SWEENEY
SWEEZEY
SWEIGER
SWENSON
SWERDFEGER
SWERDFIGER
SWEENEY o@ca.on.grey_county.owen_sound.the_sun_times 2007-01-11 published
SWEENEY,
Joseph
Edward
At Grey Bruce Health Services on Wednesday January 9, 2008, Joseph
Edward SWEENEY of Markdale. Survived by brothers and sisters:
Raymond (Kay), Leonard (Dale), Jim (Heidi), Norma, Betty, Alvin
and Frank. Predeceased by parents Irene and Bill
SWEENEY and
three sisters. Ed started his own construction company in 1981 and
served as councilor for Glenelg Township. Cremation has taken
place. A family memorial service will be held at May Funeral
Home, Markdale on Wednesday January 16th at 2: 00 p.m. If desired,
donations to your charity of choice would be appreciated.
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SWEENEY o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-07-03 published
DEWAR,
Barbara
Ann (née
SWEENEY)
In hospital on Sunday, July 1, 2007, from injuries incurred in
a fall, Barbara Ann
DEWAR of Kanata, Ontario. Daughter of the
late William James
SWEENEY and Bessie Beatrice
SWEENEY of Pembroke,
Ontario.
She is survived by her loving husband Daniel Bevis
DEWAR,
son Peter DEWAR and daughter Sarah
LEAHY
(Stephen.)
Cherished
grandmother of Daniel
DEWAR and Kevin and Kira
LEAHY.
Friends
may call at the Carp Chapel of Tubman Funeral Homes, 115 Rivington
Street, Carp on Wednesday, July 4, 2007 from 7 to 9 p.m. and
on Thursday, July 5, 2007 from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. A memorial
service will be held at Saint Mary's Anglican Church, Dunrobin
Ontario on Friday, July 6, 2007 at 3 p.m. Those wishing may make
donations to the Ontario Brain Injury Association, P.O. Box 2338,
St. Catherine's, Ontario, L2R 7R9 Condolences, tributes or donations
may be made at www.tubmanfuneralhomes.com
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SWEENEY o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-10-25 published
GRASSBY,
Robert
Leigh, P.Eng. (1920-2007)
Peacefully at Saint Mary's Hospital surrounded by his loving family
on Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007. Husband of the late Joan
O'HARA
and Florence
WALSH. Dear father of Leigh, Janet (Pierre
CHOLETTE,)
Robert (Lynn
SWEENEY), John (Rhonda
HAMEL-
SMITH), Brian (Joanna
BENNETT) and Elizabeth (Mike
STEFAN.)
Grandfather of Timothy,
Shaughn and Katie
McAULIFFE,
Eric
(Joanna
MacLEOD,) Jennifer
and Emily CHOLETTE,
Ryan and Robyn
GRASSBY, Andrew,
Jamie and
Alex (Fritzy)
GRASSBY,
Maggie and Robbie Hamel-Smith
GRASSBY,
Riley and Samantha
STEFAN.
son of the late Arthur
GRASSBY and
Amelia MARRIN of Winnipeg. Predeceased by his brothers, Gerald,
Edward, Hugh, Kenneth, Richard and his three sisters Louise,
Marguerite and Joyce. Survived by his brother James of Sudbury.
Robert was President and Chief Executive Officer of Montreal
Locomotive Works, V.P. of Dominion Bridge and Plant Engineer
and Manager of research and development for Robert Mitchell Co.
He was also President and board member of Saint Mary's Hospital,
V.P. and director of Engineer's Club, board member of Hermitage
Club, Honorary member of The Royal Montreal Golf Club and board
member of Concordia University. During the war years he served
in Northwest Europe, Italy and United Kingdom as a lieutenant,
captain and acting major. He was a strong, loving, interested
father and grandfather who leaves behind a supportive loving
family who hope to follow his lead. Visitation at the Kane and
Fetterly Funeral Home, 5301 Decarie Blvd., Montreal, Québec (corner
Isabella) on Friday from 6-9 p.m. Funeral Mass at St. Edmund
of Canterbury Church (corner St. Charles and Beaconsfield), Beaconsfield,
on Saturday, October 27 at 2: 00 p.m. If desired, donations may
be made in his memory to the Saint Mary's Hospital Foundation,
3830 Lacombe Ave., Montreal, H3T 1M5. Condolences may be received
at www.kanefetterly.com
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SWEENEY o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-11-12 published
SWEENEY,
John
Lover, father, writer, television producer. Born in Toronto in
the last century. Died June 28, in Toronto, of colon cancer,
never revealing his age.
By Anne-Marie
SWEENEY,
Page L6
John had a powerful personality and a warm, rich voice. When
John spoke, people listened. And he liked to talk. A lot.
