PARTINGTON o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-06-30 published
WEYMAN, Ronald C.T. (1915-2007)
It is with great sadness that the family of Ron WEYMAN announces his passing on June 26, 2007. Ron left this world peacefully in his sleep at the place he loved best - the Weyman farmhouse outside of Flesherton, Ontario, surrounded by his loving family. Born in Erith, Kent, England in 1915, Ron came to Canada with his family at age 8. His artistic pursuits started early and he was acting, painting, writing and taking photographs, before joining the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve in 1939, serving as Lieutenant Commander in the North Atlantic, D-Day and South East Asia theatres where his achievements were 'mentioned in dispatches' to the Admiralty. He was also recognized as a war artist, with his work hanging in the National War Museum. He joined the fledgling National Film Board of Canada in 1946 and took his award winning documentary filmmaking skills to television in 1954 when he joined the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in Toronto to produce and direct television drama. Over a 26 year career at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Ron was a broadcast pioneer responsible for thousands of hours of television and the establishment of hundreds of careers. His key contribution was taking television 'out of the studio and into the streets' in the 1960s with the groundbreaking series 'Wojeck'. His programs won critical acclaim, attracted millions of viewers, and created the template for Canadian drama that continues to this day. After retiring in 1980 he continued to direct, traveled, wrote three novels and a book of memoirs as well as several screenplays, learned to play classical guitar and returned to his first love - painting. In 2001 he was recognized for his contribution to Canadian culture, receiving the Governor General's Masterworks Award. Slowed only by age, he was finally felled by a stroke four years ago and has now found merciful release. Ron will be greatly missed by his loving wife Vanna with whom he shared 60 years of marriage and raised five creative children - Cindy (BISAILLON,) Jenny (WEYMAN- CHARTOFF,) John ('Tiki',) Peter ('Bay') and James. He enjoyed watching his family grow with the arrival of 11 grandchildren - Tosh, Kit, Raffa, Caley, Jesse, Teo, Luke, Riley, and Emma WEYMAN; Chloe BISAILLON and Miranda WEYMAN- CHARTOFF. Holidays and weekends often saw the gathering of the family tribe at 'The Farm' where Ronny presided at the head of the table with his toasts of 'yo, yo, yo!'. Ron also leaves his dear sister - broadcaster, writer and sculptor Rita Greer ALLEN, widow of Canadian Broadcasting Corporation veteran Robert ALLEN; sons and daughters in-law Robert CHARTOFF, Heather GILMAN, Anne LINDSAY, Anne McCLELLAND and Richard PARTINGTON; and nephews and nieces Astrid WEYMAN, Pief WEYMAN and Wendy THOMPSON/THOMSON/TOMPSON/TOMSON. His family is so grateful for the time they were able to share with Ronny, even in his twilight days, and for the enormous, loving legacy that he has left behind. Fare you well, old sailor. Thanks to all the caregivers who helped Ronny through his last years, especially those at the Queen Elizabeth Centre, and the South West/Grey Bruce Community Care Access Centre, Care Partners and Red Cross. Cremation has occurred and a gathering of Friends and family to honour his memory and celebrate his accomplishments will take place at the Arts and Letters Club, 14 Elm Street, Toronto from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, July 8, 2007. Memorial Celebration at noon with reception to follow. No flowers please but donations are encouraged to the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

