SMY o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2006-02-27 published
BROWN,
Thomas
S.
On February 23, 2006 at Douglas Fir Hospice. Predeceased by his
beloved wife Beverley in 1995. Survived and much loved by daughters
Dorothy POLUKOSHKO of Vancouver, Peg (Barry
SMITHSON) of Genelle,
British
Columbia; sons Bill (Linda
RIZZATO) of Port Alberni,
Bob (Linda
BROWN) of Kelowna and grand_sons Thor
POLUKOSHKO
(Chelsea
CROOKS) of Vancouver, Karl
POLUKOSHKO
(Chelsea
SHIMELL) of Penticton,
William Rizzato
BROWN of Port Alberni. Also, step-grandchildren
Shawn ESKITT
(Courtney and their daughter Hunter) and Terry
SMY
(Jim and their sons Austin and Dorian). Also, sisters Muriel
(George GROOME) of Montreal, Effie
KIMMERLY of Oshawa, Grace
HARRIS of London, Ontario, Leslie
McNUTT of Banff, brother John
(Shirley SAMPSON/SAMSON) of Coles Island, New Brunswick and brother-in-law
Walter LOGAN of Regina plus many nieces and nephews. Born in
Toronto July 5, 1925 Tom's journey through life was rich and
varied rising out of his passion and commitment to the United
Church and his vision of hope using his skills of sharing and
teaching. He was an agriculturist, journalist, facilitator and
adult educator. Tom was most in his element when he was surrounded
by people working towards a common goal. Along his life's road,
Tom formed countless deep and lasting relationships and touched
the lives of people all over the world. A memorial service will
be held at First United Church 721 Bernard Ave. in Kelowna on
Thursday March 2nd at 1: 00 p.m. with Reverend Helen Hobbs and Rev.
Walter Logan officiating. In lieu of flowers, donations can be
made to First United Church or the British Columbia Cancer Agency.
The funeral arrangements have been entrusted with care to Westwood
Funeral Chapel. The family would like to express their sincere
thanks to Dr. M. Shepard and the entire staff at Douglas Fir
Hospice for their compassionate care.
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SMYTH o@ca.on.grey_county.owen_sound.the_sun_times 2006-03-18 published
McGILL,
Ruth
Lydia
(LORENTZ)
Of R.R.#2 Wiarton passed away at Victoria Hospital, London on
Friday, March 10th, 2006 in her 64th year. Beloved wife of John
A. McGILL and awesome Mom of JoAnne McGill-Anderson
SMYTH and
her husband Robert of Barrie, Jim and his wife Sally of Owen
Sound and Ted and his wife Carolyn of Waterloo. Very best Nana
of Chuck and Laura
ANDERSON,
Shannon and Michelle
McGILL and
Joe, Scott, Jake and Luke
McGILL. Ruth leaves behind her siblings
Arnold, Robert, Harold, Mildred and Joyce. Her numerous Friends
will miss her generous hospitality and excellent cooking. She
was an active member of the Bruce Peninsula Sportsman's Club.
Cremation has taken place. Friends may call at the George Funeral
Home, Wiarton on Saturday, March 25th from 12: 00 to 2:00, where
the memorial service will be held at 2: 00 p.m. In lieu of flowers,
donations to the Heart and Stroke Foundation or Grey-Bruce Health
Services, Wiarton would be appreciated by the family as expressions
of sympathy. condolences may be sent to the family at www.georgefuneralhome.com
Page B5
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SMYTH o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2006-01-23 published
SMYTH,
Charles
Ivan
(June 10, 1946-January 23, 2005)
We thought of you with love today
But that is nothing new
We thought about you yesterday
And days before that too
We think of you in silence
We often speak your name
Now all we have is memories
And your picture in a frame
Your memory is our keepsake
With which we will never part
God has you in his keeping
We have you in our hearts
With love from your loving wife Sandra, four children and eleven
grandchildren.
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SMYTH o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2006-04-10 published
McMARTIN,
Wilma
Pearl
(PAYNE)
Peacefully at London Health Science Centre, University Hospital,
London on Saturday, April 8th, 2006 after a brief illness, Wilma
Pearl (PAYNE)
McMARTIN of London and formerly of R.R.#2 Thorndale
in her 89th year. Beloved wife of the late Edwin A.