Socializing was one of John's favourite things. He was often
the centre of attention, no matter how large the group.
John was a good listener, too. And he was thoughtful in the most
rudimentary meaning of the word - he liked to think and he spent
a great deal of time doing just that. His positive outlook on
life, combined with his depth and wealth of knowledge, made him
the ideal person from whom to get sound advice.
John grew up in Toronto's east end with his sister Janice and
brothers Joe and Jim, plus a host of characters who came and
went over the years, guests of John's mother, Lettie, who could
never say no to someone in need. John's father, Frank, was a
strict disciplinarian with a big heart. John inherited all of
his parents' best qualities.
John was head of the social committee at Neil McNeil High School
before advancing to the University of Windsor and York University
as a drama student. After earning his degrees, John worked in
theatre, debated philosophy and travelled. He gave up his life
as an actor to spend more time with family following the birth
of his daughter Rhiann.
John's first marriage ended after five years, but his bond with
Rhiann only grew stronger. He considered Rhiann the most important
part of his life.
Together, they welcomed John's true love, Anne-Marie, into their
family. He met her at a golf course, yet neither one golfed
they were there for a fundraiser. Anne-Marie would not give John
her phone number, something that just didn't happen to him.
John eventually got Anne-Marie's number from a mutual friend
and talked her into a first date. They lingered in the restaurant
after dinner, caught up in the magic of the evening, and John
proposed. Anne-Marie readily accepted.
For the past 25 years, whenever the couple travelled they were
asked, without fail, "Are you on your honeymoon?" John always
answered, "Yes!"
Following their marriage, John returned to his creative roots,
working as a television producer.
Thanks to his youthful exuberance and his good looks, John was
often mistaken as being much, much younger than he was. Whenever
possible he avoided admitting the truth.
And so, in his memory, his date of birth has been omitted from
this piece. To those who loved him best, John was always, and
will remain, ageless.
Anne-Marie
SWEENEY is John's wife.
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SWEENEY o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-12-15 published
GRAY/GREY,
Muriel
May (née
BEAUFIELD)
Passed peacefully away on Wednesday, December 12, 2007, at Arborstone
Enhanced Care after a twelve-year struggle with Parkinson's Disease.
She was in her 74th year and was predeceased in 2005 by her devoted
and beloved husband of 46 years, Peter Forbes
GRAY/GREY, her mother
Margaret in 1996, father Charles in 1980 and brother Raymond
in 2003. Leaving to mourn, her daughter Susan (Clayton
DICKSON/DIXON)
and grand_son Oliver, Halifax, Nova Scotia; son John (Lisa) and
grand_son Gunnar, San Diego; two brothers, Calmond (Daisy), Ship
Cove, Newfoundland, and Guy (Juanita), Saint_John's, Newfoundland
and five sisters, Faye (Ross
SWEENEY,)
Halifax,
Nova
Scotia
Marie (Scott
SMITH), St. Andrews, New Brunswick; Patricia (Bud
BEST) and Elaine (Hedley
LANGDON,)
St.
Anthony,
Newfoundland
Pamela (Brian
GUY,) Saint_John's, Newfoundland, and a large number
of relatives and Friends. Described by her siblings as effortlessly
clever, she completed high school at the age of fifteen and began
teaching at the age of sixteen, first at L'Anse au Clair, Labrador,
and later at her hometown, Raleigh. In 1953, after receiving
her Laboratory Technician Certificate, she began working at the
St. Clairs Mercy Hospital, Saint_John's, Newfoundland. Beautiful
but shy, Muriel was introduced to her future husband Peter by
a friend of the family. At the time, Peter was working with McNamara
Construction building a highway in the Witless Bay area. He was
young, handsome and had a charming wit that was rumoured to have
won Muriel's heart by whispering in her ear 'You sure smell better
than the guys at the bunkhouse!' Muriel and her family lived
in Toronto, Ottawa, and Sudbury before moving to Halifax in 1973.
Apart from being a dedicated mother, wife, and homemaker, she
also worked for a time as an interior decorator and was known
for her personal touch of having a 'sense of style'. Muriel was
also respected as a tireless volunteer and committee member of
the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron where she served for some
thirtythree years. Muriel was beautiful in mind, body, and spirit
she had a musical laugh and a wonderful, self-depreciating sense
of humour, and a gentle touch that made her unique to all who
knew her. She adored her two grand_sons and was well enough to
enjoy them both as young children. A sincere thank-you to the
thirdfloor staff of Arborstone Enhanced Care for their kindness
and dedication to Muriel and her family these past two years.
Donations in Muriel's memory may be made to the Parkinson's Society
of Canada. E-mail condolences to: susang@ca.ns.sympatico.ca.