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PARTINGTON o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-11-06 published
REDMOND, Wendie▼ Elizabeth▼
Daughter, wife, mother, human rights activist, mentor. Born April 7, 1941, in Hamilton. Died September 27 in Saint Thomas, Ontario, of cancer, aged 66.
By Holly KRAMER, Page L6
Wendie was born to Rilla STIPE and Norman PARTINGTON. But her parents separated before she was born, and she was adopted at birth by Doctor J.K. McGREGOR and his wife, Trudy.
After Doctor McGREGOR's sudden death, when Wendie was still too young to understand adoption, Trudy remarried and Wendie was adopted a second time, by Trudy's new husband, T.J. BELL.
Wendie BELL graduated from Havergal College in Toronto. Her manner, cadence and command of language bespoke her private-school upbringing, but Wendie also had the "common touch." She commanded respect in a not-so-common way - by showing it - particularly during the many committee hearings of the Ontario legislature in which she spoke eloquently in support of what she considered the inalienable human rights of the adopted.
Wendie didn't suffer fools gladly ("Let's be kind, he's stupid," she'd say of opponents in private). She could curse in the nicest possible way, sparingly and only when appropriate, and was intolerant only of intolerance. And dirt.
It may have been the stigma attached to so-called "illegitimacy" and adoption for her generation that made her the housekeeper she was - no speck of dust was safe from her - but it was surely this experience that made her a pioneer in Canada's adoption-disclosure reform movement.
Wendie helped thousands of adult adoptees discover their roots following her own successful search and reunion. Her book, Once Removed: Voices from Inside the Adoption Triangle, is still on recommended-reading lists 25 years after its publication.
As founder and co-founder of several chapters of the national non-profit organization Parent Finders, and later, Adoption Roots and Rights, Wendie left an indelible influence on many lives.
Many of us hold dear our memories of sitting at her kitchen table enjoying her offerings of homemade "sun tea" and delicious food.
Wendie had a quick, biting wit, and found humour in the most unlikely places. Her stories usually ended with her trademark phrase: "… right, Buddy?" Wendie and her sweetheart, Henry (Bud) REDMOND had a rich, loving relationship. Sadly, their only child, Stephen, died accidentally in 1983.
Just days before her death, Ontario's new disclosure law, for which she fought so long, came into force, and a mere 48 hours later was overruled by the Ontario Superior Court.
But as Wendie so often reminded us, "adoptees are no strangers to loss."
Holly KRAMER is Wendie's friend.

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PARTINTON o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-09-29 published
REDMOND, Wendie▲ Elizabeth▲ (née PARTINTON)
Of Saint Thomas, on Thursday, September 27th, 2007, at the Saint Thomas-Elgin General Hospital, in her 67th year. Beloved wife of Henry Charles "Bud" REDMOND and mother of the late Stephen Charles REDMOND (1983). Wendie was born in Hamilton on April 7th, 1941, the daughter of the late Rilla STIPE and Norman PARTINTON. She was the adopted daughter of Doctor J.K. McGREGOR and Trudy and T.J. BELL. Resting at Williams Funeral Home, 45 Elgin Street, Saint Thomas where funeral service will be held Tuesday at 1: 00 p.m. Cremation to follow, with interment of ashes in Mount Hope Cemetery, Hamilton. Visitation Monday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Remembrances may be made to the Saint Thomas-Elgin General Hospital Foundation Tools for Treatments for Cancer or the Canadian Cancer Society.

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PARTON o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-12-04 published
WARDLE, Rev. Kenneth Alfred
It is with great sadness that the family announce the peaceful passing of Kenneth at the Wellington Terrace in Elora, on December 2, 2007 in his 77th year. Ken ministered to congregations in Etobicoke, Sarnia, Burlington and South Africa. He will be sadly missed by his wife Menai (HUGHES) of Elora. Fondly remembered by his daughter Barbara HARRISON (Andrew) and his sons Tim (Joanne) and Andrew (Catherine) and step-children Gareth and Glyn HUGHES. Always remembered by his grandchildren Victoria and Olivia HARRISON and Ryan and Mitchell WARDLE. Survived by his sister Joan PARTON (John) of England. Predeceased by his first wife Hazel in 1994. Friends will be received at the Graham A. Giddy Funeral Home and Chapel, 37 Church Street East in Elora, on December 5th from 7-9 p.m. Funeral Service will be conducted at Elora United Church (corner of Geddes and Church Streets), on December 6th at 11: 00 a.m. In memory of Ken donations may be directed to the Alzheimer's Association or the United Church Mission and Service Fund, cards available at the Funeral Home (519) 846-5352.
www.grahamgiddyfh.com

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PARTRIDGE o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2007-01-10 published
COURT, Joan Frances
Age 72 of Devon Street, Stratford passed away on Monday, January 08, 2007. She was born in London, Ontario daughter of the late Frank KENNY and the former Zita CASSIDY. Joan was a member of Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church. Predeceased by her husband Howard William COURT July 25, 1996. Loving mother of Ken COURT and wife Judy, Marie WENDLER and husband Mark, Gerry COURT and friend Bonnie GROVER, Laurie DROST and husband Dennis, John COURT and wife Heather. Dear grandma of Jeff COURT, Steve COURT and friend Stacey PARTRIDGE, Tyler COURT, Jeremy DROST, Eli, Zita and Zoe WENDLER, Melissa and Briann LAVERY. Also survived by her good friend Al GRANT and his family. Sister of Jean ELLIOT/ELLIOTT and husband Leonard. Also her Aunt Agnes FLANAGAN and family and sister-in-law Margaret ROTH and family. Besides her parents and her husband she was predeceased by a son Larry, a granddaughter Brandy, a great-grand_son Adam. There will be no funeral home visitation. The funeral mass will be celebrated at Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church, Stratford on Saturday, January 13 at 11 a.m. Rev. Father Dick BESTER will officiate. Interment will follow at Avondale Cemetery. As expressions of sympathy memorial donations may be made to Cystic Fibrosis through the W.G. Young Funeral Home, 430 Huron Street, Stratford N5A 5T7 519-271-7411.

