"SIR" 2006 Obituary

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SIRACO o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2006-03-17 published
VIGGIANI, Maria
Passed away after a courageous battle with cancer on March 15, 2006, at the Toronto General Hospital, at the age of 84 years. Beloved wife of Vincenzo. Loving mother of Joe, Frank (Flavia), Tony (Mary,) and Rosanna (Nick SIRACO.) Cherished Nonna of Michael, Krystina, Nicholas, Melissa, Mathew, Laura, Vincent, Daniel, Angela and Gabriel. Sister-in-law of Giuseppe SALVADORI. Maria will be dearly missed by all of her nephews, family and Friends. Friends may visit at the Jerrett Funeral Home, 1141 St. Clair Ave. W. (1 block east of Dufferin) on Thursday from 7-9 p.m. and on Friday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. A Funeral Mass will be held on Saturday, March 18, 2006 at 11: 30 a.m. at Saint Peter's Church (659 Markham St.). Interment to follow at Mount Hope Cemetery (305 Erskine Ave.). If desired, donations to the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation would be appreciated by the family.

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SIRE o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2006-12-20 published
Woman dies, child spared
An autopsy will determine whether medical factors may have led to the death of Barbara WICKERSON, 73.
By Patrick MALONEY, Free Press Reporter, Wed., December 20, 2006
A two-vehicle crash claimed the life of a woman yesterday morning at Thirteen Mile and Wonderland roads. (Mike HENSEN, London Free Press)
Birr -- A London-area woman is dead after a two-vehicle crash near here yesterday that also affected a three-year-old girl.
Barbara WICKERSON, 73, was driving east along Thirteen Mile Road at 10 a.m. when her eastbound sport utility vehicle collided at Wonderland Road with a minivan heading south, Middlesex Ontario Provincial Police said.
An autopsy today will examine if medical factors may have contributed to the death of the Middlesex Centre woman, officers said at the scene, about seven kilometres north of London.
Her injuries, they noted, didn't appear severe enough to have been fatal.
Three generations of the same family were in the minivan, including Nikaia SIRE- RODRIGUES, 3, of Toronto. Her mother, Marcie SIRE, 30, and grandmother, Harolyn SIRE, 59, of Lucan, were hurt.
The toddler was properly strapped into a car seat and that likely saved her from injury, Ontario Provincial Police Const. Chris HUNTER said. "It's just great to see the compliance from parents" to the provincial car seat laws."
Long stretches of road around the rural intersection were closed for hours yesterday as Ontario Provincial Police investigators examined the scene.
The minivan, which had been heading south toward London, came to rest several metres from the road in an open field. The sport utility vehicle, with major front-left damage, ended up nearby.
No charges will be laid, Const. Doug GRAHAM said.

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SIREK o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2006-05-06 published
Medical researcher worked with Charles Best
By Sandra MARTIN, Page▼ S9
Toronto -- Charles SIREK, a medical researcher who came to Canada in 1950 to work with Doctor Charles BEST, one of the discoverers of insulin as a treatment for diabetes, died yesterday morning at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto. He was 84.
Born in Bratislavia in 1921, the year insulin was discovered in Canada, Doctor SIREK was an excellent student, both in high school and university. He graduated summa cum laude in medicine from Comenius University in Bratislavia and then went to Sweden with his wife, Anna (his equal as a scholar) to do postgraduate work in Stockholm.
Some of his scientific articles on insulin attracted the attention of Doctor BEST, who invited Doctor SIREK to come to Toronto in 1950 to work in his lab for a year as a postdoctoral fellow. It turned out to be a lifetime. Doctor SIREK and his wife, Doctor Anna SIREK, became important teachers and researchers at the University of Toronto. He retired in 1987 and had been in good health until last July when he began suffering from what turned out to be liver cancer. He is survived by his wife, four children and 10 grandchildren. Funeral arrangements are not yet settled.

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SIREK o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2006-05-08 published
SIREK, Otakar V., M.D., M.A., PhD
Professora Emeritus, Department of Physiology, University of Toronto
Born on December 1, 1921, in Bratislava, Slovakia (formerly Czechoslovakia) died May 5, 2006 in Toronto. He married Anna in 1946 in their native Czechoslovakia and in 1947 moved to Stockholm, Sweden for a Post Doctoral Fellowship. Accepting an invitation from Dr. Charles H. BEST to do research and teach in his department at the University of Toronto, Otakar and Anna moved to Toronto in 1950. Otakar was a proud recipient of Charles H. Best Prize, Hoechst Prize, Starr Medal at the University of Toronto and the award of T.G. Masaryk. He will be missed by his wife, four children Ann, Jan, Peter and Terese, their spouses and ten grandchildren. A Funeral Mass will be held on Thursday, May 11 at 10: 00 a.m. at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, 78 Clifton Road, Toronto. Interment will follow at Mount Pleasant Cemetery. The family would appreciate donations in lieu of flowers to the Covenant House, 20 Gerrard Street East, Toronto M5B 2P3.