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SWEENEY o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-12-26 published
'Man with four hands' was one of the greatest piano players of
all time
Canadian whose flying fingers mesmerized audiences around the
world - from small clubs in 1950s Montreal to the lights of Carnegie
Hall - was a lyrical stylist and a mentor to many
By Nicholas
JENNINGS,
Special to The Globe and Mail with reports
from Canadian Press and staff, Page S9
Toronto -- Few pianists swung as hard or played as fast and with
as many grace notes as Oscar
PETERSON.
The classically trained
musician could play it all, from Chopin and Liszt to blues, stride,
boogie, bebop and beyond. He led his own jazz trios, performed
with such legendary figures as Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie,
DIzzy Gillespie and Louis Armstrong - the latter called him "the
man with four hands" - recorded more than 200 albums and wrote
such memorable works as Hymn to Freedom and the Canadiana Suite.
"A virtuoso without peer," concluded his biographer, Gene Lees,
in The Will to Swing.
"The piano is like an extension of his own physical being," composer
and clarinetist Phil
NIMMONS, who helped create Canadiana Suite,
said in 1975 of his long-time friend. "I'm amazed at the speed
of his creativity. I am not talking about mere technical capabilities,
although his are awesome. I'm speaking of the times when you
find him under optimum conditions of creativity. His mind can
move as quickly as his fingers and that is what is so astounding."
The story of Oscar
PETERSON's rise from immigrant poverty to
world fame is one of popular music's great inspirational tales.
Born in Montreal's Saint-Henri district, he was the fourth of
five children of a Canadian Pacific Railway porter and his wife
who came to Canada from the Virgin Islands. His father, Daniel,
a self-taught amateur musician and a strict disciplinarian, insisted
that his children develop musical skills. Oscar began on piano
and trumpet, but dropped the latter after a bout with tuberculosis
when he was 7.
By 14, he was studying with Paul de Marky, a renowned Hungarian-born
classical pianist who piqued his interest in jazz, particularly
works by pianist Art Tatum. Mr.
PETERSON always credited his
sister Daisy, a noted piano teacher in Montreal who also taught
such Canadian musicians as Oliver Jones and Joe Sealy, with being
an important teacher and influence on his career. Soon, he was
winning competitions. But his father never let it go to his head.
He played his son Tatum's renowned recording of Tiger Rag that
caused the young musician to quit piano for two months.
Mr. PETERSON always said it was his father who instilled in him
an unwavering will to succeed. When he dropped out of high school
to play in the Johnny Holmes Orchestra, becoming its only black
member, a displeased Daniel
PETERSON gave him some stern advice.
"He told me, 'If you're going to go out there and be a piano
player, don't just be another one. Be the best.' "
The 17-year-old took the words to heart. Within a few years,
he was leading his own trio at Montreal's Alberta Lounge, where
he developed his distinctive style and attracted some illustrious
onlookers, including Count Basie and Ella Fitzgerald. Then, on
one fateful night, American jazz impresario Norman Granz heard
Mr. PETERSON at the club and was so impressed that he invited
him to play at New York's Carnegie Hall.
Mr. PETERSON's appearance on Mr. Granz's Jazz at the Philharmonic
program in 1949 was a watershed event. Mr.
PETERSON didn't have
a work visa, so Mr. Granz decided to introduce him as a surprise
guest on a bill that included Charlie Parker, Lester Young and
Coleman Hawkins. Although the young pianist was terrified, Mr. Granz
assured him it would be worth it. "He told me, 'You'll know if
you have what it takes, and if you do what you do and they love
it, then you know you've made it,' Mr.
PETERSON later recalled.
Performing with bassist Ray
BROWN, who would become a long-time
sideman, Mr.
PETERSON brought the house down with such songs
as Fine and Dandy and Tenderly. The 24-year-old "stopped the
concert dead cold in its tracks," according to Down Beat magazine,
which added that the pianist displayed "a flashy right hand,
a load of bop and a good sense of harmonic development." Mr.
PETERSON's
course - with Mr. Granz as his manager - was set.
Over the next 50 years, Mr.
PETERSON played in a variety of trios,
including those with Mr.
BROWN and guitarist Herb Ellis (1953-1958,)
Mr. BROWN and drummer Ed
THIGPEN (1959-1964,) bassist Sam Jones
and drummer Bobby Durham (mid-60s) and guitarist Joe Pass and
bassist Niels Pedersen (late 1960s). During this time, he recorded
such memorable albums as 1956's Stratford Festival recording,
1958's On the Town, recorded at Toronto's Town Tavern, and 1962's
Night Train, which included a number of Duke Ellington pieces
as well as Mr.