McMARTIN
(1979) and dear mother of Roy and Sue of Callander, John of London,
Lois and Hans
JASTRAU of London, Mary
McMARTIN and Ernie
McFARLAND
of Guelph, and Elinor
McMARTIN and Paul
SMYTH of London. Dear
grandmother of the late Shannon (1991). Also loved and sadly
missed by 4 grandchildren: Grant, Amanda, Daniel and Lianna.
Dear sister of Elsie
DUNCANSON of London and the late A.D., and
Ken and Marion
PAYNE of Thamesford. Friends may call at the Harland B.
Betzner Funeral Home, 177 Dundas Street, Thamesford on Tuesday
from 7-9 p.m. where the funeral service will be held on Wednesday,
April 12, 2006 at 11 a.m. Rev. Lewis
SNOW officiating. Interment
Clipperton Cemetery. As an expression of sympathy, memorial donations
may be given to the Canadian Diabetes Association or the London
Regional Cancer Centre.
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SMYTH o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2006-05-09 published
KEELEY,
Doctor▼
Charles▼
Douglas,▼ M.D., (F.R.C.S.C,) F.A.C.S.
Died Sunday, May 7, 2006 in his 91st year at his home. He was
predeceased by his wife, Betty and his son-in-law Rick
BROWN.
He is survived by his two daughters, son-in-law Pearce
BUNTING,
two granddaughters, two grand_sons, and sisters-in-law Marge
KEELEY
and Joan PATTERSON. He was loved and admired by them all. One
of his great Friends said of Doug, "He served his country, his
community, his school. What more can any man do." He was honoured
in his lifetime by the Chatham Kent Community Foundation, the
University of Western Ontario Medical School, the Chatham Maroons,
and Maple City Country Club. Cremation has taken place. Donations
may be made to the Chatham Kent Community Foundation (C. Douglas
and Betty Keeley Fund.) Special Thanks to Helen and Ken
SMYTH,
their children, and their grandchildren. Arrangements entrusted
to the McKinlay Funeral Home, Chatham, Ontario. Online condolences
may be left at www.mckinlayfuneralhome.com
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SMYTH o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2006-07-07 published
MATTSON,
Donald
At Woodstock General Hospital on Wednesday July 5, 2006. Donald
MATTSON of Canterbury Street, Woodstock in his 82nd year. Beloved
husband of Pauline
MATTSON (née
ROWE.) Dear father of Mary Jane
IUTZI and her husband Edward of Strathroy, Dave and his wife
Judy of Oxford Centre, Wendy
SMYTH and her husband David of Windsor,
Sue SIM and her husband Clark of Woodstock, Margaret
BLAKE and
her husband Matthew of Guelph. Loved grandfather of Alayna
IUTZI,
Adrian IUTZI, Andrew
MATTSON, Brooke
MATTSON, Derek
SMYTH (Kelly),
Kevin SMYTH, Sophie
ROE, Danielle
ROE, Trent
ROE and three great-grandchildren,
Ian MATTSON,
Chloe
SMYTH and Ethan
SMYTH. Dear brother of Jean
FOSTER of Thamesford and brother-in-law of Hilda
MATTSON of British
Columbia. Also survived by several nieces and nephews. Predeceased
by his grand_son Jason
SIM, brothers Fred, Bill and sisters Margaret
CAVANAGH,
Sadie
ELMS and Florence
McKAY. Don served overseas
in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War 2. Friends may
call at the R.D. Longworth Funeral Home, 845 Devonshire Avenue,
Woodstock (519-539-0004) Friday 2: 30-4:30 and 7-9 p.m. where
the funeral service will be held in the chapel Saturday at 2: 00 p.m.
with Pastor Doug
BOTT officiating. Interment Innerkip Cemetery.
Contributions to Christian Horizons or Woodstock General Hospital
Foundation would be appreciated. Online condolences at www.longworthfuneralhome.com
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SMYTH o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2006-11-03 published
SCOBIE,
Frances▼
Louise▼ (formerly
THOMPSON/THOMSON/TOMPSON/TOMSON)
Frances Louise
SCOBIE, age 88, of Cedarcroft Place, Stratford
passed away peacefully at her residence on Thursday, November 2,
2006. Frances was predeceased by her 1st husband Doctor Hugh
THOMPSON/THOMSON/TOMPSON/TOMSON
(1988,) by her 2nd husband Kenneth
SCOBIE (2000,) by a daughter
F. Jane THOMPSON/THOMSON/TOMPSON/TOMSON (2003,) by a sister Mollie
STRUTHERS and a brother
Bill SMYTH.
