHIPP)
Died peacefully at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre December 19th, 2006. Beloved wife of the late J. Glen THOMPSON/THOMSON/TOMPSON/TOMSON. Loving▼ mother of James, Mary and her husband Arthur PARKS, Nancy▼ and her husband Gord BULLOCK. Dear sister of Ruth STEPHEN, the late Del TURNER and the late Marilyn DENTON. Devoted▼ grandmother of Kristen, Stephen, Meghan and Glen. The family will receive Friends at the Morley Bedford Funeral Home, 159 Eglinton Ave West, Toronto (2 stoplights west of Yonge St.) from 12: 00 noon to 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 28th followed by a service of remembrance at 1: 00 p.m. in the chapel. In lieu of flowers, donations to Sunnybrook Heath Sciences Centre or the charity of your choice would be greatly appreciated.

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PARKS o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2006-12-26 published
THOMPSON/THOMSON/TOMPSON/TOMSON, Mary▲ Eleanor▲ (née SHIPP)
Died peacefully at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre December 19th, 2006. Beloved wife of the late J. Glen THOMPSON/THOMSON/TOMPSON/TOMSON. Loving▲ mother of James, Mary and her husband Arthur PARKS, Nancy▲ and her husband Gord BULLOCK. Dear sister of Ruth STEPHEN, the late Del TURNER and the late Marilyn DENTON. Devoted▲ grandmother of Kristen, Stephen, Meghan and Glen. The family will receive Friends at the Morley Bedford Funeral Home, 159 Eglinton Ave West, Toronto (2 stoplights west of Yonge St.) from 12: 00 noon to 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 28th followed by a service of remembrance at 1: 00 p.m. in the chapel. In lieu of flowers, donations to Sunnybrook Heath Sciences Centre or the charity of your choice would be greatly appreciated.

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PARKS o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2006-03-30 published
HILSON, Frances Mary Campbell "Fran" (ANDERSON)
Suddenly at Southlake Regional Health Centre, Newmarket with her family at her side on Tuesday, March 28, 2006. Fran (ANDERSON) of Holland Landing at 73 years of age. Beloved wife of Jim for 50 years. Dear mother of Carol (Steve) PARKS, Linda (Ron) HUISMAN, Wendy (Carlos) CARVALHO, and Keith (Danielle.) Dear granny of Sheena, Jenna, and Andrew PARKS; Alanna and Mitch HUISMAN; Kirsten, Meagan, and Sean CARVALHO; Katelynn, Davy, Samantha and Jimmy HILSON. Dear sister of Margaret (Tom) KANE, Maureen (Drew) LITTLEJOHN, and predeceased by Joe (Marion) ANDERSON, Jimmy (late Effie) ANDERSON. Dear sister-in-law of Betty (late Bill) MILLAR and Joyce HILSON. Dear friend of May and Danny CLEMENTS. Also survived by many nieces and nephews. Friends may call at Skwarchuk Funeral Home, 30 Simcoe Rd., Bradford (1-800-209-4803) for visitation on Friday March 31, 2006 from 1 p.m. until the time of memorial service in the Lathangue Chapel at 2 p.m. Donations to the Southlake Regional Health Centre, Newmarket would be appreciated.