PETERSON's own Hymn to Freedom. Then, in 1964,
he produced his best-known work, Canadiana Suite, with each of
the album's tracks inspired by a different region of the country.
Mr. PETERSON called the project "my musical portrait of the Canada
I love," and it was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1965.
By 1979, his career had arrived at a point where he was in steady
demand and his life had developed a certain stability. He built
a recording studio in his house and set aside enough time most
mornings to "ring out some different pieces of equipment and
get myself together," he told The Globe and Mail. "I'll maybe
come up with something I would want to get started writing."
The studio was irresistible, he said. Later in the day, usually
after attending a business meetings elsewhere in the house, he
liked to return to the keyboard "to work on some writing, or
maybe rehearse a little music."
By all accounts, Mr.
PETERSON led two lives - one on the road
and one at home. "I work probably six solid weeks then take off
a month or two. My work is like that. If I tour, it is usually
three or four weeks and when it's over it's done."
When he wasn't away, Mr.
PETERSON seldom liked to leave the house.
But the constant touring remained a trial before he brought order
to his life. "It can be very harried during touring, but we try
to control that now. I have to know where I'm going one way or
another. I feel that if I have to go on the road I'm not going
to stay the Young Women's Christian Association, and I'm not
going to eat at the Big Burger. If I go to France, for instance,
I eat at the best possible restaurants and stay in the best hotel.
I like the finer things in life and I think I deserve what I
can afford. I don't thing there's anything wrong with shooting
for the best. It's unfortunate that a few more of us don't think
that way."
The travelling took its toll on many of Mr.
PETERSON's sidemen,
who gave up work with the master because personal or health reasons.
Some fell victim to the bottle or drugs. Mr.
PETERSON, who always
avoided such things, kept going, and performed solo frequently
in the 1970s. But he paid his own price for touring, which kept
him from his wives and children. "How destructive was [the road]
for me?" he once asked a CBS reporter. "Almost four divorces
- that's how destructive it can be."
Mr. PETERSON recounted in his 2002 autobiography, A Jazz Odyssey,
how his breakup with third wife, Charlotte, separated him from
their son, Joel, for whom he wrote the tune He Has Gone. "They
now live somewhere in Eastern Canada," he wrote. "This had been
a dreadful loss." He seemed to find happiness in his fourth marriage
to Kelly GREEN, with whom he had a daughter, Céline, in 1991,
when he was 66. He credited them with helping him to find a balance
between family and music.
"When you first start out, you're impatient, uptight," he once
said. "Everything has to be done right now, it doesn't matter
what you might like it to be." Later, he said he became a little
more sensible about all of life's elements. "You realize that
some of the things that you want to do require a depth that you
won't have until you're more mature. Even then, there are things
that you still can't get together."
Mr. PETERSON possessed a boyish sense of humour and was renowned
for his love of laughter. He was also a notorious practical joker.
His mischievous side was something that came through in two documentaries:
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's The Life and Times of Oscar
PETERSON and the National Film Board's In the Key of Oscar, which
was produced by his niece, former basketball star and Canadian
Olympian Sylvia
SWEENEY.
The latter film recounted some of the
early incidents of racism that Mr.
PETERSON encountered in his
career and featured his emotional journey back to Montreal for
the first reunion of the extended
PETERSON family, including
grandchildren who had previously only ever seen him on television.
Beyond his career and family, Mr.
PETERSON pursued his twin hobbies
of photography and fly fishing, which he undertook at a summer
home in Ontario's Haliburton Highlands. It was also at the cottage
that he followed an interest in the heavens. "I'm an amateur
astronomer, when I have time, which is usually in the summer
at our cottage," he once told The Globe.
He also involved himself in the academic side of music. In 1960,
he opened the Advanced School of Contemporary Music in Toronto
with Mr. BROWN, Mr.
THIGPEN and Mr.
NIMMONS. Mr.
PETERSON's students
included Skip Beckwith, Brian
BROWNe, Wray Downes and Bill King.
Although his touring commitments forced the school to close in
1964, Mr. PETERSON returned to teaching at Toronto's York University
in 1986, when he was appointed as adjunct professor of music
in jazz studies. He remained involved with the university afterward,
serving as its chancellor from 1991 to 1994.
A two-date reunion in 1990 with his most famous trio, featuring
Ray BROWN and Herb Ellis (also featuring drummer Bobby Durham)
at New York's Blue Note: club resulted in four separate album
releases. Critics hailed Mr.
PETERSON's playing from this legendary
engagement, citing his emotional depth and softer playing style.
Three years later, while performing again at the Blue Note, Mr.