She▼ is the loving mother of Ian
THOMPSON/THOMSON/TOMPSON/TOMSON and his
wife Susan, Stratford. She will be sadly missed by her grandchildren
Jason, Scott and Mark
THOMPSON/THOMSON/TOMPSON/TOMSON. A family service will be held
on Monday, November 6, 2006. at the W.G. Young Funeral Home,
430 Huron Street, Stratford. Cremation with interment in Avondale
Cemetery, Stratford. As expressions of sympathy, memorial donations
may be made to the Stratford General Hospital or to the charity
of one's choice through the funeral home.
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SMYTH o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2006-12-20 published
McINTYRE,
Michael
Wayne
Suddenly at his residence on Sunday December 17, 2006 Michael
Wayne McINTYRE of Brucefield in his 52nd year. Beloved husband
of Sheri (SMYTH)
McINTYRE and loving father of Jesse, Cody, Hailey
and Maicy McINTYRE. Dear son and son-in-law of Gerald "Skip"
and Yvonne
McINTYRE of Saint Thomas; Marian
McINTYRE of London
George and Barbara
SMYTH of Dungannon and Judy and Harold
COOK
of Lucknow. Dear brother and brother-in-law of Rick
McINTYRE
and Edna LARAWAY and Terry
McINTYRE and Pam
VECCHIO all of London
Barry and Janine
SMYTH of Dungannon and Carol and David
HARVEY
of Zambia. Dear uncle of Ryan, Brayden and Carmen
SMYTH and Sophie
and Sebastian
HARVEY.
Friends will be received at the Falconer
Funeral Homes Ltd., - Clinton Chapel, 153 High Street, Clinton
on Thursday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Funeral service will be held
at the Brucefield United Church on Friday December 22, 2006 at
11: 00 a.m. Interment Baird's Cemetery, Stanley Township. Donations
to a trust fund for Michael's children payable to Sheri
McINTYRE-in
Trust or to London Health Sciences Foundation -- for Cochlear
Implants c/o Dr. Lorne
PARNES would be appreciated as expressions
of sympathy. (Donations by cheque only please.)
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SMYTH o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2006-05-09 published
KEELEY,
Doctor▲
Charles▲
Douglas,▲ M.D., (F.R.C.S.C,) F.A.C.S.
Died Sunday May 7, 2006 in his 91st year at his home. He was
predeceased by his wife, Betty and his son in-law Rick
BROWN.
He is survived by his two daughters, son-in-law Pearce
BUNTING,
two granddaughters, two grand_sons, and sisters-in-law Marge
KEELEY
and Joan PATTERSON. He was loved and admired by them all. One
of his great Friends said of Doug, "He served his country, his
community, his school. What more can any man do." He was honoured
in his lifetime by the Chatham Kent Community Foundation, the
University of Western Ontario Medical School, the Chatham Maroons,
and Maple City Country Club. Cremation has taken place. Donations
may be made to the Chatham Kent Community Foundation (C. Douglas
and Betty Keeley Fund.) Special Thanks to Helen and Ken
SMYTH,
their children, and their grandchildren. Arrangements entrusted
the McKinlay Funeral Home, Chatham, Ontario. Online condolences
may be left at www.mckinlayfuneralhome.com
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SMYTH o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2006-10-03 published
O'NEILL,
Mary (née
McARTHUR)
On September 21, 2006 after a long well lived life in her 95th
year. Predeceased by her beloved husband Jim. Left to cherish
countless memories are daughters Sharon
O'NEILL and Kathleen
(Mark LOWERY/LOWREY/LOWRIE/LOWRY.)
Devoted grandchildren Shannon
BISSET (Anthony
CAVALLIN,)
Megan McLENAGHAN
(Luke
McLENAGHAN,) McArthur and Julie
LOWERY/LOWREY/LOWRIE/LOWRY,
and great-grandchildren Cael and Ella
BISSET-
CAVALLIN.
