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DOWNIE o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2008-04-03 published
NOAKES, Leonard Roger Archibald
At South Huron Hospital, Exeter, on Tuesday, April 1, 2008, Leonard Roger Archibald NOAKES of Hensall, in his 91st year. Beloved husband of the late Williamina Sarah "Minnie" NOAKES (1994.) Dear father of Jean and Murray PARK of Tillsonburg, Doctor David NOAKES and Pat of Corvallis, Oregon, Bill NOAKES and Pat of Hensall, Linda HENRY of Sarnia, Brenda McCORMICK of London, John NOAKES and Crystal WESTON of Kamloops, British Columbia, Doctor Don NOAKES and Olga of Kamloops, British Columbia and Robert NOAKES and Alicia of Inverhuron. Loving grandfather of Angela, Kathy, Lanny and Mala, Jeffrey, Dennis, Sarah, Barry and Lindsay, Megan, Ryan, Amy, Laura and Justin. Dear brother and brother-in-law of Lloyd NOAKES, Fran SIEMAN, Marion PEEBLES, Janeth SANGSTER, John SANGSTER and Vic STAN. Fondly remembered by Lorraine NOAKES, Jean DOWNIE and many nieces and nephews. Predeceased by his parents Archie and Annie (RICHARDSON) NOAKES, grand_son Michael NOAKES (1983,) son-in-law Vern HENRY (1995,) sister Helen McKELLAR and husband Earl, brother Ken NOAKES and wife Pearl, sisters-in-law Joyce NOAKES and Laura STAN and brothers-in-law Jack PEEBLES, Dave SANGSTER, Dode SANGSTER and wife Joyce and James SANGSTER and wife Edna Mae. Leonard served with the Royal Canadian Regiment in World War 2 and was a member of the Royal Canadian Legion, Hensall Branch #468. A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, April 26, 2008 at 2 p.m. in the Hensall Community Center, 157 Oxford Street, Hensall. Cremation. Interment Hensall Union Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Leonard Noakes History Award-Avon Maitland School Board or the Lung Association. Condolences forwarded through jmmcbeathfuneralhome.com. A tree will be planted as a living memorial of Leonard NOAKES.

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DOWNIE o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2008-05-24 published
DOWNIE, Gerald Edward
May 24th, 2005 It has been three years since we never had a chance to say goodbye. We miss you and love you. Your brothers Bob, Bill, Ken and their families.

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DOWNIE o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2008-07-10 published
WILLS, Kathleen (née SEVERIN)
Peacefully with family by her side, Kathleen WILLS (née SEVERIN) passed away in her 88th year on July 9, 2008 at Middlesex Terrace. Dear mother of Barbara and her husband James BORROWMAN. Cherished grandmother of Leslie DOWNIE and Jana VLEUTEN. Great-grandmother of Ian, Andrew, Ellen DOWNIE, Bethany and Emily VLEUTEN. The family wishes to thank the staff of Middlesex Terrace for the excellent and loving care shown to Kathleen. A service of remembrance will be held at Memorial Funeral Home, 1559 Fanshawe Park Road (east of Highbury) on Saturday, July 12, 2008 at 1 p.m. Memorial donations may be made to a charity of your choice.

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DOWNIE o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2008-02-20 published
RENAUD is a local hero
By Allan MAKI, Page S3
Mickey RENAUD touched the hearts of many people in his short life, none more so than Akim ALIU.
The two were Ontario Hockey League rookies with the Windsor Spitfires in 2005 when ALIU was attacked in practice by teammate Steve DOWNIE, who cross-checked ALIU in the mouth and knocked out three teeth.
Though just 16, RENAUD reached out to ALIU, who was shunned by several Spitfires to the point where he eventually had to be traded. Little wonder news of RENAUD's sudden death on Monday shook ALIU, who now plays for the London Knights.
"He was unbelievable to me," ALIU said. "I had all my pregame meals at his house. I knew his family, his brother and sister. He helped me so much. It's such a tragic thing."
ALIU described RENAUD as "one of the nicest kids I know" and recalled how the two would talk to one another even during games.
"We talked about how we were doing, if we were playing well, that kind of stuff," said ALIU, who also chatted with RENAUD during last year's National Hockey League draft when ALIU was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks and RENAUD by the Calgary Flames.
An autopsy was conducted yesterday on the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Spitfires captain, who collapsed at his home and died en route to the Windsor Regional Hospital. The preliminary results were passed along to the RENAUD family, but medical officials said they may need months to determine the cause of death.
The Spitfires announced they were cancelling tomorrow night's home game against the Plymouth Whalers and that RENAUD's funeral service is scheduled for Friday at Saint Anne's Church in Tecumseh near Windsor, Ontario
Windsor head coach Bob BOUGHNER, a former Flames defenceman, said the players have been spending time together and with members of the local victim services.
"We spent a night at a billet's home with a dinner," BOUGHNER said. "We had a chapel service at the local high school. The kids have spent every moment together. They're going to dedicate the season to Mickey RENAUD."
While BOUGHNER was not with the Spitfires during the nasty DOWNIE / ALIU clash, he was aware of how RENAUD did all he could to pull together a fractured team.
"There were a lot of issues," BOUGHNER said. "Mickey was one of the players instrumental in befriending Akim and settling the whole thing. He was a guy who was always in the coaches' room, never about himself, always about a teammate. He made sure everyone was taken care of. He was a local hero."
The Spitfires will not appoint a captain to replace RENAUD. Every player in the league will wear a commemorative 18 sticker (RENAUD's number) on his helmet.