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PARVEZ o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2007-12-12 published
Daughter strangled
Friends▼ say Aqsa PARVEZ clashed with her strict family.
By Rob LAMBERTI, Sun Media, Wed., December 12, 2007
Mississauga -- Muhammad PARVEZ appears in court this morning charged with strangling his daughter as homicide detectives continue to look at her older brother to determine if he had a role in the slaying.
The 57-year-old man was charged yesterday with killing 16-year-old Aqsa PARVEZ, who Friends say rebelled against her father's religious expectations. Aqsa died in the Hospital for Sick Children late Monday and her mother arranged for her daughter's organs be donated.
Peel detectives charged her brother, Waqas, 26, with obstructing police, allegedly for trying to mislead officers during their investigation.
But police said Waqas continues to be investigated by homicide detectives to determine if he's involved in Peel's 16th murder of the year.
"We're now trying to determine what role or culpability he may have had in the homicide as well," Peel police homicide Insp. Norm ENGLISH said. "We're certainly going to be conducting further investigations to determine if he had a role in this."
ENGLISH said the investigation is still early and whether Muhammad is charged with first- or second-degree murder depends on witness information and the results of a pending autopsy. Investigators suspect the Grade 11 Applewood Heights secondary school student was strangled.
Police were alerted to the incident when a man called police just before 8 a.m. Monday saying he had killed his daughter at their Longhorn Trail home.
Most students learned during the school's morning announcement yesterday that Aqsa, who was born in Pakistan, had died.
A memorial with her photo and a book of condolences was in the front lobby of the high school for classmates to jot down memories or poems.
"It's just, like, really sad. Everyone was just crying," said Grade 10 student Natalie RANCE.
Students and Friends said Aqsa began removing her hijab when she attended school this term after her older sister had graduated. With no one to watch over her, she apparently felt free to dress more casually.
Aqsa recently left the family home and moved in with a friend, said Krista GARBUTT. She said the victim was quite open with Friends about discussing the culture clash she was having with her father, but it appears no one in authority was aware.
"I don't think so; she didn't tell a teacher," Dominiquia HOLMES- THOMPSON/THOMSON/TOMPSON/TOMSON said yesterday.
Students were sent home with letters for their parents informing them of Aqsa's death and an outline of symptoms for depression or stress that their kids may feel. It assured parents that counsellors are available.
HOLMES- THOMPSON/THOMSON/TOMPSON/TOMSON described Aqsa as a kind person who loved to take photos and to dance. "And all she wanted to do is to be herself."
She said Aqsa was at a friend's place after leaving her home around 8 p.m. Sunday.
"She was happy, she was ready to go to school, she was excited," HOLMES- THOMPSON/THOMSON/TOMPSON/TOMSON said, adding Aqsa intended on returning to the family home to get clothes.
But HOLMES- THOMPSON/THOMSON/TOMPSON/TOMSON said Aqsa told her she was "scared to go home."
"Because she didn't obey the rules…" she said.
HOLMES- THOMPSON/THOMSON/TOMPSON/TOMSON said her friend would arrive at school wearing jogging pants and hijab and then change clothes, removing the traditional headscarf.
Friend Ashley GARBUTT, 16, said that Aqsa didn't want to wear the hijab any more.
"Then her sister kept telling her dad that she doesn't wear it," she said. "She left her house twice. She left and went to her friend's house because… she would get scared and she just didn't want to live there anymore. She wanted to be her own person and show her inner beauty."
GARBUTT said Aqsa went to a shelter and her father contacted her asking her to come home because neither he nor her mother could eat after she left the first time.
"She moved home because she felt bad, but she moved out again," she said.
Friends said there probably are other girls who find themselves in a similar situation.
"They should get help soon as possible, whether it's a counsellor," Ebonie MITCHELL said. "Because we never knew it was that bad. If they're in that situation, they should get help as soon as possible."