One of
four sisters, Mary is survived by Margaret
CAMPBELL and Helen
KURTZ and predeceased by Kay
SMYTH. As the wife of an exploration
geologist, Mary raised her daughters in Copper Cliff where she
was active in the Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire,
United Church Women's Assoc., the School Board and her many bridge
groups. During their retirement Mary and Jim enjoyed travelling
and especially their cottage at the French River. As a Mother,
Grandmother and Great-Grandmother she provided a wonderful example
of a positive outlook with love and laughter. We will miss your
sense of humour and smile. As Mom wished, cremation has taken
place and her life celebrated by her immediate family. A memorial
service will be held on Tuesday, October 10, 2006 -- 4: 00 p.m.
at the Copper Cliff United Church. In Mom's memory, family
and Friends may make a donation to a charity of their choice.
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SMYTH o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2006-11-03 published
SCOBIE,
Frances▲
Louise▲
(THOMPSON/THOMSON/TOMPSON/TOMSON)
Frances Louise
SCOBIE, age 88, of Cedarcroft Place, Stratford
passed away peacefully at her residence on Thursday, November 2,
2006. Frances was predeceased by her 1st husband Doctor Hugh
THOMPSON/THOMSON/TOMPSON/TOMSON
(1988,) by her 2nd husband Kenneth
SCOBIE (2000,) by a daughter
F. Jane THOMPSON/THOMSON/TOMPSON/TOMSON (2003,) by a sister Mollie
STRUTHERS and a brother
Bill SMYTH.
She▲▼ is the loving mother of Ian
THOMPSON/THOMSON/TOMPSON/TOMSON and his
wife Susan, Stratford. She will be sadly missed by her grandchildren
Jason, Scott and Mark
THOMPSON/THOMSON/TOMPSON/TOMSON. A family service will be held
on Monday, November 6, 2006. at the W.G. Young Funeral Home,
430 Huron Street, Stratford. Cremation with interment in Avondale
Cemetery, Stratford. As expressions of sympathy, memorial donations
may be made to the Stratford General Hospital or to the charity
of one's choice through the funeral home.
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SMYTH o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2006-01-24 published
ELLIOT/ELLIOTT,
Hazel
Mary
Died peacefully at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto,
surrounded by her family, on Sunday, January 22, 2006, in her
93rd year. Hazel, loving wife of the late John
ELLIOT/ELLIOTT. Dear mother
of Jacqueline and her husband Art
DALEY,
Barbara and her husband
Neil MacDONALD,
Billy and his wife
Judy,
John and his wife Kathy,
and Margaret and her husband Ken
SMYTH. Cherished Gramma of Wayne,
Sue, Kimberley, Jenny, Cathy, Neil, Michael, Robin, Karen, Kenny,
Shelly, John and Billy. Predeceased by her grand_son Lenny. Great-grandmother
of 27 and great-great-grandmother of 3. Loving sister of Pearl,
Ken and Doreen. Predeceased by her dear sister Val and by her
brothers Gordon, Reggie, and Ed. Will sadly be missed by many
nieces, nephews and Friends. Friends may visit at the Jerrett
Funeral Home, 660 Kennedy Road, Scarborough (between Eglinton
and St. Clair Aves. E.) on Wednesday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Funeral
service in the chapel on Thursday at 1 p.m. Interment Pine Hills
Cemetery.
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SMYTH o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2006-02-04 published
SMYTH,
Veronica
At Norview Lodge Nursing Home on Sunday, January 29, 2006, in
her 89th year. Will be lovingly remembered by her nieces and
nephews Veronica
MARTIN
(SMYTH,)
Shannon
COPPERTHWAITE, Bubsie
PINTER, Linda
ANGLE, Bill
WILSON, Tom
WILSON, Pat
REID, Michael
SMYTH,
Heather
SMYTH, Veronica
LUSKUS and their families. Cherished
great-aunt to her great-nephews Nicholas
MARTIN,
Stephen
COPPERTHWAITE,
Brad WILSON and great-niece Debbie
JONES.
Predeceased by her
brothers William, James, Charles and Michael and sisters Mary,
Annie, Winnie and Margaret. Also predeceased by her niece Meg
CHAMPAGNE and nephew David
WILSON.
Veronica was the first female
principal in the Montreal Catholic School Commission from 1966-1976.
