THIBAULT
THIBEAULT
THIBERT
THIBODEAU
THIEL
THIERS
THIESEN
THIESSEN
THIGPEN
THISTLE
THIBAULT o@ca.on.manitoulin.howland.little_current.manitoulin_expositor 2007-01-17 published
William Delanore
CRONK
Del CRONK, a resident of Billings Township, died at home on Sunday, January 14, 2007 at the age of 61 years.
He was born in Kagawong,
son of the late John and Laurinda
(ORR)
CRONK. He drove truck most
of his life, with imperial Oil for over 20 years, and for commercial Transport, Day Transport
and lastly Manitoulin Transport. Del loved the outdoors, hunting, fishing and golfing.
He will be sadly missed, but many memories will be cherished. Del is survived by dearest
friend Ethel
BOWERMAN of Mindemoya, brothers Mark of Billings Township , Ross (Marilyn
WYERS)
of Billings Township , Charles (Chris
RACEY) of Gore Bay and sisters
Laura MULVILLE
(Ron
THORNTON) of Gravenhurst, Gladys
BELAND (Clifford) of
Sudbury, Peggy
THIBAULT
(Earl
DAHL) of Sudbury and Mary Ellen
THOMPSON/THOMSON/TOMPSON/TOMSON (Ron) of Sault
+ Sainte Marie. Predeceased by brothers Thomas and Billy. Also survived by many nieces and
nephews. Friends called at the Culgin Funeral Home Tuesday. The funeral service will be
conducted in the William G. Turner Chapel on Wednesday, January 17, 2007 at 11.00 am with
Reverend
Mary Jo
ECKERT
TRACY officiating. Cremation to follow. In remembrance, donations
to the Cancer Society would be appreciated.
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THIBEAULT o@ca.on.grey_county.owen_sound.the_sun_times 2007-06-04 published
KEAVENEY,
Cora
Ruby
Peacefully in Meaford on Saturday June 2, 2007. Cora
KEAVENEY
of Thornbury and formerly of Mississauga, loved wife of the late
John Edward
KEAVENEY, at the age of 89. Beloved mother of Mary
(Marvin) THIBEAULT of Tottenham; Carol (late Ronald)
STEVENSON
of Thornbury; Dale (Shirley)
KEAVENEY of Meaford; Jim (Liz)
KEAVENEY
of Portage La Prairie, Manitoba; and Stephen (Donna)
KEAVENEY
of Clarksburg. Predeceased by a son Kerry in infancy (1956) and
a son John
KEAVENEY (1994) of Mississauga. Sadly missed Nana
of fourteen and Great-Grandmother “G.G.” of nine. Dear sister
of George (Jenny)
MITCHELL of Bright's Grove; Yvonne
BANDIERA
of Port Elgin; and Norman (Cathy)
MITCHELL of Wasaga Beach. Predeceased
by three brothers and four sisters. Fondly remembered by several
nieces and nephews and their families. Family will receive Friends
at the Ferguson Funeral Home, The Valley Chapel, 20 Alice Street
East in Thornbury on Monday from 2 to 4 and from 7 to 9 p.m.
where Vigil Prayers will be recited at 8: 30 in the evening. Thence
to Skinner and Middlebrook Funeral Home, 128 Lakeshore Road East
in Mississauga, where Friends will be received on Tuesday from
2 to 4 and from 7 to 9 p.m. The Mass of Christian Burial will
be celebrated at Saint Dominic's Roman Catholic Church, Mississauga
on Wednesday June 6, 2007 at 10: 30 a.m. with interment and committal
services to follow at Saint Mary's Cemetery, Port Credit. As your
expression of sympathy, donations to the Ontario Heart and Stroke
Foundation, Meaford General Hospital Foundation or Canadian Cancer
Society would be appreciated.
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THIBERT o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2007-01-06 published
THIBERT,
Eugene
F.
77 years, of Tilbury, at University Hospital, London on Thursday,
January 4, 2007. Beloved husband of Cordelia "Toby" (née
BELAIR.)
Loving father of Annette and husband Brian
CURTIS.
Dearest grandfather
of Marie GAUDREAU and spouse Ian
KELLY, Ben
CURTIS and wife Julie,
Jason CURTIS, and great-grandfather of Zachery
KELLY, and Cameron
and Ryan CURTIS.