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DOWNING o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2008-02-08 published
DOWNING, Alfred Eric " Bud"
(February 28, 1923-February 4, 2008)
Sadly we announce that Bud died after a brave struggle with pneumonia. Cherished husband of Betty after almost 60 years of marriage. Beloved and proud father of Janet, Eric and his wife Annette, predeceased by his sisters Vera and Marie. He is survived by his sister-in-law, Marjorie CHAPPLE and her husband Jack, brother-in-law, Dr. R.H. PICK and his wife Roberta, David PICK and nieces and nephews. After two years at the University of Toronto, Bud joined the Royal Canadian Navy and was in active service during the war years, including serving on the Destroyer, Assiniboine. After graduating as a chemical engineer he was employed by Corby Distillery in 1947. He moved to Windsor, Ontario in 1950 and worked at Hiram Walker Gooderham and Worts, and after many promotions became President in 1978. He relocated to Toronto in 1984 when he was appointed President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hiram Walker Resources. During his career with the company in 1962 he and his family moved to Argentina where he was on an assignment for two years to the Bella Vista Distillery near Buenos Aires. Bud spent his entire career with the company and never wished to work anywhere else. He was a modest man of great integrity and was admired and respected by many. Bud served on many Boards and took his responsibilities very seriously. He possessed a great sense of humour and was always generous. Bud was keenly interested in sports, but was happiest when he was sailing on his boat or fly fishing. He took great pleasure in gardening and attending to plants at his home, and listening to music. He spent the last five years of his life at Belmont House because of Alzheimers and the family wishes to thank the caregivers on the fifth and second floors for their Friendship and care of Bud. Thank you also to the staff at Toronto General Hospital for their care and support. A private family service will be held, followed by interment in the family plot in Mt. Elgin, Ontario. As an expression of sympathy donations to the Alzheimer Society, Belmont House or the Toronto General Hospital Foundation would be appreciated.