She was a co-founder of the Thomas Moore institute for adult
education in Montreal. Veronica was very active in the Catholic
Church for many years. Veronica had touched many lives throughout
her life. Friends were invited to share memories of Veronica
at The Baldock Funeral Home, 96 Norfolk St. N., Simcoe on Tuesday,
January 31, 2006 from 7-9 p.m. Parish Prayers were said at the
funeral home Tuesday evening at 7: 30 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial
was celebrated from St. Cecilia's Roman Catholic Church in Port
Dover on Wednesday, February 1, 2006 at 11: 00 a.m. Father Pio
BEORCHIA celebrant. Interment followed at Port Dover Cemetery.
Donations to the Alzheimer Society would be appreciated by the
family. Baldocks 519-426-0291
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SMYTH o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2006-02-13 published
MOASE,
Gordon
Wells
Peacefully, on Saturday, February 11, 2006, at the Lakeridge
Health Centre in Bowmanville, 3 days before his 95th birthday.
Gord MOASE (formerly of Billings Avenue in Toronto,) beloved
husband of the late Amy (née
MEADES.)
Loved father of Wayne
MOASE,
Gary MOASE,
Ron
MOASE, Glen
MOASE and Gail
SMYTH. He will be
lovingly remembered by his 13 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
Gord is survived by his sister Marjorie
BROWN, and he was predeceased
by his brothers Earl, Harold and
Al MOASE.
The family of Gord
MOASE will receive Friends at the Wagg Funeral Home, "McDermott-Panabaker
Chapel," 216 Queen Street in Port Perry (905-985-2171), on Monday,
February 13th from 12 noon-1 p.m. A Service to celebrate his
life will be held in the Chapel at 1 p.m., with Dr. John
SULLIVAN
officiating. Interment Pleasant Point Cemetery in the Spring.
If desired, memorial donations may be made by cheque to the charity
of your choice. On-line condolences may be left at www.waggfuneralhome.com
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SMYTH o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2006-03-04 published
JAMES,
Mary
Fraser (née
WATTS)
Passed away peacefully at Scarborough Grace Hospital on her 91st
birthday, February 28, 2006. Beloved wife of Norman
JAMES.
Lovingly
remembered by her nephews David
SMYTH
(Margaret) and Allan
SMYTH
(Leslie). Devoted great-aunt of Elizabeth and Mark (Vania). Retired
employee of Unilever and a long time resident of Oakville. A
private family service was held. Psalm 91: 2
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SMYTH o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2006-03-29 published
OICKLE,
Patricia
Gail
At her home on Sunday, March 19, 2006. Patricia, only daughter
of the late Alfred and Muriel
(YOUNG)
OICKLE.
She is survived
by her Aunt Elva (Maxwell)
GRIMM and a number of cousins in Nova
Scotia. Dear friend of Cathy, Jim and Jason
SMYTH.
She▲ enjoyed
the theatre and movies. Memorial Service to be held on Thursday
afternoon at 1 p.m. in the Chapel of the Paul O'Conner Funeral
Home, 1939 Lawrence Ave. E. (between Pharmacy and Warden). Memorial
donations may be made to the Canadian Cancer Society, Heart and
Stroke Foundation or charity of your choice.
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SMYTH o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2006-03-29 published
SELLERS,
Hazel (née
CRYDERMAN)
Suddenly at her home in Jackson's Point, on Tuesday, March 28,
2006 at the age of 83 years. Hazel
SELLERS (née
CRYDERMAN) beloved
wife of Stan. Dear mother of Peggy and her husband Alex
BELL
and Susan SMYTH.
Loving grandmother of Andrea, Justin, and Krista.
Dear sister of Mary
WOODCOCK,
Wellington
CRYDERMAN, Edith
CRYDERMAN,
Jack CRYDERMAN, Miles
CRYDERMAN, Marion
ELMER, Evelyn
THOMPSON/THOMSON/TOMPSON/TOMSON
and her husband Fred and Florence
HOSEY.
Predeceased by her brother
Robert CRYDERMAN and her sisters Mildred
MILLER and Geraldine
CRYDERMAN.
Resting at the Taylor Funeral Home 20846 Dalton Road,
Sutton from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Thursday. Private family funeral
service in the chapel Friday at 11: 00 a.m. Interment Briar Hill
Cemetery, Sutton.
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SMYTH - All Categories in OGSPI
SMYTHE o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2006-07-05 published
SELKE,
Frank, 1985 -- Died This Day
Hockey coach, manager and executive born on May 7, 1893, in Kitchener,
Ontario
Frank SELKE became the manager of the Iroquois Bantams ice-hockey
team in Kitchener when he was just 13. His enthusiasm for the
sport brought him into the orbit of Conn
SMYTHE, who enlisted
his help in building both the Toronto Maple Leaf hockey team
and Maple Leaf Gardens. In 1946, he and Mr.