Predeceased by parents Anthony
THIBERT (1977)
and Marie
(CHARRON)
THIBERT (1972.) Dearest brother of the late
Margaret CHEVALIER (1989) (Mid-1991,) the late George
THIBERT
(2003) (Cecile,) Alfred (Edna)
THIBERT, the late Leo
THIBERT
(2001) (Marcella,) Theresa
WATSON
(Dave-1979,)
James
(Marcella)
THIBERT, all of Tilbury, Marie
LEVESQUE of McGregor (Andre-2001.)
Dear brother-in-law of Orise
TELLIER, the late Agatha
CHOUINARD
(2005,) Velina
SHEEHAN,
Jeanne
THIBERT, Louise
BROSSEAU, Carmelle
GAGE.
Eugene was owner and operator of Thibert's Abattoir in
Tilbury from 1961 until 1983, and was Fire Chief of Tilbury from
1959 to 1992. Eugene was a member of Canadian Association of
Fire Chiefs, Ontario Fire Chiefs Association, and Ontario Retirees,
and was past president of Kent County Association of Fire Chiefs,
and Essex County Association of Fire Chiefs. He was a member
of Tilbury Knights of Columbus Third and Fourth Degree. Visitation
at Reaume Funeral Home, 6 Canal St. W., Tilbury Saturday from
7-9 p.m., Sunday from 2-5 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. Parish prayers 3 p.m.
Sunday. Third and Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus prayers 8: 30 p.m.
Sunday. Funeral service from the funeral home Monday, January 8,
2007 at 10 a.m., then to St. Francis Xavier Church, Tilbury for
Mass at 10: 30 a.m. Interment at St. Francis Xavier Cemetery.
Donations to Saint_Joseph's-Regional Mental Health Care London
or Alzheimer Society appreciated.
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THIBODEAU o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2007-01-13 published
THIBODEAU,
John
Thomas
Passed away peacefully after a lengthy illness at Parkwood Hospital
on Friday, January 12, 2007, Mr. John Thomas
THIBODEAU of London
in his 86th year. Beloved husband of Madeleine
(MIDGE)
THIBODEAU.
Loving father of Marie and her husband Gerard
BONDY of Pointe
Aux
Roches,
Ontario and son John Jr.
THIBODEAU of London. Dear
Papa to Jennifer Webb, Kristina and Sylvie
BONDY. Survived by
his brother Leo
THIBODEAU and many nieces and nephews. Predeceased
by his siblings, Agatha, Leonard, Hilary, Neil, Elizabeth and
Helen. John was a Veteran of World War 2 serving with the Royal
Canadian Army (Artillery) and a long time member of the Optimist
Club. The family will receive relatives and Friends at Memorial
Funeral Home, 1559 Fanshawe Park Rd. E., (east of Highbury) from
2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Monday. The Funeral Mass will be held at St. Andrew
The Apostle Roman Catholic Church, 1 Fallons Lane, London on
Tuesday, January 16th, 2007 at 11 a.m. Cremation to follow. Those
who wish may make memorial contributions to Saint_Joseph's Health
Care Foundation -- Veterans Care and comfort Fund.
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THIEL o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-09-29 published
DEVITT,
Joan (née
MURRANT)
Peacefully at the McCall Centre for Continuing Care, Toronto,
on Thursday, September 27, 2007 in her 85th year. Beloved wife
of Michael (Mike). Loving mother of Ann and Brian. She was a
proud and devoted Nana to Martin, Marissa and Samantha
THIEL.
Cherished mother-in-law to Christina
CREELMAN and Harald
THIEL.
Predeceased by her sister, Dorothy. Sister-in-law to Alex
SWAINSON
and loving aunt to Jill
(SWAINSON) and Margaret
(CULL.)
Her gentle
smile and quiet strength will be sadly missed, but her loving
spirit will be forever cherished by her family and Friends. The
family would like to express their deep gratitude to the staff
of the McCall Centre for their outstanding care, support, and
attention for both Joan and Mike. Visitation will be held at
the Turner and Porter, Butler Chapel, 4933 Dundas Street West,
Etobicoke (Dundas and Burnhamthorpe), on Wednesday, October 3rd
from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. A service will be held at the Butler Chapel
on Thursday, October 4, 2007 at 11 a.m. If desired, donations
to the Alzheimer's Society would be appreciated by the family.