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PARVEZ o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-12-12 published
Teen tried to leave strict family
Father now faces murder charge
By Omar EL AKKAD and Kenyon WALLACE, Page A1
Aqsa PARVEZ was largely estranged from her family and sleeping away from home in recent days. The 16-year-old's Friends said she returned to her home in Mississauga on Monday only to collect her belongings.
Shortly afterward, she was taken to hospital, where she died early yesterday morning - leaving Friends grief-stricken and igniting a public debate on religious extremism in Canada.
Her father, 57-year-old taxi driver Muhammad PARVEZ, is charged with murder. Her brother, 26-year-old Waqas PARVEZ, is charged with obstructing police.
Ms. PARVEZ's Friends▲ described the Grade 11 student at Applewood Heights Secondary School as someone who was drawn to Western culture even as her family adhered to a devout form of Islam. Friends paint a picture of a hardworking and cheerful girl who loved dancing, fashion and photography - interests that often clashed with her strict home environment.
"Aqsa was always trying to get us to go shopping with her," schoolmate Dominiquia HOLMES- THOMPSON/THOMSON/TOMPSON/TOMSON said. "We were supposed to go to the mall together today."
Last week, Ms. PARVEZ temporarily moved in with a friend from school.
"She said she wasn't getting along well with her family and that things weren't right," said Trudy LOOBY, the mother of one of Ms. PARVEZ's Friends,▲ Alisha. " When she was here, she was very happy."
Ms. LOOBY said she told Ms. PARVEZ to inform her parents about where she was staying. "She notified me that the school was aware of where she was staying and that that was okay," the mother said.
During her stay, Ms. LOOBY said, Ms. PARVEZ didn't wear the hijab, a head scarf that Friends said was a hot topic within her family.
Krista GARBUTT remembers walking down the street with Ms. PARVEZ earlier this year, when the two of them spotted Ms. PARVEZ's brother walking toward them. Panicking, the teenager quickly fumbled for her head scarf, trying to put it on. "There were times when we'd be walking down the street and she'd see her brother and she wouldn't be wearing her hijab and she'd have to put it on," Ms. GARBUTT said. "She said, 'He'll kill me, he'll kill me.' I said, 'He's not going to kill you,' but she said, 'Yeah, he will.' And nobody believed it."
On Monday morning, Peel Regional Police responded to a 911 call from a man who said he had just killed his daughter. When officers arrived at a single-family detached home on Longhorn Trail, they found Ms. PARVEZ suffering from life-threatening injuries. She was taken immediately to Credit Valley Hospital and later transferred in critical condition to the Hospital for Sick Children, where she died.
Peel police said the Crown is waiting to decide whether Mr. PARVEZ should be charged with first- or second-degree murder, pending a police investigation. Although police would not elaborate on the ongoing homicide investigation, the difference between laying a first- or second-degree murder charge often rests on proving that the killing was premeditated.
Ms. GARBUTT said the teenager went home on Monday to collect her belongings, at which point her father "basically went ballistic."
For weeks before, Ms. PARVEZ had been living something of a double life, Friends said.
"She wanted peace with her family," Alisha LOOBY said. "She wanted to make them happy but she wanted to be herself at the same time, and there's nothing wrong with that."
A makeshift memorial is already in place at Applewood Heights, full of mementoes and messages left by grieving students.
"Aqsa was honestly the brightest girl around. She had the biggest smile and was the happiest person in school. She loved to dance and take pictures," one student wrote.
Across Canada, the killing has taken on larger proportions. On call-in shows and websites, many have used the incident as part of a wider indictment of fundamentalist Islam. One Canadian conservative blogger suggested Canadians boycott taxicabs driven by Muslims.
In a statement yesterday, the Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations called on Canadians of all faiths to address issues of domestic abuse, and called for "the strongest possible prosecution" of those responsible for Ms. PARVEZ's killing.
Trudy LOOBY, who let Ms. PARVEZ stay at her home last week, said she now wishes the teen had not left.
"I was feeling that whatever it was she was dealing with at home was a bit too personal to involve me in," Ms. LOOBY said. "I wish she would have stayed longer, that's all. It's a sad waste of life."

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