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PARKS o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2006-04-01 published
FRENCH, Terence▲ D'Arcy 'Terry'
C.V.S.M., E.M., C.D., C.L.J., B.A., Ham License VE3OB Co-Founder of Radio Station CKLC in Kingston Proud Veteran of World War 2 Life Member of Minden Lodge, No. 253 The Ancient Saint_John's Masonic Lodge, No. 3
Entered into rest peacefully at the Kingston General Hospital, Kingston, Ontario, on Wednesday, March 29, 2006, after a brief illness, Terry FRENCH, in his 85th year. Loving husband of the late Muriel 'Bessie' CATTO and by a previous marriage to Marion LEWIS. Dear father of John and his wife Diane▲ of Markham, Kathy FRENCH and her husband Roger FONTAINE of Winnipeg, Barbara PARKS and her husband Ken of Bloomfield, Liz of Kingston, and step-daughter Dimitra Joan. Much loved grandpa of Daniel, Lauren and Benjamin PARKS and step-grandpa of Richard and Natasha. Also survived by his nieces and nephews Cherrie GILLILAND (Don,) Jack FRENCH (Marie,) Pat TAILOR/TAYLOR (John▲) and Michael HUTCHINSON/HUTCHISON (Doris) as well as his great-nieces and nephews. And last but not least, his beloved and faithful dog, Mindy. Resting at the James Reid Funeral Home, Cataraqui Chapel (1900 John Counter Boulevard), Kingston, on Sunday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Members of the Ancient Saint_John's Lodge, No. 3, are requested to assemble at the funeral home on Sunday at 7 p.m., for a masonic service. All sister lodges are respectfully invited to attend. Funeral Monday, April 3, 2006, for service at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church (130 Clergy Street▲) in Kingston, at 1: 30 p.m., The Reverend Lincoln BRYANT officiating. Interment Cataraqui Cemetery. As expressions of sympathy, memorial donations made to the Kingston Hospitals Joint Advancement Foundation (Kingston General Hospital Foundation) or to a charity of your choice would be appreciated by the family (donations by cheque only please). James Reid Cataraqui Chapel Kingston (613) 544-3411 www.jamesreidfuneralhome.com

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PARKS o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2006-11-06 published
Murder-suicide rocks neighbourhood
Man kills wife, daughter as 2 others sleep
Heads to in-laws, jumps off balcony
By Jim WILKES, Staff Reporter
An East York man killed his wife and 14-year-old daughter in the family townhouse early yesterday, then jumped to his death from the balcony of his in-laws' ninth-floor apartment nearby.
Homicide detectives said two other daughters, aged 9 and 12, slept through the attack in a townhouse on Wakunda Pl., near Victoria Park Ave. and Eglinton Ave.
Det. Sgt. Peter CALLAGHAN said police were alerted to the slayings when a man called a 911 operator about 3: 30 a.m. and said he'd killed his wife and daughter and was about to kill himself.
The father, identified by Friends as "Kumar" THAYAKUMAR, 40, apparently fled the family home after the attacks, crossed Parma Park and entered the Sunrise Ave. apartment of his wife's parents, from where he could look across to his own home.
CALLAGHAN said the grandparents were roused by the sound of THAYAKUMAR talking on the phone to police. They watched in horror as he dropped the phone, opened the balcony door and hopped over the edge.
"From what I understand from the call takers, he was reasonably calm when he was on the phone with them," CALLAGHAN said.
"He just indicated that he'd killed his wife and his daughter, where we could find them and that he intended to take his own life. He told them specifically that he was trying to kill himself."
Family members told police they were unaware of problems in the couple's relationship.
Officers arrived at both scenes about the same time. In the townhouse they found Malini THAYAKUMAR, 36, who had what CALLAGHAN called "obvious trauma" to her body and 14-year-old Neruuya, who had no outward signs to show how she died. Attempts to revive them were unsuccessful.
Autopsies were expected to take place today.
Outside the Sunrise Ave. apartment, police found THAYAKUMAR's body crumpled in a rear parking area beside garbage containers.
Pritiga THAYAKUMAR, 12, and her 9-year-old sister were led from the townhouse by police so they wouldn't see the carnage inside. They were in the care of relatives last night.
"They were completely unaware of what had taken place in the home," CALLAGHAN said. "They were asleep at the time the officers arrived."
The slayings stunned residents still reeling from a homicide in their neighbourhood on Thanksgiving Day.
Kareme PARKS, 20, was slain on October 9, shot several times in the head beside another apartment building on Sunrise Ave. His family lives in a townhouse that backs onto the THAYAKUMAR unit on Wakunda Pl.
Tianna PARKS, 13, still grieving her brother's death, was also mourning the death of Neruuya, who attended East York Collegiate, but was a grade ahead of her last year at Gordon A. Brown Middle School.
Neruuya wrote in the Grade 8 yearbook earlier this year that she wanted "to go university and become a doctor."
"It's heartbreaking," Tianna said. "She was so young. She never really got to do anything."
She said Neruuya was a good student and a prefect who monitored hall activities at the school. "Whenever the teachers needed a volunteer, she was always there to help," she said.
"I want to leave this neighbourhood as soon as possible because it's really dangerous, it's scary. I just stay inside as much as possible because it's not safe out here."
Friend Andreine BROCK, 13, agreed. "I worry that I might get killed next," she said. "I try to stay inside to be safe."
Neighbour Pratibha TRIPATHI, 48-year-old mother of two, said she was horrified at the deaths just down the walkway.
"It is so scary, so frightening, so sad," she said, holding hands to her face to hide her tears. "You see them every day and then they are just gone, just gone."
CALLAGHAN said he couldn't explain what sparks such deadly domestic disputes. He said such slayings are not "a new phenomenon to this city, to this country or to the community at large.
"This kind of thing goes on all the time… I don't think we ever get used to this."