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THIERS o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-09-20 published
CAMPBELL,
William
James "
Jim"
Born November 20, 1949 in Shelburne, Ontario, died on September 17
while cycling into Maynooth. Survived by his loving wife Julie
THIERS, mother Ivadell
CAMPBELL, mother-in-law Lorraine
THIERS,
loving sisters Joan
WILSON
(Arnold,)
Colleen
KAVANAUGH, Nancy
WELTZ,
Darlene
BRICKER (Cliff,) sister-in-law Sheila
CAMPBELL,
father-in-law Don
THIERS, brother-in-law Jamie
THIERS
(Nubia,)
sister-in-law Jennifer
WHEELDON (Carl), Aunt Shirley
BAZIUK,
cousin Lana
CHAMPION
(Mark) and all of the extended families.
Jim was a born philosopher, and his passion for knowledge, contemplative
nature and genial laugh will be missed by many Friends in Toronto
and Bancroft. He is also mourned by his City Of Toronto colleagues.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the York
River Reading Festival, a literacy project close to Jim's heart.
Friends may call at the Dods and McNair Funeral Home, 21 First
Street, Orangeville (519-941-1392) on Friday, September 21, 2007
from 6-9 p.m. Funeral Service will be held in the chapel on Saturday
at 1 p.m. Condolences may be sent via www.dodsand mcnair.com.
There will be a memorial service in Toronto at a later date.
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THIESEN o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2007-01-13 published
SCHMELTZ,
Gordon
Eugene "
Gene"
At his residence on Friday, January 12, 2007. "Gene" Gordon Eugene
SCHMELTZ of Terrace Lodge, Aylmer in his 83rd year. Dear father
of Larry SCHMELTZ and wife
Linda of Aylmer, Linda
HANEY and husband
Wayne of Aylmer, Carol
ARCHER and husband Chuck of Richmond and
Gale ROBERTS and husband Don of Eden. Good friend of Eva Mildred
"Millie" COWAN.
Loving grandfather of Wendy
RIVAIT, Mike
SCHMELTZ,
Terri HANEY,
Clint and Jodi
ARCHER, Ryan and Nicole
ROBERTS.
Great-grandfather of Robin and Trevor
RIVAIT,
Megan
SCHMELTZ,
Tasha COUTURE,
Kaylee
ROBERTS, Brett
HANEY. Predeceased by his
wife Treva
(WARD)
JOHNSON (1981,) a brother Norman
SCHMELTZ,
a sister Myrtle
SCHMELTZ and a great-grand_son Draydon
ARCHER-
THIESEN
(2003). Born in Aldborough Township on November 4, 1924 son of
the late Frederick and Betsy
(WHIGHTMAN)
SCHMELTZ.
Friends may
call at the H.A. Kebbel Funeral Home, Aylmer on Sunday 2-5 p.m.
where the funeral service will be held on Monday, January 15,
2007 at 3: 00 p.m. Interment, Straffordville Cemetery. Rev. Norman
JONES, officiating. Donations to the Heart and Stroke Foundation
would be appreciated. Condolences at kebbelfuneralhome.com
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THIESSEN o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-08-02 published
GRAHAM,
Gary
T., M.B.A., C.M.A.
In loving memory of Gary T.
GRAHAM, who passed away July 29,
2007. Beloved father, brother, uncle and friend. We will remember
you forever in our hearts and thoughts. Gary leaves behind his
son Raoul GRAHAM
(Marianne,) sister Lois
CUDA (John,) niece Jenny
THIESSEN
(Brian,) niece Cindy
WRIGHT (Clay,) and the Rojas-Pizarro-Ruiz
family.
A remembrance ceremony will be held at the Murray E. Newbigging
Funeral Home, on Friday, August 3 at 11 a.m., 733 Mt. Pleasant
Road.
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THIESSEN o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-10-12 published
THIESSEN,
Albert
Wilhelm
Passed away peacefully in Kelowna, British Columbia on October 4th,
2007 at the age of 84. Predeceased by his wife of 61 years Kay
and survived by his loving children Eric, Catherine, Carla and
Paul
(Genelle,) brother to Louise
WIEBE and Marie
ALLPORT and
brother-in-law to Suzanne
KOPE and Jake
REIMER. He will be greatly
missed by his grandchildren Brad, Kate, Molly and their father
David ALLGOOD, Carrie, Kevin, Jessica and Pauline. Born in Dalmeny,
Saskatchewan, Al served in World War 2 and after attending the
U of S and graduating from University of British Columbia; he
was successful in building careers as both an educator and administrator.