SMYTHE parted company
and Mr. SELKE moved to Montreal to manage the Canadiens. Under
his leadership, the team won six Stanley Cup championships. The
Frank J. Selke Trophy is annually given to the National Hockey
League's best defensive forward.
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SMYTHE o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2006-09-20 published
George MARA,
Hockey
Player And Executive: (1921-2006)
Well-born amateur player who became the captain and key to Canada's
gold-medal success at the 1948 Olympics later ran the Toronto
Maple Leafs
By Tom HAWTHORN,
Special▼ to The Globe and Mail, Page S7
Victoria -- In 1947, the Cold War was chilling Europe. The Royal
Canadian Air Force desperately sought recruits. They needed skaters,
not pilots. The Olympic hockey tournament was just weeks away.
Canadian officials had balked at sending a team, a decision that
outraged senior Royal Canadian Air Force medical officer Sandy
Watson. He persuaded the officials and his superiors to allow
him to recruit a team from scratch.
The Royal Canadian Air Force Flyers, as they were dubbed, were
whipped in their first exhibition game by a lightly regarded
varsity team. The air force feared being humiliated on the world
stage. The call went out for reinforcements, and George
MARA
was asked to sign up.
Mr. MARA, who had just turned 26, was a Toronto businessman and
a navy veteran. He moonlighted as a forward for the Barker's
Biscuits team in an amateur league in Toronto. A hard-skating
player known for shifty stickhandling, he had a touch with the
puck.
Mr. MARA answered his country's call. In doing so, he would add
to hockey lore.
George Edward
MARA was the namesake
son of a well-known Toronto
sportsman. The elder Mr.
MARA had been a star inside wing with
the Argonauts football team until a broken ankle ended his playing
days. He then became a shareholder in the Ontario Jockey Club,
and he belonged to the Royal Canadian Yacht Club. His brothers
were Bay Street stockbrokers. At one time, the family's liquor
import business boasted the largest wine cellar in the Dominion,
occupying almost an entire city block in downtown Toronto.
George Jr. grew up in privilege with a Cadillac in the garage
and his own private rink in the backyard of the family home.
He first won notice as a hockey player at Upper Canada College,
where he was coached by retired Leafs star Gentleman Joe
PRIMEAU.
Mr. MARA led the prep-school circuit in 1939-40, recording 16 goals
and five assists in six games. He scored two goals, including
the winner, in a 6-1 victory over Saint Michael's to give his private
school an undefeated season and its first hockey championship
in more than 20 years.
He graduated to the Toronto Marlboros, where his skills attracted
the attention of National Hockey League teams. The Detroit Red
Wings' Jack Adams, who had him on the club's negotiating list,
thought the prospect could find a starting role with the club
in 1942. Instead, Mr.
MARA joined the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer
Reserve.
He skated for a stellar navy team in the senior Ontario Hockey
Association, served aboard a corvette and two minesweepers, and
saw sea duty on the Newfoundland-Ireland run. He was promoted
to lieutenant.
After the war, Mr.
MARA attended the training camp of the Toronto
Maple Leafs at Owen Sound, Ontario He turned down an offer to
play for a minor-league team in the Leafs' system. He wound up,
instead, on the roster of the Ontario Hockey Association's Toronto
Staffords while tending to the family business, which had suffered
with the death of his father on Christmas Day, 1942.
In January of 1946, the New York Rangers announced he had signed
a contract. He was to play a game with the minor-league New York
Rovers before joining the parent club. Mr.
MARA suited up as
a spare for a Rovers game against the Boston Olympics, but he
never did join the Rangers, or play an National Hockey League
game.
By the time the desperate Royal Canadian Air Force Flyers came
looking for help, Mr.
MARA was playing on the Barker's Biscuits
team of the Toronto Hockey League. His recruitment happened after
a chance meeting at Maple Leaf Gardens with prominent hockey
official W.A.
HEWITT, the father of hockey broadcaster Foster
HEWITT.
When
Mr.
MARA returned to his office, he found a message
saying that Mr.
HEWITT had called with an invitation to join
the Olympic team. Mr.
MARA balked, suggesting they try teammate
Wally HALDER, a sales director for a chocolatier with whom he
had also played in the navy during the war.