PETERSON
suffered a stroke, something he only realized after returning
to Toronto to receive the Glenn Gould Prize. The stroke weakened
his left hand and sidelined him for two years, during which time
he fell into a depression. But he credited Friends such as bassist
Dave Young for encouraging him to return to performance, which
he did with the help of intensive physiotherapy. In 1999, he
returned to Carnegie Hall with guitarist Ulf Wakenius, bassist
Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen and drummer Martin Drew. His left
hand could no longer "conjure the rumbling musical earthquakes
of old," wrote The New York Times, but his right hand's inventive,
fluid work alone prompted several standing ovations.
Two years earlier at the Grammys, he had been given a Lifetime
Achievement Award. In all, he won eight Grammys and, in 2005,
Canada Post marked his contributions to music with a 50-cent
stamp.
A lyrical stylist who has been described as one of the greatest
piano layers of all time, Mr.
PETERSON inspired countless musicians.
Duke Ellington called him "a man who's blessed with great talent,
has acquired tremendous skill and executes it with unlimited
authority." Ella Fitzgerald said of him, "to me, he's like a
brother and a friend, and one of the greatest you'll ever meet."
Diana
Krall, who celebrated Mr.
PETERSON's 80th birthday with
him in 2005 at his home in Mississauga, Ontario, recalled how
he invited her down to his basement studio. "He said, 'Hey, Dee,
come down and check out the box,' which meant his 10-foot Boesendorfer
[piano]," Ms. Krall recalled. "The only problem was then you
have to play for him. So I played some Nat Cole tunes and we
sang some duets. The fact that I got a chance to sit and talk
with him, and laugh with him and his family, is pretty great.
It stays with you." Added Ms. Krall: "If I ever feel like I'm
needing a boost, I listen to Oscar."
His personal studio represented a dream that was a long time
coming, Mr.
PETERSON said in 1979. "Years ago, I always wanted
this studio, but there was no way I could because I was out playing
all the time. But now, with the new studio and the chance to
do some composing, it's much easier. I can pursue the love of
my life, and yet it's my profession."
Oscar Emmanuel
PETERSON was born in Montreal on August 15, 1925.
He died of kidney failure at his home in Mississauga, Ontario,
on December 23, 2007. He was 82. He leaves his wife, Kelly, and
six children from different marriages: Lynn, Gay, Oscar Jr.,
Norman, Joel and Celine.
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SWEENEY o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-12-26 published
The humble legend
'He was one of the last of the giants, but his music and contributions
will be eternal.' Jazz impresario Quincy Jones 'He was a regular
on the French stage, where the public adored his luminous style.'
French President Nicolas Sarkozy 'He was the kindest, gentlest,
most forgiving person on the face of the earth.' Senator and
jazz pianist Tommy Banks
By Peter CHENEY,
Page A1
Mississauga -- The street is pleasant but ordinary, and so is
the house, a two-storey monument to the forgettable architecture
of the late 1960s. There's a two-car garage, a neatly kept lawn
and a driveway flanked by a pair of coach lamps. But look closer,
and you realize that this is a very special house indeed.
There is a windowless brick addition that looks like a military
command centre, and on the front door, carved into the wood so
subtly that you might miss it, is the face of one of the world's
most famous and respected musicians - jazz legend Oscar
PETERSON,
once described as "the maharaja of the piano."
Mr. PETERSON, who died this weekend at 82, put Canada on the
world musical map and helped forge a new era in race relations.
Yet he spent much of his life in a world drawn straight from
The Brady Bunch, a universe of suburban tract homes, strip malls
and winding avenues with names like King Forrest Drive and Friar
Tuck Boulevard.
Although his choice of neighbourhoods surprised many, Mr.
PETERSON
loved Mississauga. "He felt at home there," said his niece, Sylvia
SWEENEY. "It was his world."
Mr. PETERSON's house was tweaked to his special needs. There
was a soundproof brick studio that held his Bosendorfer grand
piano and multitrack recording suite. The bay windows that faced
the street were replaced with opaque glass blocks, to prevent
the curious from spying. But this was not the home of a star.
"All he wanted was an ordinary life," Gene
LEES, who authored
a biography of Mr.
PETERSON, said. "He wasn't a celebrity show-off."
To those who knew him best, Mr.
PETERSON's address was the result
of his love-hate relationship with Canada and its approach to
visible minorities. The musician chose Mississauga in the early
1970s after being snubbed by a landlord in Toronto's wealthy
Forest Hill neighbourhood who refused to rent to him because
he was black.
In the suburbs, Mr.
PETERSON found a new, more open society.
Although it was largely white, Mississauga seemed more amenable
to change, if only because it lacked the crushing social history
of downtown Toronto, still a White, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant bastion
at the time.
"I think it was a case of not being rejected," Ms.
SWEENEY said.