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SIREK o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2006-07-18 published
Otto SIREK, Endocrinologist (1921-2006)
He was one of the last surviving scientists who worked with Charles BEST, the co-discoverer of insulin
By Carol COOPER, Special to the Globe and Mail, Page S9
Aurora, Ontario -- Otto SIREK's Friends joked that the year of his birth determined his future. The endocrinologist was born in 1921, the year insulin was discovered. But it was his ability, not his birthday, that led to Doctor SIREK's postdoctoral fellowship with Charles BEST. Recruited by the co-discoverer of insulin to join his lab, the Czechoslovak native came to Canada, along with his wife, Anna, then a pediatric surgeon.
The SIREKs' year-long stay became permanent, as did Otto SIREK's study of diabetes. With Doctor BEST as his personal and professional mentor and his wife as his research partner for more than 30 years, Dr. SIREK published more than 100 papers, many of them co-authored with Anna. He was one of the last surviving scientists who worked with Doctor BEST and, like him, became internationally renowned.
When the SIREKs arrived in Toronto on a snowy April day in 1950, Dr. BEST served as both the head of the department of physiology at the University of Toronto and the faculty of medicine's Banting and Best Department of Medical Research.
While Anna SIREK undertook research at the Hospital for Sick Children, her husband worked with Doctor BEST. By 1953, Doctor BEST and Doctor SIREK had contributed definitive knowledge to the understanding of diabetes: Before their studies, many scientists believed that insulin was the sole hormone responsible for physical growth and that all other hormones involved worked through the agency of insulin. The pair proved that, while insulin needed to be present for physical growth, some hormones, such as testosterone and growth hormone, acted independently of it.
The SIREKs, meanwhile, had put down roots and, at Doctor BEST's insistence, stayed in Canada. On his recommendation, they purchased a house 10 minutes from the university and around the corner from him. They lived there for 50 years.
Proximity to the University of Toronto helped with Doctor BEST's next suggestion.
Dr. SIREK's studies involved dogs in which hormonal deficiencies were created by the surgical removal of the pancreas and pituitary gland. Colleagues joked about his lack of surgical skills, so Dr. BEST brought in someone who had them.
Breaking the rules that said husband and wife could not hold positions in the same faculty or department, Doctor BEST insisted that Anna SIREK work with her husband. Carrying out research as her husband's equal as well as operating on the dogs, Anna slipped home to have lunch with their four children.
Playing on the original pronunciation of the couple's surname, shirek, Friends sometimes referred to the pair as Herek and Sherek.
"He was a good partner for life," Anna SIREK said. "He would share the work of the children. My husband supported me in every way I could have been supported."
The couple proved the only correct method to measure blood insulin levels was by the specific laboratory method called radioimmunoassay studied the relationship between pituitary growth hormone and release of insulin and glucagon, the hormones which control the blood sugar levels in the body; and the cardiovascular complication of diabetes.
Along with Mladen VRANIC, the pair determined that removal of the pituitary gland led to normal glucose production by the liver, linking one aspect of the high blood sugar with the pituitary gland.
On the birth of their first child, Ann, Doctor BEST advised the SIREKs that, if they raised their child properly, papers written by SIREK, SIREK and SIREK would eventually be published. One was.
Otto SIREK met Anna when both attended the same school in Bratislava, then in Czechoslovakia but now the capital of Slovakia. Otakar Viktor SIREK was born in that city, the only child of a land surveyor from Moravia and a woman from Vienna.
One of the girls became class president, with Doctor SIREK as leader of the opposition. Their political rivalry and keen competition for top marks became Friendship, and then love, as Anna and Otakar proceeded together through high school and then medical school at Comenius University in Bratislava. They graduated in 1946.
An award for top marks was offered by the president of Czechoslovakia. As it happened, both Otakar and Anna were equally deserving. The dilemma was solved by the university's rector, who suggested that, since in old Roman law husband and wife were regarded as one person, they should marry so both could receive the award.
They did. The award included a year of post-graduate study. The newlyweds moved to Sweden, where Otto SIREK began his research in diabetes and Anna SIREK hers in surgery. With the Communist takeover of Czechoslovakia in 1948, the couple's families encouraged them to stay in Sweden, where Doctor SIREK added the country's language to his English, German and native Slovak.
He began to publish internationally, attracted Doctor BEST's attention and was invited for a fellowship. In a lecture given to the Japan Diabetes Association in Tokyo in 1994, Doctor SIREK described Doctor BEST as a dedicated scientist and efficient organizer with little patience for bureaucratic excesses.
One of Doctor BEST's favourite expressions, according to Anna SIREK, was: "Otto, in your spare time, could you…?"
Under Doctor BEST, Doctor SIREK completed his PhD and began teaching. Eventually, he became a full professor at the university. Among other awards, Doctor SIREK was honoured with the Starr Medal of the university's faculty of medicine in 1958 and the Charles H. Best Prize for outstanding work in the field of experimental diabetes. In addition, he helped start the Canadian Workshop on Diabetes, a convention on the disease that was held nine times during 11 years. As well, postdoctoral fellows came to study with him, and he and his wife held many visiting professorships in countries such as Israel and Iran.
Otto SIREK retired in 1987. He donated his books and papers to a university in Shenyang, China, where a library is named for him.
A humble and deeply religious man, Doctor SIREK treated everyone equally and was universally well-liked. He loved opera, attending live performances and spending Saturday afternoons listening to it on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. He counted among his Friends Karel ANCERL, a past conductor of the Toronto Symphony.
In the 1994 Japan lecture, Doctor SIREK also said: "I feel privileged that life has given me the opportunity to develop my intellectual and professional abilities in harmony with my wife, my most faithful ally. I am immensely grateful to Doctor BEST for providing an environment for peaceful and productive work."
Otakar Viktor SIREK was born in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia, on December 21, 1921. He died in Toronto on May 5. He leaves his wife, Anna; children Ann, Jan Peter and Terese; and 10 grandchildren.

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SIRETT o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2006-04-03 published
MacKAY, Ellen Agnes
In her 94th year, Ellen Mackay passed away, on March 31, 2006, in the Palliative Care Unit at Toronto East General Hospital. Beloved wife of the late Angus MacKAY, loving mother of Jean MacDONALD and Grace WANNAN. Lovingly remembered by her grandchildren Alison MacDONALD, Lesley MacDONALD (Dan DOWNEY), Daphne DONAHUE (Brian,) David WANNAN (Tracey ROBERTSON,) Kate SIRETT (Ken,) and Blair WANNAN. Loving great-grandmother of Antonia and Elly MacDONALD, Eryn and Emma DOWNEY, Grace DONAHUE and Makenzie WANNAN. A special thank you to the staff at the Palliative Care Unit. A Service for the family was held Sunday, April 2nd. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Palliative Care Unit at Toronto East General Hospital or the Cancer Society.