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PARLANE o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2006-02-09 published
ROGERS, Roy▼
Passed away peacefully at London Health Sciences Centre, Westminster Campus on Tuesday, February 7, 2006, in his 86th year. Predeceased by the late Lexcie (née SIMMS) (1964) and Evelyn MITCHELL (1988.) Loving▼ father of Margaret (Don) HART, Ronald▼ (Kathy▼) ROGERS, Jim MITCHELL and Ronald (Brenda) MITCHELL. Cherished grandfather of 9 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren. Dear brother of Mary PARLANE and the late Howard HARRIS, John▼ ROGERS, Lillian ARMSTRONG and Helen BIELAK. Roy▼ will also be missed by his long time Friends Noella MERCER. (Roy▼ was a 2 year patient of Parkwood Hospital) World War 2 Veteran and served with Essex Scottish 2nd Division out of Windsor. He was also a P.O.W. A volunteer for 25 years at Parkwood Veteran Wing. Retired employee of Murray-Selby Shoe Company after 40 years. Life member of Duchess of Kent #263. The family will receive Friends and relatives at Forest Lawn Memorial Chapel, 1997 Dundas Street East (at Wavell), London, for visitation on Thursday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Funeral service will be on Friday, February 10, 2006 at 3: 30 p.m. Interment Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens. Duchess of Kent #263 will be conducting a Legion Service on Thursday at 7 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions to the Heart and Stroke Foundation or Parkwood Hospital would be gratefully appreciated. On-line condolences are available through www.memorial-funeral.ca. Arrangements entrusted to Memorial Funeral Home, 452-3770.

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PARLANE o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2006-02-10 published
ROGERS, Roy▲
Passed away peacefully at London Health Sciences Centre, Westminster Campus on Tuesday, February 7, 2006, in his 86th year. Predeceased by the late Lexcie (née SIMMS) (1964) and Evelyn MITCHELL (1988.) Loving▲ father of Margaret (Don) HART, Ronald▲ (Kathy▲) ROGERS, Jim MITCHELL and Ronald (Brenda) MITCHELL. Cherished grandfather of 9 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren. Dear brother of Mary PARLANE and the late Howard HARRIS, John▲ ROGERS, Lillian ARMSTRONG and Helen BIELAK. Roy▲ will also be missed by his long time Friends Noella MERCER. (Roy▲ was a 2 year patient of Parkwood Hospital) World War 2 Veteran and served with Essex Scottish 2nd Division out of Windsor. He was also a P.O.W. A volunteer for 25 years at Parkwood Veteran Wing. Retired employee of Murray-Selby Shoe Company after 40 years. Life member of Duchess of Kent #263. The family will receive Friends and relatives at Forest Lawn Memorial Chapel, 1997 Dundas Street East (at Wavell), London, for visitation on Thursday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Funeral service will be on Friday, February 10, 2006 at 3: 30 p.m. Interment Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens. Duchess of Kent #263 will be conducting a Legion Service on Thursday at 7 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions to the Heart and Stroke Foundation or Parkwood Hospital would be gratefully appreciated. On-line condolences are available through www.memorial-funeral.ca. Arrangements entrusted to Memorial Funeral Home, 452-3770.