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DOWNING o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2008-04-25 published
Hiram Walker head went from battling U-boats to battling hostile takeovers
Chemical engineer who put himself through school by rolling whisky barrels at Gooderham and Worts survived the Battle of the Atlantic and rose to the top of the distillery industry
By F.F. LANGAN, Special to The Globe and Mail, Page S9
Toronto -- Bud DOWNING fought two major battles in his life. One as an anti-submarine specialist on a destroyer during the Second World War; the other, staving off a takeover bid from the Reichmann family during his time as chief executive of Hiram Walker Resources.
Mr. DOWNING spent his entire working life in the booze business, from rolling whisky barrels in a summer job to running Hiram Walker and then acting as a consultant to Bacardi. He always drank his own brands, and his favourites were Canadian Club rye and Ballantine's scotch. He took both with water.
Always known as Bud, he was the son of a cattle farmer in Mount Elgin, Ontario, a hamlet between Woodstock and Tillsonburg, who also butchered animals in a small abattoir he operated. Young Bud went to a one-room schoolhouse, then attended high school in nearby Woodstock.
He did well in secondary school, took music lessons, became class valedictorian and went on to the University of Toronto to study chemical engineering. It was while he was at university that he first worked in the liquor business, landing a job at the Gooderham and Worts Distillery in Toronto, where he manhandled barrels of whisky - he really did start at the bottom. Later, he worked in the lab at the distillery. After two years of university, he left to join the Royal Canadian Navy.
One of his family members says he refused the officer's training program. The Battle of the Atlantic, the long struggle against German U-boats, was raging and "he wanted to go overseas as quickly as possible so he could see or experience some action."
He served on the HMCS Assiniboine, a river-class destroyer patrolling the North Atlantic. He operated a new secret invention called ASDIC, now known as sonar. An acronym for the Anti-Submarine Detection Investigation Committee, it was one of the most important weapons aboard a submarine-hunting destroyer such the Assiniboine. Part of the system was contained in a metal dome on the ship's hull. It sent out sound waves - the pings you hear in war movies - that bounced back when they hit a submarine. The operator had to listen for the pitch of the echo to judge whether the submarine was moving toward the destroyer or away from it.
"He would have been sitting in a small room in front of a bank of bearing indicators and trace recorders with a headset on," said Marc Milner, history professor at the University of New Brunswick and author of Canada's Navy: The First Century and other naval books. Prof. Milner said ASDIC operator had to be quick witted. "A lot of what mattered went on his head. Early on, the navy had learned to pick people with a musical background, who could differentiate the pitch on the asdic."
It helped that Mr. DOWNING played the piano.
He was also serving on the Assiniboine in the spring of 1944, when the ship was sent to patrol the Bay of Biscay and the approaches to the English Channel to keep the area clear of German U-boats. The idea was to make the waters safe for the hundreds of ships involved in the D-Day invasion of June 6. Part of that strategy as to attack naval installations and a large submarine base at Brest, a port city on the northwestern tip of Brittany, which sticks out into the Atlantic.
"Assiniboine was also involved in two night actions off the coast of Brest in July and August of 1944," said Prof. Milner. "The navy took its best sub hunters from the North Atlantic and they used their guns to keep U-boats from leaving the port at Brest."
The Globe and Mail reported the battle on its front page. "The Assiniboine was the only Canadian ship in group of five destroyers assigned to screen the famed [British battleship] Warspite during the operation," it said. The Assiniboine laid down a smokescreen for the battleship after it had finished shelling shore batteries with its enormous guns.
The Assiniboine had already been celebrated for one early success against a U-boat. On August 5, 1942, it pursued a submarine that was one of many responsible for sinking 11 out of 33 cargo ships the destroyer was escorting from Sydney, Nova Scotia, to Britain. The hunt lasted about 24 hours and, after a desperate struggle in which the Assiniboine suffered numerous hits and one gunner killed, the warship shelled and rammed U-210. The submarine sank, leaving 37 survivors.
Mr. DOWNING seldom talked about the war with his family. Although they thought he was an ordinary sailor, he had actually been promoted to sub-lieutenant - a junior officer - by war's end. He left the navy in September, 1945, in time to return to university.
He graduated two years later with his degree in chemical engineering. The thesis for his degree was on the distilling process, which made it easy for him to land his first job with Corby Distilleries in Corbyville, a small town near Belleville, Ontario
In 1950, he joined Hiram Walker and worked his way up in the company until May, 1982, when he became president and chief executive officer of Hiram Walker Resources. He expanded the company even further, taking it back to its liquor roots by increasing the firm's 12-per-cent stake in Bacardi, the rum maker that got its start in Cuba and is now headquartered in the Bahamas.
Mr. DOWNING was comfortable with the liquor business but was thrown in the deep end of corporate intrigue by a giant takeover bid. The company, flush with cash and helped by the pro-Canadian bias of the federal government's National Energy Policy, had expanded in the energy business. In 1980, Hiram Walker merged with Consumer's Gas, a large pipeline and gas distribution firm that also had oil properties. Oil was at an all-time high and everyone wanted in. By forming Hiram Walker Resources, the company made itself a difficult target for outsiders to take over.
The Reichmann family, through its energy arm, Gulf Canada Resources, already had a 10-per-cent stake in Hiram Walker Resources by 1986. On the morning of March 19, 1986, Mr. DOWNING was awakened at 5 a.m. while he was on vacation in California. His secretary told him Albert Reichmann had called, and that it was urgent.
He called back and Mr. Reichmann announced that his company would be making a bid to buy 38 per cent of Hiram Walker. According to Peter Foster, who wrote two books on the subject, Mr. DOWNING took the high ground and looked after shareholders and not his own skin.
"He pointed out that no management liked to be taken over, but his main concern was to maximize the value of any offer to his shareholders. Entrenchment of himself or management would not be a consideration," wrote Mr. Foster in Towers of Debt.
An investment banker who worked on the deal at the time later said: "Bud DOWNING was a very principled man."
There followed a complex battle involving Allied Lyons PLC - a British liquor holding company that was after Hiram Walker's drinks business - and three Canadian firms. Oddly enough, they all occupied offices on different floors of First Canadian Place, a huge Toronto office building owned by the Reichmann family. The holding company Olympia and York was on the 32nd floor; Mr. DOWNING and Hiram Walker were on the 6th floor; and Interprovincial Pipe Line, which was also involved in the takeover, was on the 37th.
Mr. DOWNING was convinced that Interprovincial Pipeline, of which Hiram Walker Resources was the largest shareholder, had defected to the Reichmann camp. The takeover battle was fought with press releases, Concorde flights across the Atlantic by investment advisers and many near-sleepless nights for Mr. DOWNING.
When the smoke had cleared, the Reichmann company was paying $3-billion for Hiram Walker Resources, the liquor, the pipelines and the oil - all in one package.
Mr. DOWNING resigned but kept his hand in the booze business by becoming a consultant to Bacardi, which had survived the takeover battle as a separate entity.
With his increased leisure time, Mr. DOWNING changed hobbies. Early in life, he liked to curl, but now he took up fly-fishing. Isolated locations appealed to him most and he fished for salmon and Arctic char in Iceland and on the Grand River on the shores of James Bay.
Alfred Eric DOWNING was born at Mount Elgin, Ontario, on February 28, 1923. He died of complications from Alzheimer's disease in Toronto on February 4, 2008. He was 84. He is survived by his wife Elizabeth (Betty) and his children, Janet and Eric.

