EMACK o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2006-10-27 published
KLAPPIS,
James "
Jimmy"
By Alan RAYBURN,
Page
A24
Artist, architectural designer, painter, singer, cinematographer.
Born March 27, 1918, in Buffalo, New York Died April 30, in Niagara
Falls, Ontario, aged 88.
Jimmy -- never James -- was the only child of Harry and Blanche
(RILEY)
KLAPPIS.
During his childhood, Jimmy suffered with breathing
problems. A doctor recommended moving him to a higher elevation.
In 1930, a Greek family in Owen Sound, Ontario, took Harry, Blanche
and Jimmy to Orangeville, then a small town some miles northwest
of Toronto. They had arrived in one of the towns in Ontario at
a suitably high elevation and they stayed. Recalling his Arcadian
roots in Sparta, Greece, Harry opened a confectionery, and called
it the Arcadia Sweets. It soon became a full-service restaurant,
which continued operation until the early 1960s.
Jimmy KLAPPIS was an exceptional person, who possessed total
visual recall. When he was a young man he went to see where a
train had wrecked a car. With no notes at all, he returned home
and drew an accurate picture of the scene. The Orangeville Banner
published the sketch, and observed that he had "every promise
of making his mark as an artist or a newspaper illustrator."
Jimmy became a highly respected courtroom artist, covering many
important trials. He also designed many houses and buildings,
as well as store and church fronts.
In the late 1930s, Jimmy studied at the Royal Conservatory of
Music in Toronto. Noting his distinguished baritone singing,
a teacher urged him to audition for the Metropolitan Opera in
New York, but he declined. An aunt in Niagara Falls, New York
recommended him to the classically trained baritone Nelson Eddy,
who kindly wrote a two-page letter to tell him that it was very
difficult to pursue a musical career in Los Angeles.
In 1944, Jimmy joined the Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps. The
following year he was accidentally pushed off a train carrying
Canadian troops, and his arm was pulled from its socket. He was
taken to the Chorley Park Hospital in Toronto to recover. A colonel
at the hospital knew about Jimmy's skills for sketching, and
arranged to get him work at Victory Aircraft Co. in Malton, Ontario
There he drew technical illustrations for the conversion of the
Lancaster bombers to passenger planes. He left that company when
it became Avro Canada Ltd. He was given a turret of a bomber,
which was donated in 2005 to the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum.
Jimmy made hobby horses in Orangeville for Eaton's and Simpsons
Sears in Toronto, but his toy factory was converted into a workshop
for boys in 1948, after the town's high school was destroyed
by fire. In 1949, Jimmy built a three-tonne car with a Pontiac
chassis and engine. Those given rides called it "the Banana Wagon,"
because he had painted it bright yellow.
Jimmy preferred to work overnight, then sleep until the early
afternoon, when he would go to the restaurant for his breakfast.
Jimmy never served in the restaurant, no matter how busy it might
have been.
Many Canadian and American Greek families with marriageable daughters
visited Harry and Blanche to urge Jimmy to offer his hand, but
Jimmy wanted to marry Marion
EMACK, an Orangeville lady who had
briefly worked at the restaurant. They were married in September,
1965. In 1978 they moved to Etobicoke, where Jimmy was closer
to his work as a freelance cameraman for Canadian Broadcasting
Corporation-television. They moved to Niagara Falls in 1987,
where they had relatives and Friends on both sides of the border.
Jimmy left school in Grade 11, but his education surpassed many
brilliant scholars. He was truly a Renaissance man.
Alan is a friend of Jimmy. Marion
KLAPPIS and her brothers George
and Jack EMACK contributed to this essay.
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EMARD o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2006-04-24 published
ORR,
Lorraine▼
Amanda▼ (née
EMARD)
Surrounded by her family at Bluewater Health -- Palliative Care
on Friday, April 21, 2006. Lorraine Amanda
(EMARD)
ORR, age 86
of Sarnia. Beloved wife of Red. Dear mother of David and his
wife Catherine,▼
Marilyn▼
ORR, and Stephen and his wife Karen all
of Sarnia. Loving grandmother of Christina, Thomas, David and
Amanda, Lindsay and Brendan. Sister of Bill
EMARD,
California,▼
Ted EMARD, Oregon, Marie Geiger, Vancouver, and Joan MacDonald,
Sarnia.▼
Predeceased▼ by parents James and Amanda
EMARD, brothers
Ernest and Raymond
EMARD and sister Terry
BOHMIER.
