BIGELOW
BIGGAR
BIGGS
BIGHAM
BIGNALL
BIGNELL
BIGUS
BIGELOW o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2008-03-06 published
Toronto surgeon 'changed the face of pediatric plastic surgery
forever'
Gifted doctor helped 18,000 patients, mostly children with cleft
palates and congenital deformities. He made so many volunteer
trips to China that a local hospital named him its honorary head
By Ron CSILLAG,
Special to The Globe and Mail, Page S9
Toronto -- William
LINDSAY was so devoted to correcting cleft
palates that he once performed the procedure on a horse. It was
1965, the patient was a year-old thoroughbred that couldn't eat
or nurse properly, and Doctor
LINDSAY teamed up with a group of
veterinarians from Toronto's Woodbine Race Track who had experience
in putting horses under general anesthetic. By this time, Doctor
LINDSAY
had already acquired a reputation as a gifted plastic surgeon
who specialized in cleft palates and other deformities. Special
oversized instruments were created for the operation by the Hospital
for Sick Children's medical engineering department.
The disorder was repaired and the patient recovered, but she
never did race. And in an unusual but perhaps poetic turn of
events, Doctor
LINDSAY's son, Bill, went on to become a veterinarian
specializing in equine surgery (and whose sole regret was that
he never got to operate alongside his father).
Dr. LINDSAY, who headed the plastic surgery division at Toronto's
Hospital for Sick Children from 1958 to 1986 and taught the specialty
at the University of Toronto's medical school for two decades,
healed an estimated 18,000 patients, mostly children born with
cleft lips and palates and congenital deformities of the hand,
as well as accident and burn victims.
Remembered as a gentle, even-tempered and self-effacing man,
Dr. LINDSAY "changed the face of pediatric plastic surgery forever,"
wrote Ronald
ZUKER, who trained under Doctor
LINDSAY and followed
his mentor to the University of Toronto and the Hospital for
Sick Children, where he, too, performed cleft lip and palate
surgery. "His kind and amiable nature was evident in the clinic
when the children would run up to sit on his lap. He was a wonderful
and empathetic clinician who led by example."
Being detail-oriented may have been one reason he was drawn to
plastic surgery, Doctor
LINDSAY recalled in his unpublished memoirs.
"It's very fine work, done with much smaller instruments than
regular surgery, and one can see the results of one's work, as
it isn't hidden inside the body."
The eldest of five children, William
LINDSAY was born and raised
in Vancouver. His parents left the Ottawa Valley on the afternoon
of their wedding in 1919 with a one-way rail ticket to the West
Coast, where his father operated the Vancouver Tugboat Company.
By 12, his son was working part-time on the tugboats up and down
the coast. Later, he toiled as a dining-car waiter aboard Canadian
National Railway trains.
Idealism and an uncle's influence led him to medicine, and he
ranked fifth among 300 students after his first year in pre-med
at the U of T. After graduation in 1945, he served briefly in
the Royal Canadian Navy, and maintained a general practice in
Sudbury, Ontario
On his first night, he was on call and found himself wandering
through a bitterly cold and snowy streetscape searching for his
first patient. He found the address, and encountered a young
woman in labour. "I got to work," he recalled, "interrupted at
times by an aggressive chihuahua who deemed it necessary to attack
my shoelaces while I attended his mistress."
Dr. LINDSAY hitched his wagon to a rising star in 1949, when
he served as a research fellow with Wilfred
BIGELOW (obituary,
March 30, 2005), who was conducting pioneering experiments on
hypothermia as it affected heart function. Doctor
BIGELOW had long
wondered whether cooling the body could slow blood flow long
enough to access the heart.
The two physicians successfully tested that theory on a dog at
the Banting Institute. After chilling the anesthetized animal
to a body temperature of 20 degrees Celsius, they interrupted
cardiac circulation for 15 minutes with clamps and opened the
heart. It wasn't beating. With Doctor
LINDSAY watching, Doctor
BIGELOW
tapped the organ tentatively with an electrical probe. All four
chambers responded with one convulsive throb. He tapped it again.
Another beat. The organ then continued beating without blood
- a first - and then with blood. The dog was rewarmed and survived.
The episode led Doctor
BIGELOW to think of a device that could deliver
a gentle jolt of some sort without damaging the heart, and he
went on to develop the first cardiac pacemaker.
Meantime, Doctor
LINDSAY had trained in plastic surgery in Toronto,
Montreal and Dallas, and joined Sick Kids in 1953. The following
year, the hospital established its Cleft Lip and Palate Research
and Treatment Centre under his leadership. Today, it is the largest
such centre in Canada, with 3,500 patients in active treatment
and 175 new patients each year. It combines 16 disciplines.
Dr. LINDSAY was one of the first McLaughlin fellows. He attended
the first two awards dinners in 1953 and 1954 and, in an interview
with the U of T's magazine, he recalled the fellowship's benefactor,
the legendary auto magnate and philanthropist Samuel McLaughlin.
"There would be 14 or 16 men sitting at a long, rectangular table.
Mr. McLaughlin would be sitting at the middle of one side. He
wasn't very tall but he would command and direct conversation
throughout dinner magnificently." Doctor
LINDSAY noted, however,
that in order to do this, Mr. McLaughlin would have to rise to
his feet when he had something to say.