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DOWNS o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2008-02-25 published
THOMPSON/THOMSON/TOMPSON/TOMSON, Robert
Peacefully at his home in Oil City. Robert THOMPSON/THOMSON/TOMPSON/TOMSON, 65 years, passed away suddenly on Saturday, February 23, 2008. Loving husband of Yolande (née CORBIN.) Loved father of Kim and Dean SITZES of Petrolia, Mike and Bethany THOMPSON/THOMSON/TOMPSON/TOMSON of Saint Mary's, Nicole and Michael DOUGLAS/DOUGLASS of Petrolia, and the late Mark THOMPSON/THOMSON/TOMPSON/TOMSON (2003.) He will be missed by his grandchildren Stephanie, Brittany, and Jennifer SITZES, Ashley and Brett THOMPSON/THOMSON/TOMPSON/TOMSON, Heather, Caleb, and Darius THOMPSON/THOMSON/TOMPSON/TOMSON, and Elle, Reed, and Roen DOUGLAS/DOUGLASS. Dear brother of Elizabeth and Bob DOWNS of St. Catherine's, Jane and Phil HUBBS of Alliston, the late Edward THOMPSON/THOMSON/TOMPSON/TOMSON, and the late Albert THOMPSON/THOMSON/TOMPSON/TOMSON. Robert was a long time employee with Nova Chemical. Visitors will be received on Tuesday from 7 to 9 p.m. and Wednesday from 11: 30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. at the Needham-Jay Funeral Home, Petrolia. A service of remembrance will follow at 1: 00 p.m. Interment on Hillsdale Cemetery, Petrolia. As expressions of sympathy, memorial donations may be made by cheque to the Canadian Cancer Society or Bluewater Health Foundation. Memories and condolences may be left on-line at www.needhamjay.com.

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DOWSE o@ca.on.manitoulin.howland.little_current.manitoulin_expositor 2008-10-08 published
Helen ASHLEY (née DOWSE)
October 19th, 1914 - September 25th, 2008
In loving memory of Helen Ashley (née Dowse) who passed away Thursday,
September 25th, 2008 at the Extendicare Falconbridge, Sudbury. Beloved
wife of 57 years of Donald Ashley of Sudbury, formerly of Toronto. Dear
sister of Creighton Dowse predeceased of Toronto. Sister-in-law of Hazel
Roy (Ron predeceased) and Thelma Ashley both of Little Current,
Lena "Bubbles" Banks predeceased (George) and Jackie Ashley (Ivan
predeceased) of Sudbury. Sadly missed by her nieces and nephews,
Elizabeth, Joanne and Brian predeceased (Bonnie) all of Toronto, Keith
(Roseanne) of Little Current, Janet, Pam and James all of Sudbury and
Martha of British Columbia. She was the daughter of the late John and
Charlotte (Creighton) Dowse. Helen married Donald Ashley on June 1st,
1951 in Toronto. She was an accomplished seamstress. She will be
remembered for the great pride she took in her home and her deep devotion
to pets, especially her special companion, Cricket. She will be sadly
missed by all who knew and loved her. In keeping with Helen's wishes
there will be no visitation. A family Memorial Service will follow at a
later date. Cremation at the Park Lawn Crematorium. Interment of ashes in
the family plot in Mindemoya. Donations to the Heart and Stroke
Foundation or the Cancer Society would be appreciated. Arrangements
entrusted to the Jackson and Barnard Funeral Home, Sudbury.