"In Mississauga, he got a chance to know his neighbours and build
a history together."
Mr. PETERSON, the
son of a railroad porter, was a musical icon
by the time he reached his mid-20s. He learned to play the piano
from his sister Daisy (who went on to become a world-renowned
music instructor) and dazzled fans around the world with his
impeccable technique and musical imagination. But in Canada,
where blacks were still a tiny minority, Mr.
PETERSON felt himself
largely shut out by a white-dominated musical and cultural establishment
that controlled access to key venues - particularly the Canadian
Broadcasting
Corporation, which Mr.
PETERSON loathed until the
end of his life.
Mr. PETERSON played a critical role in the battle for equal rights,
using his professional stature and personal dignity to help erode
long-standing barriers. Mr.
LEES, a former Hamilton Spectator
reporter who went on to become the editor of a music magazine
and Mr. PETERSON's biographer, met him in 1951, when Mr.
PETERSON
was caught up in a racial dispute. Mr.
LEES was assigned to cover
the story when a Hamilton barber refused to cut Mr.
PETERSON's
hair because he was black.
Mr. LEES came away impressed by Mr.
PETERSON's strength of character,
and by his humanity. Although he pursued the complaint against
the barber because he was offended by the man's prejudiced attitude,
Mr. PETERSON later spoke on the barber's behalf when Hamilton
city officials moved to revoke his business licence.
"He was never a nasty guy," Mr.
LEES said. "And he believed that
the point had been made. He was angry about what had happened,
but he didn't want to destroy the man. He said: 'This is Canada.
Here, the law is on my side.' "
His long Friendship with Mr.
PETERSON and other black jazz greats
gave Mr. LEES an inside view of the rejection they faced - even
though they were wealthy and famous, many experienced racism
in its cruellest, rawest form. He remembered how Mr.
PETERSON
was threatened by redneck Southern sheriffs, and how the manager
of a Ritz-Carlton hotel in the 1960s tried to stop him from performing,
saying, "That nigger isn't coming into this hotel."
Mr. PETERSON fought racism on several fronts. In the early 1970s,
he lobbied to have more minorities on television shows and advertisements,
in the belief that white-dominated media marginalized other cultures.
"He thought that kids got their view of the world from what they
saw on television," Ms.
SWEENEY said. "He was way ahead of his
time."
Mr. PETERSON married four times. His first wife was black. The
others were white. This surprised Mr.
LEES, who believed that
Mr. PETERSON had rejected mixed marriage - he had told his biographer
that unions between blacks and whites demanded "incredible intellectual
unselfishness."
When Mr. LEES asked Mr.
PETERSON about his apparent about-face,
the musician listened patiently, then explained that Mr.
LEES
had failed to understand him: "I didn't say I was against it,"
he said. "I just said it was hard."
To his neighbours in Mississauga, Mr.
PETERSON was a compelling
figure, an unpretentious, decent man who happened to be a world-renowned
musical genius.
"He was very gracious," said Renneth
BEGBIE, a retired school
teacher who lived next to Mr.
PETERSON for 22 years. "So is his
family."
Mr. PETERSON wore his fame lightly, Ms.
BEGBIE said. He and his
wife sent her a Christmas card each year, and apologized for
the mess when they landscaped their yard. In return, she treated
Mr. PETERSON as he wished - like anybody else.
"That's just common sense," she said. "He was my neighbour. People
need to be respected and appreciated for who they are. If Julia
Roberts lived next door, I'd do the same thing."
Award highlights
Oscar PETERSON accumulated about 100 awards, prizes and honorary
degrees, eight Grammys and two Junos.
1972: Officer, Order of Canada.
1978: Inducted, Juno Hall of Fame.
1984: Companion, Order of Canada.
1992: Governor-General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement.
1997: Grammy for Lifetime Achievement and
an International Jazz
Hall of Fame Award.
1999: Praemium Imperiale Award, the Nobel equivalent for the
arts.
2000: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
International Music Prize.
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SWEENEY o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-12-29 published
PETERSON,
Oscar
E., C.C., O.Ont., LLD., D.Mus.
Peacefully at home on Sunday December 23rd, 2007 with his loving
wife Kelly and his daughter Celine by his side. Oscar is also
survived by his children Norman, Joel, Gay
PARR,
Lynn
SPINNEY
and the late Sharon
BLACKBURN and Oscar
PETERSON
Jr. Dear brother
of Daisy SWEENEY,
May
PETERSON, Phil
PETERSON; and the late Fred
and Chuck PETERSON. He will always be remembered by his grandchildren,
great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews. A private funeral service
was held. A public Celebration of Oscar's Life and Legacy will
take place in the future. Information regarding the details of
this Service can be found at www.oscarpeterson.com or www.neweduk.com.