"I put the phone down and realized I was missing an exciting
opportunity," he once told National Hockey League writer Mike
Wyman. "So I called
HEWITT back and said that I'd managed to
make myself available."
When the Flyers goalie failed the physical, Mr.
MARA suggested
the Barker's goalie, Murray
DOWEY, who would need a leave of
absence from the Toronto Transit Commission.
The trio, with Mr.
MARA as team captain, would be vital to a
Canadian triumph.
The Olympic tournament, the first since the end of the Second
World War, took place at a time when Europe was still suffering
from the deprivations of war. The Canadian players were advised
to pack their own bars of soap, as the item was still being rationed
overseas.
The games were played on an outdoor rink in the winter playground
of St. Moritz, Switzerland. The ice used for the skating surface,
which was open to rain and snow, was poor. The rink had boards
so low a skater could step over them as easily as climbing a
sidewalk.
The Canadians struggled to adopt to rules forbidding hip checks,
hitting near the boards, and playing the puck with a knee on
the ice. As well, a player leaving the penalty box was expected
to skate to his own blueline before returning to the play.
"They're not used to bodychecking there," Mr.
MARA said on his
return, "but how they hook and slash! We used to sizzle. Every
game we played, we were determined not to get mad. Ten minutes
after we'd start, we'd be boiling."
In one game, the incensed centre bowled over two opponents before
poking another in the nose with his fist. A female fan tossed
sand in his face and he was temporarily blinded. A teammate got
hit by a snowball as he rushed the puck.
The Flyers cruised through most of the tournament, recording
a 15-0 win over Poland before steamrolling over Italy 21-1. The
team had six wins and a 0-0 tie with Czechoslovakia before meeting
the Swiss in the gold-medal game before a partisan crowd. Canada
won 3-0, as Mr.
DOWEY recorded his fifth shutout in the tournament.
The top scorers were Mr.
HALDER (29 points) and Mr.
MARA (17 goals
and nine assists).
The trio rejoined the Barker's Biscuits team, but one can image
that industrial-league hockey was less attractive after the excitement
of the Olympics. Mr.
MARA accepted the entreaties of Montreal
Canadiens general manager Frank Selke. The centre was to play
for the Montreal Royals before moving up to the parent Canadiens.
He had collected eight points in seven games when an injury ended
his season, as well as his playing career.
Stafford SMYTHE, the
son of Conn
SMYTHE, the owner of the Maple
Leafs and Maple Leaf Gardens, invited Mr.
MARA to join a committee
to operate the hockey club and its namesake building in 1957.
In 1961, Conn
SMYTHE sold control of the team and eight years
later, after a power struggle, Mr.
MARA found himself elected
president. He held the post for a year before resigning.
During his tenure in Leafs management, Mr.
MARA was known to
skate with the team at practice. He was also involved in one
of the more famous incidents in club history. During the 1964
Stanley Cup finals, defenceman Bobby Baun suffered a broken leg.
In the dressing room, Mr.
MARA and coach Punch
IMLACH got into
an argument about whether he could return to play. Mr.
MARA counselled
caution for an athlete whose livelihood depended on his good
health, while the coach profanely made the opposite case. As
it turned out, Mr. Baun skated on the broken leg, scoring the
winning goal in overtime of Game 6. The Leafs completed their
comeback with a victory over Detroit two nights later to claim
their third consecutive Stanley Cup.
Mr. MARA was long associated with the family firms and other
industrial concerns, including the William Mara Company, founded
in 1871, importers of wines and spirits, including such brands
as Teacher's, Beefeater, and Hennessy, and Jannock Ltd., a diversified
Toronto manufacturing company with operations in the sugar, brick,
tubular steel and electrical products businesses. He also served
on the boards of many charities.
Perhaps his greatest contribution to the nation's sporting history
came not on the ice but in the boardroom. Mr.
MARA was one of
the founders and inaugural chairman of the Olympic Trust of Canada,
launched in 1970 as the fundraising arm of the former Canadian
Olympic Association (now Canadian Olympic Committee).
Mr. MARA was named a member of the Order of Canada in 1976 for
his tireless work in raising funds to support Canadian Olympians
competing at the 1972 Munich and 1976 Montreal Olympics. He was
inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 1989 as both
an athlete and a builder, while Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
enshrined him in 1993.