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DOWSON o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2008-05-26 published
WHITE/WHYTE, Sharon Jean (née DOWSON)
Peacefully at Stratford General Hospital surrounded by her loving family on Sunday, May 25, 2008, Mrs. Sharon Jean (DOWSON) WHITE/WHYTE of R.R.#1, Bayfield in her 61st year. Beloved wife and best friend of Philip WHITE/WHYTE. Loving mother of Chris WHITE/WHYTE and his wife Tab of Bayfield and Ruth Ann and her husband Roger HARVEY of London. Sadly missed by her grandchildren Victoria and Brayden HARVEY. Loved daughter of Hazel DOWSON of Huronview and the late Cecil DOWSON (1989.) Dear sister and sister-in-law of Marjorie and Bill CONSITT of R.R.#1, Zurich, Ken CALDWELL and his friend Ethel of Saint Thomas and Doug and Judy DOWSON of Cambridge. Also survived by nieces and nephews. Predeceased by her sister Coreen CALDWELL (1994). Friends will be received at the Falconer Funeral Homes Ltd.-"Clinton Chapel", 153 High Street, Clinton on Monday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. where the Funeral Service will be held on Tuesday, May 27, 2008 at 2: 00 p.m. Interment Clinton Cemetery. Donations to the Clinton Public Hospital Foundation or to the charity of one's choice would be appreciated as expressions of sympathy.

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DOWSWELL o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2008-06-02 published
GOODBRAND, Dorothy Elma (née DOWSWELL)
Died peacefully April 27, 2008 at Saint_Joseph's Villa, Dundas, Ontario. Beloved wife of the late H. Benson, cherished mother of David (Susan) of London, Bruce (Donna) of Hamilton, and grandchildren, Lauren (Jim,) Anne and Alexandra GOODBRAND, great-grandmother of Benson and Megan WAITE as well as nieces Shelley, Jane and nephew Bart BROWN and their children. Dorothy's musical gifts brought joy to many lives both in Windsor and Hamilton. The highlight of her musical career was her performance for seniors at age 95 years in the Roy Thompson Hall, Toronto, which brought down the house. Visitation will be held at the Walter D. Kelly Funeral Home and Cremation Centre, 1969 Wyandotte St. E., Windsor, on Monday, June 16, 2008 from 12 Noon until the time of the memorial service at 1: 00 p.m. As an expression of sympathy, memorial donations may be made to Emmanuel United Church Memorial Fund, 1728 Lincoln Road, Windsor, Ontario N8W 2P7.

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DOWZYNSKI o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2008-03-12 published
SZAFRANSKI, Jean (née DOWZYNSKI)
Peacefully on Monday, March 10, 2008 at Saint_Joseph's Health Centre at age 77, Jean, dear loving wife to Nicholas. Much loved mother to Michael and his wife Trish, Steven and his wife Kim, Ann and her husband Brian MacDOUGALL and Peter. Sadly missed by her grandchildren Michelle, Alec, Michael and Thomas. Daughter of the late Harry and Tatianna DOWZYNSKI and sister of the late Michael. Jean was the former 30 year owner of Jean's Variety Store on 40th Street. Visitation will take place at the Ridley Funeral Home, 3080 Lake Shore Blvd. W. (between Islington and Kipling Aves., at 14th Street, 416-259-3705) on Wednesday and Thursday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Panakhyda Thursday at 7: 30 p.m. Funeral Mass Friday 10 a.m. at The Dormition of the Mother of God Ukrainian Catholic Church (Saint Mary's), 3625 Cawthra Rd., Mississauga. Interment Mt. Peace Cemetery, Mississauga. The family would like to thank the Intensive Care Unit staff at Saint_Joseph's for their excellent care and compassion. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Canadian Diabetes Association or the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario would be appreciated. Messages of Condolence may be placed at www.RidleyFuneralHome.com.

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