After retiring as the National Director of Water and Safety Services
for the Red Cross, he continued his active involvement in church
and community services. Al's life achievements resulted in numerous
awards and recognitions among them the Queen's Silver Jubilee
Medal. A Memorial will be held @ 12 p.m. November 10th, 2007
at First Mennonite Church, 1305 Gordon Drive, Kelowna, British
Columbia. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Mennonite
Central Committee.
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THIGPEN 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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THISTLE o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-08-09 published
First to show and last to go, he was king of the course at Angus
Glen
head groundskeeper at the site of the 2007 Canadian Open believed
the maintenance of a golf course was about three things: drainage,
drainage and drainage -- that and hard work
By Lorne RUBENSTEIN,
Page S8
Ernie AMSLER loved the outdoors and could take apart and repair
any machine, anywhere. He couldn't have found a more suitable
job than looking after golf courses, where it's crucial to understand
grass and machinery. He spent his days, and many of his nights,
tending to both with abiding care.
Where Mr. AMSLER grew grass, golf courses and golfers always
benefited. The Angus Glen Golf Club in Markham, Ontario, which
hosted the Canadian Open on its North course last month, was
no exception. As director of agronomy, he was responsible for
the care and maintenance of the North and the South course, which
was the site of the 2002 Canadian Open.
In 1991, he was right there for the formidable task of turning
a former horse farm into Angus Glen. Every year, golfers play
90,000 rounds at the club's two courses, which became popular
during Mr.
AMSLER's tenure for daily-fee play and corporate tournaments.
He and his staff kept the courses up and running and in immaculate
condition even while golfers were playing, which he managed by
staggering the maintenance work so that scarcely a stroke was
disturbed. Mr.
AMSLER was on the property most days by 4 a.m.,
three hours before he expected his staff to arrive. He was the
first to show up and usually the last to leave.
Mr. AMSLER loved nothing better than to get up on a bulldozer
or some other piece of machinery to do the hard work of construction
and grunt work that a good course demands. Course maintenance
is all about three things: drainage, drainage and drainage. Whenever
it rained, Mr.
AMSLER had to restrain himself from immediately
getting on a machine and digging a ditch. When the South course
needed a couple of new teeing areas before the 2002 Canadian
Open, he built them himself. Just before this year's Canadian
Open, he realized that a large hill on the North course's 18th hole
made a cart path there dangerous. He fired up the bulldozer,
scraped off the hill and laid down asphalt. Presto, he had made
a hazardous area safe. Over the years, his willingness and ability
to do the hard work saved the club hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Ernie AMSLER grew up in Schoenenwerd, a small town halfway between
Zurich and Basel in northwestern Switzerland. One of his first
jobs as a youngster was helping to deliver groceries by truck.
He had been fascinated by cars since an early age, and soon became
an expert at repairing them. He was particularly taken by Volkswagens.
His interest in cars broadened after he came to Canada in 1966,
and eventually he was buying and restoring such automobiles as
Mini Coopers and Mercedes.
Mr. AMSLER first lived in the Toronto area with his sister Erika,
who had preceded him to Canada. He'd enjoyed skiing in Switzerland
and soon took to Canada's vast spaces and the idea of making
an impression on the landscape. His first job was in landscaping,
where he learned to wield the heavy machinery that became the
instruments of his craftsmanship. He subsequently worked at various
golf clubs in southern and south-central Ontario, including Windmills
Golf Club, Port Carling Golf Club, the Mandarin Golf and Country
Club in Markham, and, finally, Angus Glen.
"He could do anything with machinery," said Gordon
STOLLERY,
the owner of Angus Glen. "It didn't matter if it was a bulldozer,
a back hoe or an aerator -- he knew how to work it. Ernie was
also a true gentleman, by which I mean a gentle man."
Notwithstanding his courtly manner, Mr.
AMSLER was as demanding
of his staff as he was of himself. Angus Glen employees knew
he monitored them to make sure they carried out his orders. At
the same time, he was willing to admit when he made a mistake.
A stickler for keeping the equipment in top shape, he took particular
care that his staff cleaned the machinery at the end of each
working day. It was important, for example, to make sure that
gaskets were dry; otherwise, a fire might start.