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SIRIANNI o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2006-03-30 published
COOPER, Marjorie▼ Helen▼ (née LICK)
Left us on March 28th in her 81st year. She passed on in peace and dignity at her Toronto home in the loving care of her family and Friends. Her family caregivers extend heartfelt thanks to Dr. Giovanna SIRIANNI, Heather▼ WHALEN, Marlene CARSCALLEN and Heather McLEAN for helping her through a mercifully brief and intense battle with cancer. Born in Calgary, educated at the Universities of Toronto, Ottawa and Carleton, Marjorie was known and admired for her elegance, intellect, dry wit and peaceful spirit. Betrayed by her body, her sharp mind continued her daily ritual of completing the Globe and Mail crossword puzzle until two days before she died. She also was able to enjoy most of the televised World Championships in both skating and curling. Marjorie▼ is predeceased by Bill COOPER, her husband of 54 years, her brother Gordon LICK of Ottawa and her daughter Margaret CRAY of Holland Landing. She leaves four children, Ian (Toronto), Doug (Powell River, British Columbia), Judy EAST (Calais, Maine), Kathy (Lindsay, Ontario), and eleven grandchildren, Valery, Alexander and Patrick COOPER, Mathew,▼ Devon▼ and Caitlynn PIANOSI, Graham and Heather CRAY, Jocelyn▼ COOPER, Merryn LUSH and Alyson EAST. She▼ is also survived by her daughters-in-law, Karen COOPER (nee PIANOSI,) Kate▼ SAUNDERS, Sandra WRIGHT and sons-in-law, Paul CRAY, Richard▼ EAST and Stuart LUSH. She lived a rich, full life that had its share of both great joy and extreme hardships. A scholarship at the age of 16 took her to Trois Pistolles, Quebec for a French immersion experience, the memory of which she treasured ever after. She met Bill in 1941 on one of many hiking and cycling expeditions in the Canadian Youth Hostelling Association. She shared Bill's keen advocacy for the Canadian Youth Hostelling Association and hosted a chuckwagon-style Canadian Youth Hostelling Association information booth at the Calgary Stampede of 1942. Marjorie served in the Royal Canadian Air Force, Women's Division working in Halifax during the war. With Bill and four other Friends, she went on a cycling expedition to New England in 1946 visiting Boston and Cape Cod. They were married in 1948 after both completed university. Her professional career included teaching sociology at the University of Toronto and she served as Registrar of Erindale College (now Utah, Mississauga) for many years, a job that she found deeply fulfilling especially when she knew she had helped students make difficult choices in their lives. After her retirement she focused on a quiet life of spiritual questing and fulfillment and never missed the full season of the Canadian Opera Company. Her community of Friends of Grace Church on-the-Hill meant the world to her. At Grace Church she was a member of the Altar Guild, the Cariboo Group, the Adult Christian Education Committee and she was the founder and moving spirit of The Book and Film Club. Serving as librarian, she was instrumental in the development and maintenance of the Church library. Her spiritual path also led her to become an oblate with the Sisters of St. Benedict in Erie, Pennsylvania. Her many contributions to the Church were recognized last Spring in the Award for Meritorious Service, an honour that, very quietly, gave her great pride. Funeral service will be held on Saturday, April 1, 2006, 11 a.m., Grace Church On-The-Hill, 300 Lonsdale Road with luncheon and reception to follow in the Parish Hall. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the Temmy Latner Centre for Palliative Care, Mount Sinai Hospital or the Palliative Care Unit at South Lake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket where her daughter received such excellent care.

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SIRIANNI o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2006-03-14 published
MERCER, Jean Eleanor (née WALKER)
Peacefully, at the Eventide Home, Niagara Falls, Ontario, on March 12, 2006, in her 89th year. Eleanor, beloved wife of the late Gordon MERCER (1975.) Loving mother of Carol-Lynn MERCER- SIRIANNI and her husband Anthony. Cherished grandmother of Justin, Jay and Jana NADON. Dearest friend of Netta KEATON. Eleanor will be sadly missed by her relatives and Friends. Friends will be received at the Sherrin Funeral Home, 873 Kingston Road (west of Victoria Park Ave.) Toronto (416-698-2861) on Wednesday, March 15, 2006 from 10: 00 a.m. until time of service beginning in the funeral home chapel at 11: 00 a.m. Interment Resthaven Memorial Gardens followed by reception at the funeral home. Memorial tributes in memory of Eleanor may be made to Birchcliff United Church, 33 East Road, Toronto, Ontario, M1N 1Z9. The family invites Friends and relatives to sign Eleanor's Book of Condolence at: www.sherrin-funeral.ca