In the 1970s, Doctor
LINDSAY evaluated the likelihood of success
in the replantation of various appendages, including both physical
and emotional measures. He found that the most common replantations
- in order of frequency - were thumbs, fingers, hands, arms and
legs, although the ear, nose, lips, scalp and penis could also
be reattached.
He made the first of several trips to China in the early 1980s,
when Canada's ambassador to that country asked him to perform
cleft lip and palate surgery on children and treat burn victims
at the hospital in Lanzhou, in China's northwestern Gansu province.
By the early 1990s, the missions were being underwritten by the
Canadian International Development Agency.
"Homes were very poor and they were heated with gas heaters,"
said Doctor
LINDSAY's wife of 63 years, Peggy. "These would often
turn over and there were a lot of bad burns to both adults and
children." The Canadian doctor imparted his wisdom and skills
and, in turn, learned a great deal about Chinese medicine, particularly
herb-based salves and ointments for burn victims. He never did
find out what was in them, as the Chinese couldn't translate
their contents into English. "We never knew whether they just
didn't want to tell him or really didn't know."
The Chinese hospital was able to build a new wing and, through
the efforts of Doctor
LINDSAY and Canadian International Development
Agency, it received an anesthetic machine, a respirator, a burn
bed and an electric dermatome, a machine used to produce large
sheets of skin from a donor area. In gratitude, Doctor
LINDSAY was
named honorary head of the Gansu Provincial People's Hospital.
A great believer in research, he conducted explorations into
tendon healing, which led to a special clinical interest in congenital
and traumatic hand surgery. A group of his research fellows formed
the Chicken Tendon Club.
Nicknamed the Silver Fox for his characteristic grey hair, he
served as president of the Canadian Society of Plastic Surgeons
in 1964-1965 and of the American Association of Plastic Surgery
in 1970-1971. He was also active in the formation of the Bloorview-MacMillan
Treatment Centre (formerly Hugh MacMillan Treatment Centre and
originally the Ontario Crippled Children's Centre). A quadruple
heart bypass operation around 1980 slowed him down, but not much.
In 2003, he was named to the Order of Ontario.
He was happiest providing comfort and hope to thousands of children,
but a close second was his time spent at the family farm, called
Skytop, north of Hockley Valley. An eco-friendly farmer and environmentalist
before those were popular, Doctor
LINDSAY planted trees and created
ponds while raising Angus cattle. His family and many young colleagues
joined him for tree-planting weekends each spring. At his side,
his grandchildren learned farming, fishing, skiing, gardening,
horsemanship and beekeeping. He was at the farm regularly until
the month before his death.
William Kerr
LINDSAY was born in Vancouver on September 3, 1920.
He died of congestive heart failure in Toronto on February 5,
2008. He was 87. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Peggy
(FRANCES,) children William, Barbara, Katherine and Anne, and
11 grandchildren.
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BIGELOW - All Categories in OGSPI
BIGGAR o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2008-06-27 published
HENDERSON, Ann Elizabeth "Betty" (née
KNOLL)
(April 14, 1921-June 26, 2008)
Beloved wife of 62 years to Ren.
Betty is survived by her sister, Mary Louise
RILEY
(John,) and
predeceased by her sister Jean Isabelle.
Loving mother to Children: Ren (Marion), Jamie (Barbara), Ian,
Elizabeth JENNINGS
(Rob) and
Barbara.
Predeceased by daughter
Pamela.
Loving grandmother to Christie
HENDERSON-
BIGGAR (Kirk), Sarah
HENDERSON, Sarah
RIMMINGTON, Graeme
HENDERSON (Trish), Anne
HENDERSON,
Marcus Madot
HENDERSON, Scott
HENDERSON (Bernice), Julie
HENDERSON,
Graeme JENNINGS,
Tory
JENNINGS.
Loving great-grandmother to Charlie, Finlay and Duncan
BIGGAR.
After a full, satisfying and eventful life Betty passed peacefully
at Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital.
Betty was born in Port Colborne and her first career was there
in the family shoe business; later, a second career as a remedial
teacher with the Carleton and Peel School Boards.
Betty was a proud graduate of Bishop Strachan School and Trinity
College, University of Toronto, with Bachelor degrees in Arts
and Education.
The family wishes to express their appreciation to Doctor
SCHNIEDER/SNIDER/SNYDER
for his direction and care and to the professional staff at 4 Centre
Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital who made Mother's final
days as comfortable as possible.
Flowers are gratefully declined but a donation to the Saint_Jude's
Anglican Church Memorial Garden Fund, 160 William Street, Oakville,
Ontario L6J 1C5 would be much appreciated by the family.
There will be no visitation but a memorial service will be held
at Saint_Jude's Anglican Church, 160 William Street in Oakville
at 11: 00 a.m. on Friday July 4, 2008.
Reception to follow for Friends and family at The Oakville Club,
56 Water Street in Oakville.
Arrangements entrusted to Kopriva Taylor Community Funeral Home,
Oakville (905-844-2600). Email condolences may be made through
www.koprivataylor.com
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BIGGAR - All Categories in OGSPI
BIGGS o@ca.on.grey_county.owen_sound.the_sun_times 2008-05-27 published
WEISS,
Calvin
Milton
Passed peacefully into the hands of God at Grey Bruce Health
Services, Southampton on Sunday, May 25, 2008 at the age of 82,
with his loving wife
Irene
(GOTTFRIED) at his side. He was the
eldest son of the late Milton and Marie
WEISS.