So it was that one day Mr.
AMSLER, in his take-charge way, used
one of the bigger machines to cut the high fescue bordering the
fairways. At the end of the day, he parked the machine in a back
barn and, somehow, a fire broke out. Mr.
AMSLER had neglected
to do the proper cleaning. He told his staff, "You see, this
is what can happen when we don't do the proper cleaning."
Another time, Mr.
AMSLER was on a machine called a Bobcat when
it hit a gas line. Everybody in the vicinity withdrew, fearing
for their safety. He calmly fixed the line, and was soon asking
where everyone had gone.
As much as Mr.
AMSLER expected to be in charge of everything
on the course, it wasn't always possible to exert the same kind
of control off the course. In December of 1999, his son Daniel,
who was born with cerebral palsy that affected one side of his
body, was in a serious car accident. He was driving on Highway 403
when a ladder fell from a transport truck ahead of him. He swerved
to avoid the truck and his car flipped twice. Daniel's right
leg was mangled, and he spent the next 2½ weeks in a Mississauga
hospital. Mr.
AMSLER visited his son every day.
Meanwhile, he continued to put in long days and evenings at Angus
Glen.
With
Chip, his border collie, on the seat beside him, Mr.
AMSLER
made his rounds driving a golf cart as if at a speedway.
Five weeks before this year's Canadian Open, Mr.
AMSLER became
ill and was admitted to hospital where he was visited, among
others, by Kevin
THISTLE, president of Angus Glen. After undergoing
some tests, Mr.
AMSLER was discharged, but he wasn't expected
back at work. Inevitably, he showed up at the club. Mr.
THISTLE
asked him what he was doing there, and got the expected shrug,
as if Mr. AMSLER were saying, "This is where I belong." It was
clear, however, that he was ill and Mr.
THISTLE later insisted
that he go home. "I almost had to issue a restraining order."
Even so, Mr.
AMSLER did manage to prepare some fields for a temporary
pavilion needed for the Canadian Open, and rode a bulldozer for
three days in 38-degree heat.
Before long, he was readmitted to hospital, unhappy to be away
as the Canadian Open drew near. Nor did he like being away from
a new facility he was building for Mr.
STOLLERY in nearby Goodwood.
Yet, in a way, he never did leave his work. From his hospital
bed, he placed orders for sand for the new golf course.
"Ernie loved being outside," Mr.
THISTLE said. "That's where
he most wanted to be. You'd see him at night, driving around
the property, and in the morning, he'd meet the same guys for
coffee before he'd come to the club. I lived right beside his
office when I first came to Angus Glen. He'd come in at four
in the morning and honk his horn to wake me up."
The 2007 Open went on without Mr.
AMSLER, although much of the
credit for its success went to him. At the end of every tournament,
the Professional Golfers' Association Tour issues a report on
the host course. In advance of the tournament, Professional Golfers'
Association Tour agronomist Jon Scott evaluated the work done
at Angus Glen's North course to prepare for the Canadian Open
and gave credit to "one of the greatest grass growers I've met
in the business, head superintendent Ernie
AMSLER."
Ernst AMSLER was born December 4, 1940, in Schoenenwerd, Switzerland.
He died of complications from a liver-related condition at Southlake
Hospital in Newmarket, Ontario, on July 24, 2007. He was 66.
He is survived by his wife, Pia, and by his sons Daniel and Roland
from an earlier marriage to Therese
LEDREW, with whom he remained
a close friend. He also leaves his sisters Erika and Erna, and
his brother Kurt.
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THISTLE o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-09-10 published
AMSLER,
Ernie
I would like to thank family, Friends and neighbours for the
caring thoughts and memories during this difficult time of my
husband's passing, and to express my deep appreciation for all
those whose affections and concerns have comforted me in this
time. Thank you to all those who sent cards, flowers, prayers
and donations to The Canadian Liver Foundation in Ernie's memory.
I would especially like to thank Gordon
STOLLERY for his generosity
and support, Kevin
THISTLE and all the people at Angus Glen for
all their kindness, caring and thoughtfulness and giving Ernie
such a beautiful funeral service and tribute to his career at
Angus Glen, and Don
McINTYRE, without whom I could never have
gotten through these difficult times. There are angels among
us, and God bless each and every one of you.
Thank You - Pia
AMSLER
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