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SIRIANNI o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2006-03-30 published
COOPER, Marjorie▲ Helen▲ (née LICK)
Left us on March 28th, 2006, in her 81st year. She passed on in peace and dignity at her Toronto home in the loving care of her family and Friends. Her family caregivers extend heartfelt thanks to Doctor Giovanna SIRIANNI, Heather▲ WHALEN, Marlene CARSCALLEN and Heather McLEAN for helping her through a mercifully brief and intense battle with cancer. Born in Calgary, educated at the Universities of Toronto, Ottawa and Carleton, Marjorie was known and admired for her elegance, intellect, dry wit and peaceful spirit. Betrayed by her body, her sharp mind continued her daily ritual of completing the Globe and Mail crossword puzzle until two days before she died. She also was able to enjoy most of the televised World Championships in both skating and curling. Marjorie▲ is predeceased by Bill COOPER, her husband of 54 years, her brother Gordon LICK of Ottawa and her daughter Margaret CRAY of Holland Landing. She leaves four children, Ian (Toronto), Doug (Powell River, British Columbia), Judy EAST (Calais, Maine), Kathy (Lindsay, Ontario), and eleven grandchildren, Valery, Alexander and Patrick COOPER, Mathew,▲ Devon▲ and Caitlynn PIANOSI, Graham and Heather CRAY, Jocelyn▲ COOPER, Merryn LUSH and Alyson EAST. She▲ is also survived by her daughters-in-law, Karen COOPER (nee PIANOSI,) Kate▲ SAUNDERS, Sandra WRIGHT and sons-in-law, Paul CRAY, Richard▲ EAST and Stuart LUSH. She lived a rich, full life that had its share of both great joy and extreme hardships. A scholarship at the age of 16 took her to Trois Pistolles, Quebec for a French immersion experience, the memory of which she treasured ever after. She met Bill in 1941 on one of many hiking and cycling expeditions in the Canadian Youth Hostelling Association. She shared Bill's keen advocacy for the Canadian Youth Hostelling Association and hosted a chuckwagon-style Canadian Youth Hostelling Association information booth at the Calgary Stampede of 1942. Marjorie served in the Royal Canadian Air Force, Women's Division working in Halifax during the war. With Bill and four other Friends, she went on a cycling expedition to New England in 1946, visiting Boston and Cape Cod. They were married in 1948 after both completed university. Her professional career included teaching sociology at the University of Toronto and she served as Registrar of Erindale College (now Utah, Mississauga) for many years, a job that she found deeply fulfilling especially when she knew she had helped students make difficult choices in their lives. After her retirement she focused on a quiet life of spiritual questing and fulfillment and never missed the full season of the Canadian Opera Company. Her community of Friends of Grace Church on-the-Hill meant the world to her. At Grace Church she was a member of the Altar Guild, the Cariboo Group, the Adult Christian Education Committee and she was the founder and moving spirit of The Book and Film Club. Serving as librarian, she was instrumental in the development and maintenance of the Church library. Her spiritual path also led her to become an oblate with the Sisters of St. Benedict in Erie, Pennsylvania. Her many contributions to the Church were recognized last Spring in the Award for Meritorious Service, an honour that, very quietly, gave her great pride. Funeral service will be held on Saturday, April 1, 2006, 11 a.m., Grace Church-on-the-Hill, 300 Lonsdale Road, with luncheon and reception to follow in the Parish Hall. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the Temmy Latner Centre for Palliative Care, Mount Sinai Hospital or the Palliative Care Unit at Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket where her daughter received such excellent care.

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SIRITT o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2006-03-28 published
Christopher YOUNG, Journalist (1926-2006)
Former editor of the Ottawa Citizen and head of Southam News left management to become an award-winning foreign correspondent, writes Sandra MARTIN
By Sandra MARTIN, Page▲ S9
A journalist with a keen eye for details and a fluid, descriptive style, Christopher YOUNG was an award-winning foreign correspondent, a former editor of the Ottawa Citizen, and a columnist who was respected for the soundness of his editorial positions.
"He was a very stylish writer, with a marvellous eye for details," his former colleague Charles KING told Canadian Press last week. Describing Mr. YOUNG as "a down-to-earth intellectual" who "wasn't taken in by puffery or power," Mr. KING said he was "a man of absolute integrity."
Christopher Moody YOUNG was the only son and eldest of three children of Norman YOUNG, a Rhodes scholar and teacher, and Grace MOODY of Winnipeg. His parents married in Winnipeg in 1925 in a double wedding with Ms. MOODY's older sister Maryon and a young Ontario academic and future prime minister named Lester PEARSON. Ms. MOODY's mother took her maternal duties very seriously when it came to finding husbands for her daughters, believing that a younger child could not marry until the older one was suitably settled.
After happily resolving the marital protocol issues, Mr. YOUNG and his bride went out to Ghana in West Africa, in what was then a British colony called the Gold Coast, to teach in a native school that had been founded by Sir Frederick Guggisberg, a Canadian-born mining engineer and one-time governor of the colony. Ms. YOUNG defied the custom of the time, which determined that white women went back to England to have their babies, and insisted that her son be born in Accra.
The family returned to Winnipeg when Christopher was 3, and his father became the founding headmaster at Ravencourt's School (now Saint_John's Ravenscourt) in 1929. When the Second World War broke out, Christopher's father enlisted in the armed forces and was killed in the Allied raid on Dieppe in August, 1942. Christopher was 16 and the only male in a family of four.
After graduating from Saint_John's Ravenscourt in 1943, Christopher YOUNG went to the University of Manitoba, graduating with a bachelor of arts degree in 1947 and winning a scholarship to Balliol College, Oxford. That same year he married his first wife, Florence, the daughter of John and Ruby SIRITT. By then, journalism was already in his blood. As an undergraduate, he had worked summers at the now defunct Winnipeg Tribune and he joined the paper full-time in 1949, after he had come down from Oxford with a master's degree.
He worked at the Trib for six years, the last two as news editor. In 1955, the YOUNGs moved to Hamilton after he accepted at job at the Hamilton Spectator as news editor. He was promoted to executive news editor in 1957 and moved to the Southam news service two years later, where he worked as the Ottawa bureau chief from 1960 to 1961.
The following year, he was appointed editor of the Ottawa Citizen, the Southam chain's flagship paper, a post he held for 14 years. As an editor, Mr. YOUNG continued to write elegant and thoughtful columns and articles on local, national and world events. He won a Bowater Award in 1961 for a series on unemployment. These were years of sadness as well as accomplishment. His first wife died in 1966, after a long illness, leaving him a widower with three daughters to raise. He married Ann COFFIN, a theatre officer at the Canada Council, the following year. Together they had a daughter, Rachel.
In 1975, Mr. YOUNG became general manager of Southam News, a position he held until 1981. After more than 15 years in management, Mr. YOUNG wanted a new challenge and, on the cusp of 50, he sent himself into the field as a foreign correspondent. He was London bureau chief for Southam News from 1981 to 1984, (winning a National Newspaper Award in 1982 for his reporting on the massacre at the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps in Lebanon) and then did a two-year stint as national political columnist back in Ottawa before heading up the Moscow bureau from 1987 to 1989. He won another National Newspaper Award for a series on Mongolia in 1988 and a Citation of Merit in 1989 for stories about pollution in the former Soviet Union.
In 1996, Conrad BLACK bought the Southam chain of newspapers. He and Mr. YOUNG did not share the same editorial viewpoint, especially about Israel and about the way Mr. BLACK's Hollinger corporation was running The Jerusalem Post.
"Chris was old school," Toronto Star columnist Jim TRAVERS told Canadian Press last week. "He believed newspapers had to be edgy and aggressive, but he also thought they had to contribute to a public understanding of public affairs.
"He saw journalism as a public service and feared that under Conrad BLACK it was being reduced all to business."
The Southam papers subsequently stopped running the column that Mr. YOUNG had been writing after his retirement.
Normally an articulate man, for whom verbal and written fluency were skills he took for granted, he began having trouble expressing himself in the mid-1990s. His mother had died of Alzheimer's when she was 92, so many of the symptoms were tragically familiar. After a year of waiting lists and tests, his fears were confirmed with a diagnosis in December, 1998. He was 72.
Bravely, he decided to write about his illness and how it affected his life in an article for Maclean's magazine entitled Descent into Alzheimer's. After a career of reporting on events, he turned his journalistic skills on himself and wrote candidly, with considerable assistance from his wife Ann, about the scourge that affects one in 10 adults over 65.
"People like me don't look funny, babble, cry out or make unseemly noises in public," he wrote, describing a recent holiday he had taken with his wife to California, where he had gotten lost on a tour of Alcatraz prison in San Francisco Bay. "Misjudging the situation, I took a boat returning to Fisherman's Wharf and then walked for hilly blocks until I realized I was lost, and that the best bet was to retrace my steps."
Somehow he made his way back to the wharf, but he "chose the wrong ferry dock and the wrong people to ask for help." Finally a sensitive woman heard him say "Alcatraz" and took him to the correct dock where he found his distraught wife. "The efforts of all the National Park Service rangers who now man the prison had not turned me up, so I became the first man to escape from Alcatraz and survive," he reported with his characteristic wit.
The article, which was the cover story on March 13, 2000, generated a huge response -- bigger than any story he had written in 42 years as a professional journalist. So, with even more help from his wife, he wrote a follow-up story on an Alzheimer's Society site, talking about his life and some of his fellow sufferers and paying tribute to the Friends, family and former colleagues who shared his company, wise in the knowledge that the disease, however devastating, is not "contagious."
Christopher Moody YOUNG was born in Accra, the Gold Coast (now Ghana) on July 9, 1926. He died in Ottawa of complications from Alzheimer's disease on March 21, 2006. He was 79. He was predeceased by his first wife, Florence Sirrett, and his eldest daughter, Alix. He is survived by his second wife, Ann, his daughters Sheila, Judy and Rachel, five grandchildren and his three younger sisters.