Loving father
of Larry (Sandra)
KURT of Ladysmith, British Columbia; Marion
(Gord) KOEPKE of Owen Sound; Bob (Ann)
WEISS; Muriel (Alan)
PRAUGHT
both of Kitchener; Robert (Leonie)
KURT of Nanimo, British Columbia
and Ken WEISS also of Kitchener. Proud Grandfather of Lisa, Lori,
Jesse, Derek, Brian, David, Mark, Jeff, Chris, Mike, Lisa and
Crystal. Caring great-grandfather of 14. Predeceased by his first
wife Ruby
WHITELAW (1961.) Brother of Mel, Esther
ACKERNECHT
Gerry; and, Joyce
FERGIN all of Kitchener. In his retirement
years Cal enjoyed small engine repair, reading and chatting on
his CB. Cal will be sadly missed by his extended family and special
Friends.
Sincere appreciation is extended to Doctor
BILLINGS,
Pastor
BIGGS and to the many nurses in Southampton and Owen Sound hospitals
for their care and support. Visitation from the Eagleson Funeral
Home, Southampton, on Wednesday, May 28 from 2 to 4 and 7 to
9 p.m. A Time to Celebrate the Life of Calvin
WEISS will be held
at Faith Lutheran Church, 525 Ivings Drive, Port Elgin, on Thursday
May 29, 2008 at 2 p.m. A Time of Fellowship and Sharing will
follow in the Social Hall of the Church. A Committal Service
will be conducted at Memory Gardens, Kitchener, on Friday May 30th
at 11 a.m. As an expression of sympathy donations may be made
to the Saugeen Memorial Hospital Foundation or Faith Lutheran
Church, Port Elgin. Condolences may be forwarded to the family
through www.eaglesonfuneralhome.com.
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BIGGS o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2008-03-29 published
BIGGS, "
Jack"
John
Alfred
Peacefully, at University Hospital, L.H.S.C., on Thursday, March 27,
2008, "Jack" John Alfred
BIGGS, at the age of 82 years. Loving
husband of Betty, for over 54 years. Dear father of Wendy
JUDD
and Dennis
BIGGS
(Lin
FINDLAY.) Beloved grandfather of Colleen
and Michelle
BIGGS.
Jack was very active in the Memorial Boys and
Girls Club and worked for many years at Canadian National Railway
(car shop) and
GM Diesel. Friends will be received at the Evans
Funeral Home, 648 Hamilton Rd. (1 block east of Egerton), on
Monday, March 31, 2008 from 10-11 a.m. Funeral service will follow
in the Evans Chapel at 11: 00 a.m. Interment in Grove Cemetery.
Donations to the Memorial Boys and Girls Club would be appreciated
by the family. Online condolences can be expressed at www.evansfh.ca
A tree will be planted as a living memorial to logo Mr.
BIGGS.
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BIGGS o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2008-06-02 published
BIGGS,
Dorothy
Ida
Peacefully on Friday May 30, 2008, surrounded by her family,
Dorothy Ida
BIGGS born December 18, 1920 in London, Ontario.
Beloved wife of the late Jack
BIGGS (2004.) Loving mother of
Doug BIGGS (Trish), Jacqueline
BIGGS, and Ric
BIGGS (Mary). Dear
grandmother of Megan
HOCKEY
(Dax,)
Courtney
BIGGS (Christian,)
Danny BIGGS
(Carol,)
Toby
BIGGS, Jeffrey
BIGGS (Erin,) and
Nicki BIGGS.
Great-grandmother of Joshua, Kaitlyn, and Jordan.
During her 3½ years at Rosewood Manor, Dorothy's door was always
open for others to come and share a cup of coffee and a smile.
Cremation has taken place. The interment of ashes will be at
Clipperton Cemetery at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations
may be made to the Bluewater Health Palliative Care Unit or the
Sarnia Humane Society. Arrangements entrusted to Smith Funeral
Home, 1576 London Line, Sarnia. Online condolences may be sent
to www.smithfuneralhome.ca.
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BIGGS o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2008-02-15 published
FOULDS,
Andrew
In his 88th year. Andy passed on peacefully at home in Vancouver
on February 9th, 2008. Survived by his wife
Doris
(DENNISON,)
his sister Mary (Maisie)
PREDDICE, predeceased by his sister
Margaret HAMILTON and his first wife
Jean
(SCOTT,) mother of
his five sons. He will be sorely missed by his sons David (Judy),
Steven (Beth
BIGGS), Ian, Tom (Janis
BROWNE), and Peter (Sandy)
and his grandchildren Carolyn, Stewart, Jennifer
FULOP,
Fraser,
Jessica-Jean, Courtney, Deacon, and Buster
BIGGS.
Sorely missed
by the Dennison and Papau Families; Betty
ANDERSEN
(David,)
John
DENNISON, Catherine
PAPAU (David), Robert
DENNISON (Susanne
FREMMING),
Michael DENNISON and his step-grandchildren, Carol
SAPRIKEN
(Steve,)
Todd, Christine, and Lisa
PAPAU and Andrew
DENNISON.
Major
Andy
FOULDS, CD (EM) was a reserve soldier who kept going to war.