In memory of Oscar, donations to World Vision Canada or the Christian
Children's Fund of Canada would be greatly appreciated by the
family.
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SWEEZEY o@ca.on.grey_county.owen_sound.the_sun_times 2007-09-15 published
HERBERT,
Georgia
Beryl
Suddenly at the North Bay General Hospital on Thursday September 13,
2007 at the age of 82. Beloved wife of William of Tara. Dear
mother of Mark and Renate of Tara and Merren of Kitchener. Loving
Nana to Angela, Steven (Cathy), Dana (Jon), Mark Jr. (Julie),
and Kelly (Rene). Great Nana to Britney, T.J., Payton and Evan.
Dear sister of Clifford
SWEEZEY of Pembroke, Dreana
LEATHERDALE
and Dehlia
FINCHEN, both of North Bay. Predeceased by sister
Ruth LOMAS.
She will be missed by many nieces and nephews as
well as all her Friends she played bridge with. Georgia had a
special place in her heart for Special Needs Children and Seniors
with whom she volunteered regularly. Friends may call at Paul H.
Eagleson Funeral Home in Tara on Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. Funeral
service will be held in the chapel on Monday, September 17, 2007
at 2 p.m. Cremation to follow. In lieu of flowers, donations
to the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation or the Lung Association
would be greatly appreciated. Condolences may be expressed online
at www.paulheaglesonfuneralhome.ca
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SWEIGER o@ca.on.grey_county.owen_sound.the_sun_times 2007-10-15 published
NUTTALL,
Orland
At the Southampton Care Centre on Saturday, October 13th, 2007
at the age of 84 years, Orland
NUTTALL of Port Elgin. Husband
of the late Margaret
McGILLIVRAY and the late Jeannine
CHARPENTIER.
Father of Larry of Waterloo and Gary and his wife Ellen of Etobicoke.
Grandfather of Fraser, Spencer and Heather. Brother of Margaret
LEIGHTON,
Mima and her husband Mac
McGILLIVRAY, Les and his wife
Muriel, Wallace, Sherwood “Bud” and his wife Leona, Shirley and
her husband Carm
SWEIGER,
Marlene and her husband Harvey
DAVIDSON,
Don and his wife
Eleanor, and Alexina and her husband Mike
ATKINSON.
Stepfather of Norman
DESMARIAS, Raymond
DESMARIAS, Leo
DESMARIAS,
and Rita GODIN. He is predeceased by his sister Lenore
KING.
Friends may call at the W. Kent Milroy Port Elgin Chapel, 510 Mill
Street, Port Elgin, (Town of Saugeen Shores) from 7: 00-9:00 p.m.
on Monday. Funeral services will be conducted in the chapel on
Tuesday at 1: 00 p.m. with the Rev. Robert
WIDDOWSON officiating.
The Royal Canadian Legion Branch #340, Port Elgin will hold a
memorial service in the funeral home on Monday evening at 6: 45 p.m.
Interment Resurrection Cemetery, Oshawa. Memorial contributions
to the Canadian Cancer Society or the Arthritis Society would
be appreciated as expressions of sympathy. Memorial online at
www.milroyfuneralhomes.com
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SWENSON o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-06-13 published
SWENSON,
Bernard "
Ben"
Veteran World War 2. Retired Businessman
Passed away at Good Samaritan Seniors Complex, Alliston, Ontario
on Monday, June 11, 2007, in his 92nd year. Beloved husband of
Lois PINGLE of Alliston, Ontario Loved father of Larry
SWENSON
and his wife Barbara Jane of New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, Sharon
SWENSON of Toronto, Ontario, Debbie and her husband Tom
HOGARTH
of Windsor, Ontario Loving grandpa of Stephanie and her husband
Andrew JONES,
Samantha
SWENSON, Alex and her husband Gord
HARTLEY,
Ainsley and Madison
HOGARTH. Dear brother of Mary and her husband
George HAIG and predeceased by Oscar
SWENSON,
John
SWENSON, Sophie
ERICKSON,
Carrie
PEARSON and Ingla
GROOME. Dear brother-in-law
of Edith BURR,
Phyllis
McROBBIE, Ann
SPICER, Bruce and Donna
PINGLE.
Ben will be fondly remembered by his nieces, nephews
and Friends. Resting at W. John Thomas Funeral Home, 244 Victoria
Street, E., Alliston on Wednesday, June 13, 2007 from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m.
Funeral Service will be held in the Chapel on Thursday, June 14,
2007 at 1: 30 p.m. If so desired, memorial donations to the Canadian
Diabetes Association or Canadian National Institute for the Blind
would be appreciated.