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SIRNA o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2006-06-07 published
SWIECH, Julie L. (née WATERFIELD)
Peacefully at London Health Sciences Centre (Westminster Campus) on Monday, June 5, 2006. Julie L. SWIECH (née WATERFIELD) of Spencer Street, Woodstock in her 49th year. Beloved wife of Flint McLAY. Dear mother of Krystal SWIECH (Glyn WILLIAMS,) Buddy, Chantelle and Ben SWIECH. Loved grandmother of Curtis and Mercedes WILLIAMS. Beloved daughter of Carroll HART and the late Dudley WATERFIELD and Roy HART. Dear step-mother of Colt and Cody McLAY and step-grandmother of Elandra McLAY. Dear sister of Jim WATERFIELD and his wife Margaret, Tim WATERFIELD, Jill WILSON and her husband Tom, and John HART. Dear daughter-in-law of Ron and Sharon McLAY and sister-in-law of Tammy CRAIG and her husband Brian, Rhonda SIRNA and her husband Mike, Randy McLAY and his wife Julie. Also survived by several aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and many longtime Friends from Zehrs Stores. Friends may call at the R.D. Longworth Funeral Home, 845 Devonshire Ave. Woodstock (539-0004) Wednesday 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. where the Funeral Liturgy will be held in the chapel Thursday at 1: 30 p.m. with Father Andrew KOWALCZYK, C.S.M.A. celebrating. Interment Hillview Cemetery. Contributions to the Community Care Access Centre would be appreciated. Online condolences at www.longworthfuneralhome.com. Parish prayers will be offered Wednesday evening at 6: 30 p.m. at the funeral home.