Andy enlisted in the Canadian Army in 1937 at the age of 17.
Andy served in the artillery and was commissioned from WO1 while
overseas during World War 2. Returning to the United Kingdom
Andy reclassified to Infantry due to Officers being in demand,
proceeding to Italy where he joined the Seaforth Highlanders
of Canada, and stayed with them until a year after the War ended.
Remaining in the Netherlands after the conclusion of the conflict,
his gregarious personality fostered Friendships that have weathered
the decades. After the War he married SSgt. Jean
SCOTT
(Canadian
Women's Army Corps) from Calgary, and settled in Vancouver. When
the call came for Korea, Andy jumped. As an original 2 Princess
Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry officer he took the advance
party over to Korea. Andy had a successful career in sales and
marketing that took the family to Ontario in the 60's. In his
spare time he taxied boys to soccer pitches, untangled fishing
tackle, golfed, curled and mentored his five boys. Tired of the
snow, when he retired he returned to his roots in British Columbia.
He married Doris
DENNISON on April 17th 1993 and they were blessed
with many happy years of love and companionship. At Andy's request
there will be no funeral service. A family service of remembrance
will be held in Toronto at the Cathedral Church of Saint_James
(St. George's Chapel) on Friday, February 22, 2008 at 5: 30 p.m.
A celebration of Andy's life will be held in Vancouver at 5455 Balsam
St. in Kerrisdale, on Saturday, March 1, 2008 at 3: 00 p.m. In
lieu of flowers donations in Andy's honour may be made to a charity
of your choice.
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BIGGS o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2008-04-12 published
SINCLAIR,
Robert
Grey
Robert (Bob) passed gently at the age of 94 on April 9, 2008,
surrounded by family. He will be profoundly missed by his wife
of seventy years, Irene (née
THOMPSON/THOMSON/TOMPSON/TOMSON,) their daughters Diane
GILDAY
(David) and Marilynne
SINCLAIR (Brent
HOLDEN,) son Gregory
SINCLAIR
(Kateri
LANTHIER) and six grandchildren, Sean (Jane
CASKEY), Neil (Kristi
SYRON), and Keith
GILDAY (Regan
BIGGS),
and Nicholas, Julia and newborn William
SINCLAIR.
Robert was
the proud great-grandfather of James, Ellen and Walker
GILDAY.
He was predeceased by his sister Renee
DUNTHORNE.
Born in Toronto on July 22, 1913, Robert married Irene in 1937.
In 1943, the couple moved to Montreal, where they raised their
family, returning to Toronto in 1987. Robert delighted us all
with his passion for jazz and swing music - he was a clarinet
and saxophone player, and performed in Toronto swing bands by
night in the 1930s, while completing Chartered Accountant accreditation
by day. He enjoyed a successful career as chief financial officer
for a major, Quebec-based construction company. In later years,
he and Irene took great pleasure in their cottage on Lake Champlain
in upstate New York, hosting innumerable joyful family gatherings.
His sense of humour, unshakeable optimism at lowering his golf
score 'next time,' and his talent for improvising vivid bedtime
stories are indelible memories. We will always cherish the legacy
of Robert's gracious, gentle and deeply considerate nature.
The family wishes to acknowledge the thoughtful care and diligence
of the staff of the Wellesley Central Place, Robert's home for
the last two years of his life. If desired, donations may be
made to Wellesley Central Place, 160 Wellesley Street East, Toronto,
M4A 1J3.
A family service will be held on Saturday, April 12. Condolences
and memories may be forwarded through www.humphreymiles.com.
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BIGGS o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2008-06-13 published
BIGGS,
Stanley
Champion, Q.C., LSM, J.D., LL.B
The▼ family of Stanley Champion
BIGGS mourns his passing on June 8th,
2008, after a short illness. Stan was born in Toronto in 1913 and
was called to the Bar in 1939, then immediately enlisted in the
army. As a 2nd lieutenant, later promoted to captain with the
Queen's Own Rifles of Canada, he fought on the beaches of Normandy
on D-Day 1944 and saw 86 days of front-line action until wounded
in the leg. During convalescence, he continued on in England
as a military lawyer for the Judge Advocate's General Branch
and later was attached to British counsel during the famous Lord
Haw-Haw treason trial. After the war, he successfully developed
his law practice back in Toronto following the footsteps of his
father and grandfather. For over 50 years, he continued practising
the law he loved. In 1995, Stan received the Law Society Medal
for distinguished service from the Law Society of Upper Canada.
Meanwhile, he was also busy with his growing family as well as
becoming involved in his community: in professional associations
as a school trustee; and as honorary solicitor for several prominent
charitable organizations. He was a keen golfer and squash player.
Stan also was an early environmentalist, starting in the late
1940s to re-forest land northwest of Toronto, eventually planting
over 150,000 trees. His wife, Barbara, predeceased him in 2005
in their 65th year of marriage. Fondly remembered, they leave
behind four children: Christopher, Barrett, John and Dinny, as
well as seven grandchildren. At age 94, Stan completed his memoirs
in a book called As Luck Would Have It in War and Peace, with
Trafford Publishing. It recalls many of his challenges, accomplishments
and reflections during his long life. A reception open to Friends
and family on Tuesday, June 17th between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. will
be held at the Morley Bedford Funeral Home, 159 Eglinton Ave. W.