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PARLETT o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2006-01-27 published
SHADNEY, Pearl (formerly BOLJKOVAC, née SUZACK)
Unexpectedly, at the Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital, Burlington, Ontario on Wednesday, January 25th, 2006. Beloved wife of Owen SHADNEY of Burlington, Ontario and the late Dr. Nicholas BOLJKOVAC. Dearest mother of Chris (Catherine ROSS) of Maitland, Ontario, Craig (Maria Cristina Cárdenas FISCHER) of Geneva, Switzerland, Kim PEITCHINIS of Hamilton, Ontario, Kathy (Dr. Kim PARLETT) of Bracebridge, Ontario, and Karen (Mrs. Scott WEAR) of Hamilton, Ontario. Beloved step-mother of April (Mrs. Mark KLEIN) of Thornhill, Ontario, and Carol-Ann COHEN of Thornhill, Ontario. Will be missed by her sister Sylvia of Toronto. Beloved Grandma/Nana of Alicia Maria Boljkovac CÁRDENAS, Adam and Ryan BOLJKOVAC, Brittney and Blake PARLETT, and Samantha and Nicole WEAR. Beloved Step-grandmother of Alana and Matthew KLEIN. Pearl will be missed by several nieces and nephews and many Friends in the Hamilton and Burlington area. Visitation at Bay Gardens Funeral Home, 1010 Botanical Drive (across from the Royal Botanical Gardens), Burlington, Ontario (905-527-0405) on Sunday, January 29, 2006 from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m., where Funeral Prayers will be held in the Chapel on Monday, January 30, 2006 at 11: 00 a.m. Interment Holy Sepulchre Cemetery. Reception to follow at Bay Gardens Reception Centre. If so desired, expressions of sympathy to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario would be sincerely appreciated by the family. The family would like to express special appreciation to the Intensive Care Unit staff at the Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital. Please sign the Book of Condolence at baygardens.ca or you may email the family at baygardens@cogeco.net

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PARLIAMENT o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2006-02-01 published
PARLIAMENT, Donald Edward " Ted"
At the Ross Memorial Hospital, Lindsay on Tuesday, January 31, 2006. Ted PARLIAMENT of Beaverton, was the beloved husband of Beatrice M. (SHEEHEY) PARLIAMENT. Dear brother of Ken (Winnifred) of Cannington, Bruce (Helen) of Kanata, Eric (Eleanor) of Beaverton, Enid (Tom) WETHERAL of Cannington and Verla predeceased. The family will receive Friends at the Mangan Funeral Home, Beaverton (705-426-5777) on Thursday from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. Funeral service will be held at the Community Pentecostal Church (south junction Highway 12 and 48), Beaverton on Friday at 1: 30 p.m. Interment Stone Church Cemetery, Beaverton. The family would appreciate memorial donations to the charity of your choice.

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PARLIAMENT o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2006-03-09 published
PARLIAMENT, Vivian Mary
Suddenly at her home, Midland, on Wednesday, March 8, 2006 in her 67th year. Beloved wife and best friend of Leonard. Dear mother of Wendy PARLIAMENT and Edie, Cindy and Jim WALKER, Marg and Don AHRENS, and Len and Minu PARLIAMENT. Loving Nana to Jessica, Katelyn, Bradley, Paige, Simon, James and Kate. Survived by sisters Jean and Kathy, and brothers-in-law Jack and Tony. Predeceased by Jim ELLIOT/ELLIOTT, Helen HORNETT and Donald ELLIOT/ELLIOTT. Loving sister-in-law of Peter and Janet, Bill and Mary, Judy, Don and Wendy, Clayton and Linda, Mona and Karl McALLEN, Marg and Brian DUQUETTE, and Mary PEARCE. A celebration of Vivian's life will be held at First Presbyterian Church, Penetanguishene at a later date. Memorial donations to the Ontario Heart and Stroke Foundation would be appreciated. Arrangements entrusted to the Nicholls Funeral Home, Midland (800-431-6018).

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PARLIAMENT o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2006-04-13 published
PARLIAMENT, Lloyd George
Entered into rest peacefully at his home in Cannington on Tuesday, April 11, 2006, in his 89th year. Lloyd George PARLIAMENT was the beloved husband of Mary HESKETH for 60 years. Loving father of Dianne LEGGAT of Port Hope and Dawn and her husband Delbert METHEREL of Woodville. Dear Boppa of Corey and Jackie, Tamara and Brian, Christa and Scott, David, Adam and Rachel and Great-Boppa of Jacob, Cole, Abigail and Grace. Dearly remembered by one sister Yvonne PARLIAMENT of Edmonton and one brother Jim of Atherley. Predeceased by sister Anna BURNIE and brother Ray and infant siblings Dora, Lillian and Don. Friends are invited to call at the Thorne Funeral Home in Cannington on Friday, April 14th from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Memorial service in the Chapel on Saturday at 2 p.m. Cremation to follow. As a remembrance, donations to the Heart and Stroke Foundation would be appreciated by the family.