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SIRNIK o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2006-06-14 published
LIPIC, Rose Marie (O'BIRECK)
Peacefully on Sunday, June 11, 2006 in her 90th year, at the Trillium Health Centre - Mississauga. Beloved wife of the late John ADALBERT. Loving mother of John (Linda) of Carlisle, Ontario, Robert (Barbara) of Sudbury, Ontario and Peter (Claude) of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Dear grandmother of Kathryn (Patrick SIRNIK) of Ottawa and AnnMarie (Aaron RIDEOUT) of Toronto, Robert (Cheryl,) Ryan (Rose) and Caralyne (Mick HARDWICK) all of Sudbury, Lydia, Stephen, Andrew and Marysia LIPIC, all of Winnipeg. Great grandmother to Bobby, Trisha and Alicia LIPIC, Michael and Megan; Ella and Kole RIDEOUT, and Mikhellie and Katie HARDWICK. Dear sister of Bernice SCZELECKI (Adam), Jane ROSE (Don), Betty LEON (late Fred), Julius O'BIRECK (Jane) and the late Alice LEON (late Edward,) and the late Walter O'BIRECK (late Molly) and the late Jimmy O'BIRECK (late Rose.) Special thanks are extended to Stephanie LEON for her love and devotion to Aunty Rose. Stephanie spent many hours lovingly caring for Rose over the 8½ years of hospital time. Your care and gentleness is greatly appreciated Stephanie, by all who loved her. Thanks also to the wonderful staff of Trillium Health Centre Continuing Care 2. The care Rose received was wonderful and we always knew she was being looked after by very caring and concerned individuals. Thank you. Also, thanks to Doctor ABRAMSON for his special care and concern. Rose had a friend at Trillium that was always by her side and we would like to thank Kathy for keeping us up to date and in touch when Rose could not. Kathy, you were a good friend to Rose; thank you from all the family. The family will be receiving Friends at the Turner and Porter "Peel" Chapel, 2180 Hurontario Street, Mississauga (Hwy. 10, North of Queen Elizabeth Way) on Wednesday from 7-9 p.m. and Thursday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Funeral Mass to be held at St. Maximilian Kolbe Church, 4260 Cawthra Road, Mississauga, on Friday, June 16, 2006 at 10 a.m. Interment Assumption Cemetery. Goodnight, sweet lady, may God bless!

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SIROEN o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2006-03-04 published
TYLER, Caleb▼ Derek▼ and Quinten Terrence
At St. Joseph's Health Care Centre, London on Tuesday, February 28, 2006. Caleb Derek and Quinten Terrence TYLER, cherished infant sons of Marc and Jessica TYLER of Strathroy and grand_sons of Marcelle and the late Ron TYLER and Herm and Connie (SIROEN) VANDERHEYDEN all of Strathroy. Dear nephews of Elisha (Nathan HOOPER,) Jacinta,▼ Kateri,▼ and Nathan VANDERHEYDEN, Ron and Katie TYLER and cousins of Jenni TYLER (Ryan▼ MASTERMAN) and their son Austin Jack TYLER- MASTERMAN, Cameron TYLER (Shanlea BARNES) and Laura TYLER. Also▼ survived by their great-grandparents. Predeceased by their uncle Deke TYLER. A private family service will be held at Denning Bros. Funeral Home, Strathory with Father John SHARP officiating. Interment in Strathroy Cemetery. Donations to the St. Joseph's Health Care Foundation, London would be appreciated by the family. A tree will be planted as a living memorial to Caleb and Quinten.

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SIROEN o@ca.on.middlesex_county.strathroy.age_dispatch 2006-03-07 published
TYLER, Caleb▲ Derek▲ and Quinten Terrence
At St. Josephs Health Care Centre, London, on Tuesday, February 28, 2006, Caleb Derek and Quinten Terrence TYLER, cherished infant sons of Marc and Jessica TYLER of Strathroy, and grand_sons of Marcelle and the late Ron TYLER, and Herm and Connie (SIROEN) VANDERHEYDEN, all of Strathroy. Dear nephews of Elisha (Nathan HOOPER,) Jacinta,▲ Kateri,▲ and Nathan VANDERHEYDEN, Ron and Katie TYLER and cousins of Jenni TYLER (Ryan▲ MASTERMAN,) and their son Austin Jack TYLER- MASTERMAN, Cameron TYLER (Shanlea BARNES) and Laura TYLER. Also▲ survived by their great-grandparents. Predeceased by their uncle Deke TYLER. A private family service was held at Denning Bros. Funeral Home, Strathroy, with Father John SHARP officiating. Interment in Strathroy Cemetery. Donations to the St. Josephs Health Care Foundation, London, would be appreciated by the family. A tree will be planted as a living memorial to Caleb and Quinten.

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SIROIS o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2006-02-28 published
DEANE, Kenneth Charles " Tex"
Unexpectedly on Saturday February 25/'06 as a result of an automobile accident, Kenneth Charles "Tex" DEANE, passed away in his 45th year. Dear husband of Lucie SIROIS of Sudbury. Beloved son of Catherine DEANE and the late Robert "Diz" DEANE (1997.) Affectionately known as Mrs. DEANE's little boy. Much loved brother, confidante and best friend to Bill and Lynn DEANE, Nancy and Don CAMPBELL, Barb and Grant TEEPLE, all of Aylmer, Sue and Tom MORGAN of London and Judy DEANE of Caledon Village. Proud uncle of Ryan and Brett DEANE, Adam, Sandy and Matt TEEPLE, Kayla CAMPBELL, all of Aylmer, Darcy and Brad CRAMER of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, Morgan FAIRWEATHER and Bryan MORGAN of London, Curt SWEETAPPLE and Taylor WATKINS of Caledon Village. Son-in-law to Jackie and Dan SIROIS, brother-in-law to Dan SIROIS and Karen McEWEN, Lise SIROIS and Anne SIROIS. Special nephew to Norma and the late Chuck BLACKWELL (1993) of Saint Thomas. Helen and the late Max HUDSON (1990,) Bill and Gladys DEANE and Bill MANN, all of London. Will be sadly missed by his cousins, extended family and Friends. Will be especially missed by cousin Bob DEANE, " Super Bob" of Port Stanley. Funeral arrangements entrusted to Jackson and Barnard Funeral Home, 233 Larch Street, Sudbury, 705-673-3611/ 705-673-2525. Visitation Wed. March 1st, 12-2 (family), 2-5 and 7-9. Private family service Thurs. at 9: 30 a.m. Funeral procession to Caruso Club, 385 Haig Street, Sudbury, for the service at 11 a.m. Cremation to follow. Memorial Service to be held in London at a later date. In keeping with Ken's true spirit, donations to the London Regional Cancer program, 800 Commissioners Rd. E., London, N6C 2V3, would be greatly appreciated. "It is not for the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows great devotions and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat." Theodore Roosevelt