(west of Yonge), Toronto, M4R 1A8 (416-489-8733). Messages can
be sent to the family at the above address or email below. At
Stan's request, a graveside service will be a private family
gathering. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a charity
of your choice to support the work of people who in Stan's words,
are "doing good for its own sake while here on earth."
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BIGGS o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2008-07-11 published
REHDER,
John
Edward "
Ned" (1916-2008)
John
Edward
(Ned)
REHDER passed away at Leaside Retirement Home
on Wednesday July 9th, 2008 after and long and valiant struggle
with dementia. Born in Bowmanville in 1916, he worked for the
family business, The Bowmanville Foundry, until attending McGill
University to study metallurgy. He graduated in 1943 and married
Jocelyn BOWDEN.
They took up residence in Windsor, Ontario until
moving to Ottawa, where he worked for the Canadian Government
at the Dept. of Mines and Metallurgy doing research and development.
Later he moved to Montreal to take up the post of Vice President
of R&D for the Canada Iron Co. While working for this firm he
won the Peter L. Simpson gold medal from the American Foundrymen's
Society. He stayed with Canada Iron until the 1960's when he
left to work for himself as a Consultant. He and Jocelyn divorced
in 1973 and in 1975 he moved to Toronto and continued his consulting
business. In 1979 he married his second wife, Mignon
ELKINS.
Upon his retirement he was invited to the Department of Mines
and Metallurgy at the University of Toronto as a research assistant.
This involved doing work with the Department of Archeology, a
subject that gave him the chance to indulge in his passion for
history, with particular interest in the Minoan culture. Ned
had over a thousand papers published in various trade magazines
and journals, and, at the age of 85 had a book "The Mastery and
Uses of Fire in Antiquity" published by McGill/ Queens University
Press. It was re-published in paperback two years later. He leaves
behind his five children from his first marriage; Christine
HORNE,
Eric, Jonathon, Mark and Michael, his daughters-in-law Maxine
REHDER and Jane
BIGGS and son-in-law Lee
HORNE and his loving
and devoted wife
Mignon
Elkins
REHDER.
Family will receive Friends
at the York Visitation, Chapel and Reception Centre, 160 Beecroft
Road (north of Sheppard Ave. west of Yonge St.), Toronto, 416-221-3404
on Monday July 14th from 3: 30 p.m. until time of funeral service
in the chapel at 4: 30 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations
to the Alzheimer's Society would be appreciated.
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BIGGS o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2008-07-15 published
Toronto lawyer survived D-Day, defended Lord Haw-Haw in Old Bailey
Wounded during the Battle of Normandy, he was reassigned to defend
a Nazi broadcaster accused of treason. After returning to Canada,
he practised civil law for 60 years
By Gay ABBATE,
Page S8
Toronto -- It was April 3, 1943, and Stanley
BIGGS was on the
Queen Mary, the ship transporting him and other Canadian soldiers
across the Atlantic to fight the Nazis. As he passed the time
playing bridge, a familiar voice came across the shortwave radio,
announcing the imminent demise of the ship and everyone aboard.
"There are 5,000 Canadians aboard the Queen Mary hoping to reach
Southampton by sundown. There is no way this will happen. The
Messerschmitts are on the way."
The voice belonged to William Joyce, nicknamed "Lord Haw-Haw"
by the British. The American-born Joyce had moved to England
but fled to Germany just before the war. There, he became part
of the Nazi propaganda machine, broadcasting weekly to England
and Allied soldiers from 1939 to 1945. Joyce warned that German
fighter aircraft would destroy the ship, but it reached port
safely.
That was Mr.
BIGGS's first introduction to Lord Haw-Haw. Seventeen
months later, with Germany defeated, the two men sat just a few
feet apart in an Old Bailey courtroom in London. Mr. Joyce was
in the prisoner's box on trial for treason; Mr.
BIGGS, a trained
lawyer recovering from war wounds, was attached to his court-appointed
legal defence team.
For long weeks in September and October of 1945, he did nothing
but research treason laws dating back to the 14th century. In
the process, he became an expert on the subject, writing several
articles and giving speeches on the subject after his return
to Canada. Of his involvement in the trial, he wrote in his memoirs:
"It was a most interesting and worthwhile experience for a young
lawyer to do research and to hear the presentation of argument
for the Crown by the Attorney-General." The memoir, As Luck Would
Have It In War and Peace, was released by Trafford Publishing
(Victoria) earlier this year.
It was the duty of the defence team, Mr.
BRIGGS wrote, "to research
all of the relevant evidence we could find and to see that, if
Joyce was guilty, he was not convicted except in full evidence
with the law." During the trial, Joyce never spoke but kept looking
around the courtroom as if expecting family or Friends to show
up, Mr. BIGGS wrote. No one ever came. A jury convicted him of
treason and he was hanged in 1946.
Stanley Champion
BIGGS was not, in his own words, "a religious
scholar, a cosmic scientist, a World War 2 history professional,"
areas of endeavour he considered beyond his abilities. The list
of what he actually was is much longer: a combat infantry officer,
a devoted lawyer for more than six decades, a poet, a school
trustee, an environmentalist long before environmentalism was
fashionable. He also devoted his life to the principle of doing
good for its own sake.