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SWERDFEGER o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-12-28 published
HILL,
William
John "
Bill"
R.C.N.V.R. of the Second World War. Bill was Manager with Imperial
Life Assurance, former Church Warden and Lay Reader with St.
Cuthbert's Anglican Church, Toronto, past member of the Rotary
Club in Leaside, member of the Guelph-Wellington Men's Club and
a faithful churchman at St. George's Anglican Church, Guelph.
Bill passed away peacefully surrounded by his family at the Guelph
General Hospital on Wednesday, December 26, 2007 in his 85th
year. Dearest husband of 60 years to Joan (née
CARTER) of Guelph.
Dearest father of Andrew and wife Joan of Barrie, Barbara and
husband David
CLARK of Lakefield and Carolyn and husband Robert
LOEWEN of Toronto. Dear grandpa to Jason and Jessica
HILL,
Melanie
and husband Dean
SWERDFEGER,
Sarah and husband Antony
CLARK,
Jennifer CLARK and husband Ruben
KUBEITZ,
Michael
LOEWEN, Elizabeth
LOEWEN and husband Mark
ANDREWS and the late Pamela
HILL.
Great-grandpa
of David, Daniel and Alexander. Brother to Ruth
WILTON and husband
the Rev. Ralph
WILTON.
Predeceased by his parents William and
Martha HILL of North Bay. Family and Friends will be received
at St. George's Anglican Church, 99 Woolwich Street, Guelph, for
one hour prior to the funeral service which will be held at 3: 00 p.m.
on Sunday, December 30, 2007, conducted by the Archdeacon Thomas M.
GREENE.
Memorial contributions to the Primate's World Relief
and Development Fund, 80 Hayden Street Toronto M4Y 3G2 or St. George's
Anglican Church, 99 Woolwich Street, Guelph N1H 3V1 or a charity
of one's choice would be appreciated.
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SWERDFIGER o@ca.on.grey_county.artemesia.flesherton.the_flesherton_advance 2007-09-26 published
SWERDFIGER,
Dalton▼
At Grey Bruce Health Services, Owen Sound, Sunday September 23,
2007. Dalton Edward
SWERDFIGER of Eugenia, in his 68th year.
Beloved▼ husband of Denise
SWERDFIGER (née
LARABIE.)
Loving▼ son
of Flossie
SWERDFIGER of Prescott. Dear father of Donna
CAPPELLO
(Gerry▼) of Glencairn, Deborah
ELLIOT/ELLIOTT of Eugenia, David
SWERDFIGER
of Stratford and Derek
SWERDFIGER of Brantford. Loving grandfather
of Alicia, Calvin and Jordan
CAPPELLO;
Bryanna▼
MacLACHLAN; Stephanie
and Andy SWERDFIGER; and Steven
COWPER; and great-grandfather
of Anakyn and Hayden. Sadly missed by sister Margie and brothers
Donnie and Dwain. Predeceased by his father Ralph
SWERDFIGER
and sister Doris. The family will receive Friends at the May
Funeral Home, Markdale on Wednesday from 7-9 p.m., where a funeral
service will be held on Thursday September 27, 2007, at 11 a.m.
Interment in Markdale Cemetery. If desired, memorial donations
to the Diabetes Association or the charity of your choice would
be appreciated.
Page 3
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SWERDFIGER o@ca.on.grey_county.owen_sound.the_sun_times 2007-09-25 published
SWERDFIGER,
Dalton▲
Edward
At Grey Bruce Health Services, Owen Sound, Sunday September 23,
2007. Dalton Edward
SWERDFIGER of Eugenia, in his 68th year.
Beloved▲ husband of Denise
SWERDFIGER (née
LARABIE.)
Loving▲ son
of Flossie
SWERDFIGER of Prescott. Dear father of Donna
CAPPELLO
(Gerry▲) of Glencairn, Deborah
ELLIOT/ELLIOTT of Eugenia, David
SWERDFIGER
of Stratford and Derek
SWERDFIGER of Brantford. Loving grandfather
of Alicia, Calvin and Jordan
CAPPELLO;
Bryanna▲
MacLACHLAN; Stephanie
and Andy SWERDFIGER; and Steven
COWPER; and great-grandfather
of Anakyn and Hayden. Sadly missed by sister Margie and brothers
Donnie and Dwain. Predeceased by his father Ralph
SWERDFIGER
and sister Doris. The family will receive Friends at the May
Funeral Home, Markdale on Wednesday from 7-9: 00 p.m., where a
funeral service will be held on Thursday September 27th, 2007,
at 11: 00 a.m. Interment in Markdale Cemetery. If desired memorial
donations to the Diabetes Association or the charity of your
choice would be appreciated.
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