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PARLOW o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2006-02-27 published
Pearl PALMASON, Musician (1915-2006)
Daughter of Icelandic immigrants took childhood lessons from her brother, Sandra MARTIN writes. Later, she broke gender barriers to become one of Canada's first female solo violinists and a Toronto Symphony Orchestra concertmaster
By Sandra MARTIN, Page S7
This is a story about two women and a violin. In 2003, Judy KANG needed an instrument worthy of her prodigious talents. Pearl PALMASON, a trailblazing musician who broke gender barriers at the Toronto Symphony Orchestra back in the 1940s, could no longer play her precious 1747 Gagliano violin to her own demanding standards. She agreed to lend it to the Canada Council so that younger fingers could make it sing.
"I've always wanted a warm, dark, deep quality in a violin," Ms. KANG, 26, said this week. She loved the sound of the Gagliano and the way it made her feel when she was playing it. "It made me think I could really push my limits."
Ms. PALMASON went to the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto to hear Ms. KANG play during a competition and to watch the bow being passed from one dedicated player to another. But Ms. KANG was far from the only female musician to be touched by Ms. PALMASON through her long career as a violinist.
"I saw her when I was seven years old at Maple Leaf Gardens at a concert with Fritz Kreisel as the soloist," said violinist Andrea HANSEN. "I couldn't take my eyes off this redhead -- this beautiful regal person -- sitting there in a flowing black gown playing the violin with the Toronto Symphony. I was just smitten."
It was 1947 and Ms. HANSEN, who had already been playing the violin for four years, knew what she wanted to do for a career. Nearly 30 years later, the two women became neighbours, Friends and colleagues in the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. "We were the only two Scandinavian ones in the orchestra," said Ms. HANSEN who is of Finnish descent. "I was even more in awe then because of the kind of person she was. She opened the door for the rest of us."
Pearl PALMASON was born during the First World War in Winnipeg. She was the third of four children of Icelandic immigrants Sveinn and Growa PALMASON (née SVEINNSDOTTIR.) Her architect father prospered in construction, but the Depression wiped him out financially and the family moved to a farm.
No matter how stretched they were, the PALMASONs always found money for violin lessons for their eldest son Palmi, who was six years older than Pearl. He studied with the violin builder and teacher Olafur Thorsteinsson in Husavick, Manitoba, and then with John Waterhouse in Winnipeg before becoming a member of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.
Palmi would walk five miles home from his lessons and then teach everything he had learned to his little sister Pearl. From the time she was nine years old, she was officially her brother's student, acquiring both her Associate, Toronto Conservatory of Music and Licentiate, Royal Schools of Music qualifications and winning four medals from the Toronto Conservatory of Music for having the highest examination marks in the country.
They both performed at the Manitoba Music Competition Festival in Winnipeg and played with what would later be called the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.
"My uncle Palmi would perform very respectably and get high marks, but never win, and Pearl always won in her class, and she would win overall," said her niece Valerie THOMPSON/THOMSON/TOMPSON/TOMSON. She was awarded both the Rose Bowl and an Aikens Memorial Trophy and won a scholarship at age 18 to study for three years with Elie SPIVAK, concertmaster of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and a teacher at the Royal Conservatory of Music.
In the late 1930s she went to England to study with Carl Flesch, the Hungarian-born violinist and also played solo concerts in Iceland in 1938 and in London. Years later she described Mr. Flesch as "a genius with the violin but not in his practical life." She also complained that he "had pupils from all over the world and he wiped the floor with every one of them."
She returned to Toronto when the Second World War broke out and studied briefly with Kathleen PARLOW, before moving to New York to be instructed by Demetrious Dounis. She found him secretive and mysterious. "You went in one door and out through another," she remembered. Apparently, concert masters studied privately with him and didn't want anybody to know so "it was very hush-hush."
In 1941, she left New York and joined the Toronto Symphony Orchestra at $25 a week for a five-month season. "The burning question," she said later, "was how to survive the other seven months of the year and pay the rent." Even so, she managed to find the money to buy a violin made in 1666, that had previously been owned by violinist Alexander Chuhaldin, and was thought (incorrectly) to be a Stradivarius.