He was born to the law, one of four children to solicitor Richard
Atkinson BIGGS and Gertrude
CHAMPION, the belle of Brantford,
Ontario
His grandfather, Stanley Clarke
BIGGS, founded the firm
of Biggs and Biggs.
Young Stan grew up on Roxborough Street in Toronto's Rosedale
neighbourhood. He graduated from the University of Toronto Schools
and then studied law at the University of Toronto, graduating
in 1936 and then enrolling in the three-year law program at Osgoode
Hall Law School. In 1939, he joined the family law firm and was
called to the bar that June.
To celebrate, he and classmate J.F.
BARRETT went to the world's
fair in New York. A group of young ladies graduating from Bishop
Strachan School in Toronto plotted to join them there. Among
them was Mr.
BARRETT's younger sister, Barbara, who clicked with
Mr. BIGGS.
The▲ granddaughter of Sir Joseph
FLAVELLE, a financier
and meat packer who was well known for his philanthropy in Toronto,
they became engaged by September and married the following June.
After the war broke out, Mr.
BIGGS volunteered with the Queen's
Own Rifles, leaving behind his wife, who was pregnant with their
second son. After months of training in England, he was among
the thousands of Canadian soldiers who landed on the beaches
of Normandy on D-Day - June 6, 1944.
The regiment landed near Bernières-sur-Mer at about 8 a.m., only
to enter a maelstrom. A storm had just passed through the area
and rough seas meant that all-important support tanks had been
delayed. Unable to wait, the infantry was forced to go ashore
unprotected, with the result that the Queen's Own Rifles suffered
the worst casualties of any Canadian unit crossing the beaches
that day: 60 men killed and another 78 wounded.
Mr. BIGGS, however, emerged without a scratch. He made it through
86 days of continuous front-line combat during the Battle of
Normandy, and the long struggle to deny Germany's bitter attempt
to halt the Allied breakthrough, until finally he was shot in
the leg.
The machine-gun bullet that took him out of the fighting landed
him in a courtroom. During and after his convalescence in England,
the military decided to make use of his legal skills. Attached
to the office of the Canadian Judge Advocates General, he prosecuted
or defended soldiers accused of such crimes as assault or rape.
He returned home in December, 1945, with the rank of captain
and resumed the life of a civilian lawyer. At first, he helped
his father with his client list but also did pro bono work, defending
accused who could not afford a lawyer. There was no legal aid
system in Ontario until the 1960s.
Mr. BIGGS continued to practise law until 2004. "He loved the
law," daughter Dinny
BIGGS said. "He was passionate about the
rule of law, about studying its background, the evolution of
law and jurisprudence."
One of the highlights of his career was his involvement in the
creation of the broadcaster CTV. He handled the negotiations
that brought together the original parties who acquired the licence
for a second national television station.
His client, Joel
ALDRED, had originally sought the licence on
his own. But with the Canadian Board of Broadcast Governors reluctant
to grant one to a single entity, Mr.
BIGGS helped him form a
partnership with Ted
ROGERS.
The new partners entered into an agreement with another group,
headed by newspaper owner John
BASSETT.
The channel went on the
air in 1961, but disagreements eventually arose between the two
groups. Mr.
BIGGS came up with a solution that allowed Mr.
ALDRED
to sell his shares while leaving Mr.
ROGERS as a partner.
Mr. BIGGS continued his pro bono work throughout his career,
providing free legal advice to numerous non-profit groups.
That list included the Queen's Own Rifle of Canada Trust, the
Canadian Opera Foundation and the Toronto School of Art, which
his artist-wife used some of her inheritance to help establish
in 1968. In 1955, Mr.
BIGGS was named Queen's Counsel. In 1995,
he received the Law Society Medal, which the Law Society of Upper
Canada awards in recognition of distinguished service in the
law profession.
Not content to write just briefs, Mr.
BIGGS also loved to dabble
in poetry. During the war, he wrote The Queen's Own Rifles on
D-Day, a poem that now hangs in the Canadian War Museum. He wrote
the piece one day in 1944 when several dozen members of his regiment
were killed and dozens more were injured during fighting.
Mr. BIGGS was also a landowner. During his lifetime, he planted
more than 150,000 trees, beginning in the late 1940s, when he
bought his first piece of farmland. He eventually sold that and
bought a 40-hectare farm in Mono Township in Dufferin County,
Ontario. The land was hilly and not suitable for crops, so he
rented it out for cattle. For relaxation, he started planting
seedlings, eventually turning the property into a managed tree
farm. In 1991, he was recognized by the Ontario Ministry of Natural
Resources with an award for woodland improvement.
Humour was another important aspect of Mr.
BIGGS's life. His
was not slapstick humour but rather a keen wit, said his long-time
secretary, Marjorie
FOGG. "He always had cute little answers
to things," she said.
Mr. BIGGS wrote of the importance of humour in his life in his
memoirs: "Without the humorous twists in my exposure to life&hellip
I think I would have cracked up long ago. I have always felt
that the therapeutic value of good humour should be gladly welcomed."
Toward the end of his life, Mr.
BIGGS prepared a final message
for his family and Friends summing up the philosophy by which
he lived his own life: "Live fully, share extremes, stay well,
keep chuckling, have the thrill of dedication to good causes,
be good on Earth for its own sake."
Stanley Champion
BIGGS was born in Toronto on December 6, 1913.