Visitation▼
at the McKenzie and Blundy Funeral Home and Cremation Centre, 431 Christina
St. N., Sarnia, on Tuesday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. where prayers
will be offered at 3: 30 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be
celebrated by Fr. Len
DESJARDINS 11: 30 a.m. Wednesday at Sacred
Heart Church. Interment Resurrection Cemetery. As an expression
of sympathy, Friends who wish may send memorial donations to
Breast Cancer Society, 401 St. Clair Street, Point Edward, N7V 1P2
or Saint_Joseph's Hospice, Resource Centre, 110 Water Street, Sarnia
N7T 5T3. Messages of condolence and memories may be left at www.mckenzieblundy.com
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EMARD o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2006-04-24 published
ORR,
Lorraine▲
Amanda▲ (née
EMARD)
Surrounded by her family at Bluewater Health - Palliative Care
on Friday, April 21, 2006. Lorraine Amanda
(EMARD)
ORR, age 86
of Sarnia. Beloved wife of Red. Dear mother of David and his
wife Catherine,▲
Marilyn▲
ORR, and Stephen and his wife Karen all
of Sarnia. Loving grandmother of Christina, Thomas, David and
Amanda, Lindsay and Brendan. Sister of Bill
EMARD,
California,▲
Ted EMARD, Oregon, Marie
GEIGER, Vancouver, and Joan
MacDONALD,
Sarnia.▲
Predeceased▲ by parents James and Amanda
EMARD, brothers
Ernest and Raymond
EMARD and sister Terry
BOHMIER.
Visitation▲
at the McKenzie and Blundy Funeral Home and Cremation Centre, 431 Christina
St. N., Sarnia, on Tuesday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. where prayers
will be offered at 3: 30 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be
celebrated by Fr. Len
DESJARDINS 11: 30 a.m. Wednesday at Sacred
Heart Church. Interment Resurrection Cemetery. As an expression
of sympathy, Friends who wish may send memorial donations to
Breast Cancer Society, 401 St. Clair Street, Point Edward, N7V 1P2
or Saint_Joseph's Hospice Resource Centre, 110 Water Street, Sarnia,
N7T 5T3, Messages of condolence and memories may be left at www.mckenzieblundy.com
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EMAS o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2006-11-14 published
LIPSON,
Samuel
Joseph
On November 12, 2006 at Mount Sinai Hospital, in his 95th year.
Beloved husband of Irene Honey
LIPSON, who predeceased him in
1996. Sam is survived by daughters, Gail
ZIGELSTEIN and Judy
GELLER
(Howard
ROSENTHAL) and by his son Jeffrey
LIPSON (Beverley
HERSHORAN-
LIPSON.) Dear grandfather of David, Trevor (Maria
AMATI,)
and Lani ZIGELSTEIN
(Michael
DAVIDSON,) and Kevin
STONE; Tyson
and Joshua (Orly
TANENTZAP-
GELLER); Jordana, Alexandra (Richard
PELL) and Ashley
LIPSON.
Proud great-grandfather to Cole, Rachel
and Julia ZIGELSTEIN and Jonah
PELL.
Sam was born on August 15,
1911 to the late Joseph and Bessie
LIPSON in Montreal, where
he grew up with his late brothers Hyman and Joseph and his late
sisters Faye
MILLER and Sandy
EMAS. In 1938 he moved to Toronto,
where he married and entered into the men's clothing business,
building a chain of stores called Coward Clothes Shops. Well
respected in retail circles for his entrepreneurial skills, he
branched out co-founding Sentry Department Stores in 1961 which
later acquired G.E.M. Department Stores, one of the original
public discount centres in Ontario. As a member of the Holy Blossom
Temple and supporter of Baycrest and Mount Sinai Hospital, Sam
was actively involved in his community. A member of the Primrose
Club and the Maple Downs Golf and Country Club, he enjoyed a
busy social life, both in Toronto and
in Florida, full of travel,
theatre, golf, bridge and entertaining. He made new Friends readily
and was known for his generosity, caring and sense of humour.
Sam's passing leaves a huge void for those who knew and loved
him. Sam wanted to give a special thanks to all of the staff
at Hazelton Place who cared for him so well. If desired, donations
can be made to the Irene and Samuel Lipson Fund at Baycrest,
3560 Bathurst Street, Toronto, Ontario M6A 2E1, or to a charity
of your choice. A service will be held on Tuesday, November 14th
at 2 o'clock in Holy Blossom Temple, 1950 Bathurst Street, followed
by a remembrance and celebration of his life at 7 Tanbark Crescent.
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