Ms. PALMASON was married in the 1940s, after she joined the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and supported her husband who lived in New York and studied with her former teacher, Dr. Dounis. By all accounts, the marriage was disastrous and quickly ended. On September 19, 1948, she performed a solo recital at the Town Hall in New York. "A metropolitan debut of promise," concluded the Musical Courier.
She considered pursuing a career as a concert violinist, but decided against it, partly because, as she said later, "you have to be absolutely great to be a concert performer and I knew I wasn't." There was another reason: the loneliness of the long-distance concert circuit. "I wouldn't have all this -- my home, my possessions and my Friends around me."
Essentially, Ms. PALMASON chose career over marriage in an era when it was extremely difficult to have both. "In those days, what happened to women violin soloists was that they got married and had children. Their career was put on hold for a while and then they tried to make a comeback, but it was never the same," she said in an interview in the 1950s.
Instead, she built a life around music, travel, a huge circle of Friends and her sister Ruby's children. "When my mother died, Pearl made the announcement that she now had three children," said her niece Valerie THOMPSON/THOMSON/TOMPSON/TOMSON. "We were all past the age of majority, but she said she was adopting us."
By the mid 1950s, she was one of eight women playing with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and was the first female to serve as assistant concert master and to slip into the senior role when her male colleague Hyman GOODMAN was unavailable. From 1960 to 1962, she played principal second violin. She also played with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Symphony (after having confronted the conductor about his male-only hiring policy), the Singing Stars Orchestra, the Hart House Orchestra and the York Concert Society group.
An article by Florence SCHILL in The Globe and Mail in October of 1954, under the tag "Earning a Living," focused on Ms. PALMASON. The column began by quoting Sir Thomas Beecham (1879-1961). Apparently, the famous British conductor liked to explain the paucity of women in his orchestra by saying: "If they're pretty, they bother the men; if they aren't, they bother me."
Jack ELTON, manager of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, denied there was discrimination against women. "We have never said: Let's not take her because she's a woman -- especially if they look like Pearl." And she was definitely a looker, with flaming red hair, usually called Titian in newspaper clippings from the era, striking blue eyes and luscious red lips.
In 1960, she bought the Gennaro Gagliano violin with the rich velvet sound for $3,500 (U.S.) -- about the price of a new car at the time, according to violin-maker and restorer Ric HEINL of the Toronto firm George Heinl and Co. It was made in Naples, Italy, in 1747 by Gennaro Gagliano, who was arguably the best in a large family of expert violin-makers.
A salesman for the Rembrandt Wurlitzer company in New York brought the violin to Toronto to show to a potential client, who declined to purchase it. Ms. PALMASON fell in love with it "at first play" and insisted the instrument wasn't going back, according to Mr. HEINL. The violin is now insured for $220,000.
After her farewell concert in front of 10,000 people at Ontario Place in August of 1981, she told The Globe that she had "spent more of my life at Massey Hall than at home." Although she had reached retirement age, she had no intention of putting her violin away. She played with the Canadian Opera Company orchestra from 1981 to 1985, and continued to teach privately, play with chamber groups, give recitals with her string group. In 1987 she became concertmaster of the Oakville Symphony Orchestra.
Ms. PALMASON lived in a spacious home in North Toronto until the mid-to-late 1990s when she moved into a large retirement condominium with her Boesendorfer piano and her beloved violins. She continued to have "drinkie winkies" (Beefeater gin with a splash of tonic and one ice cube) with Friends and gave at least two concerts in her condo for her neighbours.
She practised every day, but after she broke her ankle in 2002, life became harder. After she agreed to lend her Gagliano to the Canada Council instrument bank, she played every day on her "second" violin. A year ago in January, Ms. KANG, who had been sending Ms. PALMASON letters regularly, paid the woman she calls "her angel" a visit. "She was very warm and very sweet," Ms. KANG said. "It was really moving to see her playing the violin," she said, and "inspiring to see somebody who loves music so much that she plays every day just to have it in her life."
Pearl PALMASON was born on October 2, 1915, in Winnipeg. She died in Toronto of heart failure on February 17, 2006, after having suffered a stroke in September. She was 90. She is survived by a niece, two nephews and their families.

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