He died June 17, 2008, at Saint Michael's Hospital in Toronto after
a brief illness. He was 94. He is survived by children Christopher,
Barrett, John and Dinny, and seven grandchildren. His wife, Barbara,
predeceased him in 2005.
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BIGHAM o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2008-03-17 published
GROSSMAN,
Sam
At Parkwood Hospital Western Counties Wing on Saturday March 15,
2008, Sam GROSSMAN of London died in his 93rd year. Sam was a
veteran of World War 2 Royal Canadian Air Force. Beloved husband
of the late Ettie and dear father of Debbie and her husband Michael
ROSENZWEIG of London and Pam
GROSSMAN and her husband Sylvain
RITCH of Vancouver. Dear grandfather of Trina and Alissa both
of London. Sam is also survived by his brother Gabie and his
wife Doreen
GROSSMAN of Montreal, nephews Allan and his wife
Fern GROSSMAN of Toronto, Barry
GROSSMAN of Montreal and his
niece Marlene and Rodney
RUTENBERG of Montreal. Funeral service
will be held at Logan Funeral Home, 371 Dundas (between Colborne
and Waterloo) on Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 1 p.m. with Rabbi
Ammos CHORNY officiating. Interment in Or Shalom Cemetery. Donations
may be made to the Sam Grossman Enrichment Fund in care of the
London Jewish Federation- Friendship Club. Special thanks to
Dr. Michael
BORRIE,
Grace and the team at Parkwood Hospital 2 Perth
as well as family physician Doctor Gerald
BIGHAM.
Shiva will take
place Wednesday and Thursday evening. Online condolences can
be expressed at www.loganfh.ca. A tree will be planted as a living
memorial to Sam.
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BIGHAM o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2008-05-28 published
BIGHAM,
Margaret
Elizabeth (formerly
McLEAN, née
LOVE)
Suddenly at Woodstock General Hospital on Monday, May 26, 2008,
Margaret Elizabeth
BIGHAM (formerly
McLEAN, née
LOVE,) of Woodstock
in her 73rd year. Dear daughter of Jean
LOVE of Woodstock and
the late Norm
LOVE (1981.) Wife of the late Richard
BIGHAM (1994.)
Loved mother of Deb
BUCHANAN (Rick
BARNES), Sue
NADER (Byron),
Wendy GRABOWSKI
(Stan,) all of Woodstock, Bob
McLEAN of London,
Sandi MacDONALD
(Steve) of Embro, and Valerie
McKIM (Ken) of
Brantford, and step-mother of Rick
BIGHAM of London. Loving grandmother
of Greg BUCHANAN (Michelle), Brent and Jeff
NADER, Paul
GRABOWSKI,
Jen WELSH (Luke), Ryan
MacDONALD (Carolyn), Stevie
MacDONALD
(Bill), David
HILL (Amy), Jessica
HILL, and the late Joe
MacDONALD
(1998,) and step-grandmother of Joanne, Mike, and Cory
BIGHAM.
Also lovingly remembered by her six great-grandchildren. Sister
of Donna HILDERLEY
(Bruce) of Port Franks, and Jack
LOVE (Karen)
of Ingersoll. Also survived by her nieces and nephews. Margaret
was an active member of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Royal Canadian
Legion, Branch 55, Woodstock. Friends will be received at the
Smith-LeRoy Funeral Home, 69 Wellington Street North, Woodstock
on Wednesday, 7-9 p.m. and
on Thursday, 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. A Royal
Canadian Legion service will be held on Wednesday evening at
6: 30 p.m. at the funeral home under the auspices of the Ladies
Auxiliary of Branch 55, Woodstock. Funeral Service at Old Saint Paul's
Anglican Church, 723 Dundas Street, Woodstock on Friday, May 30,
2008 at 11: 00 a.m. with Rev. Bruce
GENGE officiating. Interment
at The Anglican Cemetery. If desired, memorial donations to Bereaved
Families of Ontario - London Chapter or a charity of your choice
would be appreciated. Smith-LeRoy, (519) 537-3611. Personal condolences
may be sent at www.smithleroy.com
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BIGHAM o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2008-05-31 published
FULLER,
Ross
On behalf of the Fuller family, we would like to thank everyone
for their sincere sympathy and kindness since our father Ross's
death on May 20. We would especially like to thank the E.M.S.
for their professional service and University Hospital for their
exemplary care. Also, many thanks to Doctor G.
BIGHAM and Doctor M.
GODDARD for their care and concern. A special thank-you to Paul
Mullen and staff at A. Millard George Funeral Home, and Rev. Lorenzo
RAMIREZ, the United Church Women and choir of Empress United
Church, as well as the pallbearers. Also, thank-you to the members
of Ashlar Lodge for the Masonic service. We have been touched
by many people and your thoughtfulness is so very much appreciated.
Pat MALONE,
Janet and Kathy
FULLER and families.
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BIGHAM o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2008-07-05 published
KILGOUR,
Allan
Margaret KILGOUR is grateful to her children and grandchildren,
family and Friends near and far. A sincere thanks to Father
PIRT
for the special service and the help he provided. Thanks to Doctor
BIGHAM
and staff of Chelsey Park Clinic for the care of Allan for so
many years. Thanks to our neighbours for the concern and food
and to his golfing Friends who included him in the game for as
long as they could.