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SIROIS o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2006-03-01 published
Kenneth DEANE, Officer And Security Expert (1960-2006)
Former Ontario Provincial Police officer enjoyed a promising career in a paramilitary squad until he shot and killed native protester Dudley GEORGE in 1995. He left the force in 2002 and died in a traffic accident on Saturday
By F.F. LANGAN, Special to The Globe and Mail, Page S7
Toronto -- Kenneth DEANE's life was changed -- some would say ruined -- by an incident that's now known as Ipperwash. On September 6, 1995, he shot and killed Anthony (Dudley) GEORGE at Ontario's Ipperwash Provincial Park during what was Canada's most important Indian protest since Quebec's Oka crisis of 1990.
Until that night, Mr. DEANE of the Ontario Provincial Police had an exemplary record, one that had helped smooth his way into the exclusive ranks of the Ontario Provincial Police's tactical rescue unit. As acting sergeant, he was leading a highly trained, four-man team of marksmen on the night he shot Mr. GEORGE.
"The whole sequence took place in 20, 30, 35 seconds," Mr. DEANE said at his trial in July of 1997. He was convicted of criminal negligence causing death. In his 2001 book, One Dead Indian, Toronto Star reporter Peter EDWARDS recounted the Ontario Provincial Police officer's description of what led up to the shooting. Mr. DEANE said he saw flashes of light coming from the barrel of a weapon inside a school bus that protesters were using to barge into an Ontario Provincial Police riot squad.
"It was an attempt to shoot a police officer," he told the court. However, he chose not to open fire because of the many officers who were in the way. "I saw a distinct muzzle flash originate from the interior of the bus."
The book went on to describe the actual firing of the weapon and Mr. DEANE's testimony that Mr. GEORGE was armed and had presented a threat. "I observed him shoulder a rifle and in a half-crouched position, scanned [the rifle] over our position." Mr. DEANE said he fired three shots from his highly accurate, Heckler and Koch sub-machine gun "as quick as I could."
"He [Mr. GEORGE] immediately went down on one knee and immediately got back up."
Still on the road, Mr. GEORGE looked to his right and left and walked a few steps, Mr. DEANE testified. He then did something rather odd for someone who was mortally wounded, with a broken collar bone, cracked ribs and a punctured lung, Mr. DEANE said. He testified that Mr. GEORGE raised his arm and threw the rifle into a grass-covered field, leaving himself unarmed and exposed to police fire.
Although Mr. DEANE had provided a detailed description of the rifle, another tactical rescue unit officer who was just metres away during the incident testified that he had observed Mr. GEORGE holding "a pole or stick." The officer also said that the only muzzle flashes he saw had come from his own gun. Hundreds of other shots were fired that night, all by the police, and the Ontario Provincial Police has since arrived at the view that the protesters were not armed.
For his part, Mr. DEANE fired a total of seven shots. Four had been aimed at other protesters and three at Mr. GEORGE. One bullet missed, one struck him in the lower leg, and the last found his torso.
Though Mr. DEANE spoke in a calm and self-assured manner, the judge at his trial did not believe him. Mr. Justice Hugh FRASER as much as called him a liar and ruled that Mr. GEORGE had been unarmed. He rejected the notion that Mr. DEANE had an "honest but mistaken belief" and found that Mr. GEORGE did not have a weapon when he was killed. He said Mr. DEANE had concocted his evidence "in an ill-fated attempt to disguise the fact that an unarmed man had been shot."
Judge FRASER, who also ruled that some other police officers had falsified evidence to support Mr. DEANE, found him guilty and sentenced him to a conditional sentence of two years less a day, plus 180 days of community service but no house arrest.
Mr. DEANE appealed the conviction to the Supreme Court of Canada. In February, 2000, the court ruled there were no grounds for a new trial. He did win a small victory, however. The Supreme Court denied an appeal by Crown prosecutors who had sought jail time instead of the conditional sentence.
"I still believe Ken DEANE was an honest police office who was hard done by by the justice system," lawyer Norman PEEL, who had represented Mr. DEANE at the trial, said yesterday. "He was misjudged as being cold and withdrawn when, in fact, he was just quiet." After the conviction, Mr. DEANE continued in the Ontario Provincial Police. Among other things, he was a bomb-disposal expert and a specialist in fighting biker gangs and terrorists. His fellow officers came to his defence, believing he had been victimized.
"He was an asset to the Ontario Provincial Police," said Inspector Robert BRUCE, who at that time believed Mr. DEANE "should remain in the position that he's in."
But Ipperwash continued to haunt Mr. DEANE.
"I sincerely apologize to the family and Friends of Dudley GEORGE and to his community for causing the terrible loss that they have been forced to endure," he said at a discipline hearing in September of 2001. For all that, he always maintained he had done nothing wrong the night Mr. GEORGE was shot and he fought to stay on the force.
It was a battle he lost. In October, 2001, he pleaded to a charge of discreditable conduct under the Police Services Act. Four months later, an inquiry by police adjudicator Loyall CANN forced him to resign. Ms. CANN, a former deputy chief of the Toronto police force, said the shooting of Mr. GEORGE had resulted in "the most serious conviction" ever recorded against an Ontario Provincial Police officer.
"What could possibly be more shocking to society than to have a sworn, fully trained and experienced police officer, while on duty, in full uniform [and] using a police-issued firearm, kill an unarmed citizen," said Ms. CANN.
She ordered him to resign or be fired. He quit the next day and later found a job working in security at an Ontario Hydro nuclear station. More recently, he was Canadian sales manager for Canadian Allen-Vanguard Response Systems, a publicly traded company that provides state-of-the-art anti-terrorist equipment and systems.
Kenneth DEANE grew up in London, Ontario, the son of the late Robert DEANE and Katherine DEANE. One of six children, he had long dreamed of being a policeman. After leaving high school, he studied law and security at Fanshawe College and then joined the London police force. He was next accepted by the Ontario Provincial Police and quickly became involved with the tactical rescue unit, the special squad deployed in hostage-taking situations and in emergencies.
At his trial, a fellow officers described the patience Mr. DEANE had displayed during a hostage situation in Dryden, Ontario, when a man with a rifle threatened two women. The incident ended without violence. "He does not react emotionally, said Staff Sergeant Brian DEEVY, also a member of the tactical rescue unit. "I have never seen him lose control."
Mr. DEANE had also served with Ontario Provincial Police officers sent to help deal with the Oka crisis, and in 1991 had attended an incident at Grassy Narrows in Northern Ontario when an Ontario Provincial Police officer was shot dead.
The killing of Mr. GEORGE caused an outcry against the tactics and actions of the Ontario Provincial Police and the government of Ontario. It triggered the Ipperwash inquiry that has been sitting since July of 2004 under Mr. Justice Sidney LINDEN. Mr. DEANE was scheduled to appear at the hearing next month and his testimony was keenly anticipated.
In the type of coincidence that feeds conspiracy theorists, Mr. DEANE is the third Ontario Provincial Police officer involved in the Dudley GEORGE shooting to be killed in a traffic accident. Sgt. Margaret EVE, who tried to negotiate with the natives at Ipperwash before the shooting, died in a crash involving a transport truck on Highway 401 near Chatham, Ontario Inspector Dale LINTON, the commander who gave the orders to Mr. DEANE's team, was killed in a single-vehicle accident near Smith's Falls in October of Mr. DEANE was killed in a traffic accident on Highway 401 near Prescott in Eastern Ontario. Snow squalls had caused vehicles to slow or come to a halt and his Ford Explorer clipped a tractor trailer that was blocking the road. Before he could extricate his vehicle, a second highway truck travelling behind him was unable to stop and the sport utility vehicle was crushed.
Kenneth DEANE was born in October of 1960. He died on February 25, 2006. He was 45. He leaves his wife, Lucie SIROIS. Also an Ontario Provincial Police officer, she was injured some years ago while investigating a traffic accident. Additionally, he leaves his brother Bill and sisters Barbara, Nancy, Sue and Judy. A funeral is set for 11 a.m. tomorrow in Sudbury, Ontario

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SIRRETT o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2006-03-24 published
YOUNG, Christopher Moody (July 9, 1926-March 21, 2006)
Peacefully, surrounded by family. Born in Accra, Gold Coast, to Norman and Grace YOUNG of Winnipeg. Beloved husband of Ann, and his first wife, the late Florence SIRRETT. Much loved father, predeceased by his eldest daughter Alix (John BRIGGS,) survived by Sheila (Orley SMITH,) Judy (Tony MELANSON,) and Rachel (Matthew McQUILLEN.) Also survived by sisters Ellie, Sheila, and Cathy. Loving grandfather to Jesse, Ben, Sean, Robin, and David. He was educated at Ravenscourt School, Winnipeg, the University of Manitoba and Balliol College, Oxford. A distinguished journalist, he was Editor of the Ottawa Citizen 1962-1975, General Manager of Southam News 1975-1981, Bureau Chief for Southam News in London, England, and Moscow, U.S.S.R. in the nineteen-eighties and National Political Columnist for Southam News for many years. As a correspondent he won a Bowater Award 1961, for a series on unemployment, National Newspaper Awards in 1982 (report on the massacre at Sabra and Chatila during the Lebanon war) and in 1988 (series on Mongolia), a Citation of Merit in 1989 (series on pollution in the Soviet Union). He also won the Wilderness Award in 1965, for the script of a television series on the revolt in the Conservative Party against John Diefenbaker. His elegant and incisive writing, his integrity and his courage, especially when facing the onset of Alzheimer Disease, brought him widespread respect and admiration. He will be very much missed by many family members, Friends, and former colleagues all over the world. Friends may visit at the Central Chapel of Hulse, Playfair and McGarry, 315 McLeod Street, Ottawa on Sunday, March 26, from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. The Funeral Service will be held at St. Bartholomew's Anglican Church, 125 MacKay Street, Ottawa on Monday, March 27 at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Alzheimer Society of Ottawa-Carleton, 1750 Russell Road.

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SIRSKYJ o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2006-03-14 published
SIRSKYJ, Audrey▼ (née CHOLODYLO) (1928-2006)
Passed away suddenly, but peacefully at home on Sunday, March 12, 2006, in her 79th year. Beloved wife of the late Wasyl "Bill" SIRSKYJ who predeceased her in May 2003. Loving mother of Borys and his wife Marika of Ottawa, Roman and his wife Marisa of Waterloo and Myron of Toronto. Proud and loving Baba of Danylo, Tetiana, Adriana and Alexandra. Brother of William "Bill" CHOLODYLO. Predeceased by her parents Theodore and Antoniuk SIRSKYJ, and by her granddaughter Victoria. Visitation will be held in the Chapel of the Edward R. Good Funeral Home, 171 King Street South, Waterloo (401 West to Highway 8, follow King Street through Kitchener to Waterloo and funeral home is on the left past Union Street) on Thursday from 7-9 p.m. where Panachyda will be held at 7: 30 p.m. The Mass of Christian Burial will be held at The Ukrainian Catholic Church of the Transfiguration, 131 Victoria Street South (south of King Street), Kitchener on Friday, March 17, 2006 at 10 a.m. with Father Volodymyr YANISHEVSKY as celebrant. Interment and reception will follow at 12 noon at St. Volodymyr Cemetery in Oakville. In Audrey's memory, donations may be made to the Children of Chornobyl and can be arranged through the funeral home. Condolences/Donations/Flowers www.edwardrgood.com 519-745-8445

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SIRSKYJ o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2006-03-16 published
SIRSKYJ, Audrey▲ (née CHOLODYLO) (1928-2006)

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