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BIGNALL o@ca.on.grey_county.owen_sound.the_sun_times 2008-03-31 published
WILKINS,
Kathleen
Peacefully at Gateway Haven in Wiarton, on Saturday morning,
March 29th, 2008. Kathleen
WILKINS, of Wiarton, in her 94th year.
Dear sister of George
BIGNALL.
Predeceased by her parents, Joseph
and Amy WILKINS; her sisters, Mona
TINDALL,
Ada
BLACKMAN and
Margaret LEWIS.
There will be no Funeral Service. Interment in
Glendale Memorial Gardens, Toronto. If so desired, the family
would appreciate donations to the Grey Bruce Animal Shelter as
your expression of sympathy and may be made through the Brian E.
Wood Funeral Home, 250 - 14th Street West, Owen Sound, Ontario,
N4K-3X8 (519-376-7492).
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BIGNELL o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2008-07-15 published
MURPHY, Honourable C. Terrence "Terry" Murphy, Q.C.
Retired Superior Court Justice -- Sudbury/Manitoulin
Peacefully, at home with his family, in his 82nd year. Beloved
husband of Dorothy for 56 years. Dearest and proudest Dad of
Sean (Evelyn), Karen
BARSANTI (Richard), Mary Lynn (Ken
BALDWIN),
Michaela and Timothy. Cherished Grandpa of Marc
BARSANTI
(Angela
MARROCCO), Jennifer
INGLIS (Matthew), Ryan, Katie, and Robbie
BARSANTI, Amelia
MURPHY-
BEAUDOIN, Eilish, Monica, Eamonn and
Michael MURPHY. Great-Grandpa of Mackenzie
INGLIS and Nicole
BARSANTI.
Brother of Patricia
DINSDALE (late Bob,) the late Bill
MURPHY (Janet), Monica
PEZZUTTO (Art) and Sally
ZEPPA (late Henry).
Brother-in-law of Helen
GEORGE (late Phil,) Kay and Bob
JENKINS
and the late Rita
ROCHON
(Côme.)
Also survived by many loving
nieces and nephews.
Born in Sault Ste. Marie, Terry was the oldest
son of Charlie
and Monica
MURPHY of John Street. When he graduated from Osgoode
Hall Law School at the age of 22, Terry became the youngest person
in Ontario to be called to the Bar. He served a term as Alderman
for the City of Sault Ste. Marie in 1965 and was elected to serve
as the Liberal Federal Member of Parliament for the riding of
Sault Ste. Marie from 1968 until 1972. During this time, he served
on the Justice Committee and also chaired the North Atlantic
Assembly, a post that required him to visit all the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization countries. In 1980 he was appointed as a
Judge for the District of Sudbury/Manitoulin, where he sat until
his retirement in 2000. In 2005, Terry was honoured to be formally
acknowledged by The Advocates' Society, in the book Learned Friends,
as one of fifty of the finest advocates practising in Ontario
from 1950 to 2000, who exemplified the very highest standards
of advocacy and shaped the legal profession in the province.
Terry lived life well, with no regrets. He loved his family,
music, good wine, good food, stimulating conversation, Dorothy's
flower gardens, and the rugged beauty of Northern Ontario. Friends
may call at the Northwood Funeral Home (942 Great Northern Road,
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario P6A 5K7 705-945-7758) on Tuesday evening
from 6 to 9 p.m. Funeral Mass will be held on Wednesday July 16,
2008 at Precious Blood Cathedral at 11: 00 a.m. with Monsignor
Bernard BURNS officiating. Memorial donations made to the Sault
Area Hospital Cancer Unit or the Sault Ste. Marie Canadian National
Institute for the Blind would be appreciated by the family. The
family thanks Doctor S.
BUEHNER and the Palliative Care Team, Community
Care Access Centre, Bayshore Nurses, We Care Home Health Services,
Dr. D. WALDE, Doctor
WANT (Sudbury), Doctor N.
SMITH, Doctor D.
BIGNELL
and Doctor
REICH for their excellent care. Thanks also to Jerry
ROWE for his special contribution. www.northwoodfuneral.com
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BIGUS o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2008-03-10 published
MALEK,
Mary
Jane "
Lucille" (née
BLACK)
(October 5, 1921-March 7, 2008)
Suddenly on Friday, March 7, 2008, in her 87th year. Beloved
wife of the late Louis E.
MALEK.
Loving mother of Joseph (Doreen)
of Aurora, Edward (Shelley) of Richmond Hill, and Theresa of
Toronto. Dear grandmother of Stephanie, William, Oliver, Jordan,
and Luke. Predeceased by her sister Kathleen Sarah
WARD (nee
BLACK). Aunt of Mary LeNoir
KIERANS, Kathryn
LEAH (Philip), Eleanor
BIGUS
(Sam,) and Mariette
SERRAO (Pat.)
Lucille will be sadly
missed by her Friends Mary
JOHNSTON and Jean
JONES.
Friends may
call at the Turner and Porter Funeral Home, 436 Roncesvalles Ave.
(at Howard Park Ave.), on Monday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Rosary
Prayers at 7: 00 p.m. Funeral Mass on Tuesday, March 11, 2008
at St. Casimir's Church, 156 Roncesvalles Ave., at 10: 15 a.m.
Interment Park Lawn Cemetery.
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