The
Hockey
Hall of Fame has in its collection Mr.
MARA's captain's
sweater from the Royal Canadian Air Force Flyers. So far, however,
it has not seen fit to include him among the inductees.
George MARA was born on December 12, 1921, in Toronto. He died
on August 30, 2006, while undergoing heart surgery. He was 84.
He was predeceased by his wife, the former Margaret
RODDICK,
whom he married in 1947. He leaves a son and a daughter.
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SMYTHE o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2006-10-02 published
Ike HILDEBRAND,
Athlete (1927-2006)
Pint-sized competitor may have been a world champion in hockey,
but he happened to be an even better box lacrosse player
By Tom HAWTHORN,
Special▲ to The Globe and Mail, Page S9
Victoria -- Ike
HILDEBRAND led a hockey team from small-town
Ontario to the world championship tournament in 1959. A small,
baby-faced athlete, he was a sparkplug on the ice and a general
on the bench.
His greatest moment occurred as playing coach of the Belleville
McFarlands. The Macs faced a gruelling schedule of exhibition
matches across Europe before arriving in Czechoslovakia for the
round-robin tournament in March of 1959.
A senior club team, the Canadians wore a maple leaf on the chest
of their sweaters. They were defending on Canada's behalf the
world title, won the previous winter by the Whitby Dunlops. Few
hockey fans back home appreciated the difficulty of the task.
The Czechs were no longer patsies, the Soviets were on the cusp
of becoming the dominant force in hockey, and the Americans would
show their skill by winning the Olympic tournament the next year.
Anything but a championship for the Macs would have been regarded
as failure.
The Canadians opened by defeating Poland 9-0, then shut out Finland
6-0 in a chippy game in which Mr.
HILDEBRAND suffered a facial
cut.
The next game featured the undefeated Soviet Union, seen as the
only likely challengers. The Macs gained a 2-0 lead before Mr.
HILDEBRAND
scored what would be an insurance goal in Canada's 3-1 victory.
The Macs mobbed their goaltender and celebrated for 10 minutes
before the end-of-game ceremonies could begin. "They acted as
if they had already won the title," the New York Times reported.
The Macs then defeated Sweden 5-0, before knocking off the United
States 4-1. Mr.
HILDEBRAND, one of five Macs with National Hockey
League experience, scored in each of the games.
The only way the Macs could lose the title would be to lose to
the hometown Czechs by a large margin. After exchanging gifts
of Canadian cheese and Czech chocolate on the ice at Prague,
the local side came out roaring, gaining a 2-0 lead in the first
period. With the score 4-3 for the home side, the Canadian playing
coach ordered his goalie off the ice in favour of an extra attacker.
The move backfired. The Czechs won the game, 5-3, but Canada
claimed the championship.
Surrounded by teammates on the ice, Mr.
HILDEBRAND hoisted a
trophy in the air while still wearing hockey gloves.
Back home, the accolades were restrained. The Toronto Star's
story was headlined: Macs are champs, but… folks will recall
loss to Czechs.
"We were meeting a club that was fresh," the coach explained
to the paper's readers. "I still think we should have beaten
Czechoslovakia, but I cannot begrudge the Czechs this win. They
played well. We did not play a good game.
"It could be that the grind is beginning to catch up with us.
In the last 20 weeks the McFarlands have played roughly 85 games
and have barnstormed through Europe."
He spent another season with the Macs before being fired, an
ignominious end to a solid career at a sport that was not even
his best. For Mr.
HILDEBRAND, a world champion in hockey, was
perhaps the best box lacrosse player of his day.
Isaac Bruce
HILDEBRAND was born in Winnipeg and raised near Grande
Prairie, Alberta. He had never heard of lacrosse until he was
14 and his family moved to New Westminster, British Columbia,
then, as now, a hotbed for the sport.
In 1943, the city's Salmonbellies won the Mann Cup as national
champions with 16-year-old Ike on the roster. The 'Bellies again
qualified for the Mann Cup playoff the next season.
Although they lost to the St. Catharines Athletics of Ontario,
the teenaged phenomenon from New Westminster won the Mike Kelly
Award as the most valuable player in the series. He remains the
youngest person to have won the award.
The same teams met again in the 1946 Mann Cup, by which time
the slick, 5-foot-7, 147-pound attacker found himself a target.
"Little Ike
HILDEBRAND, leading scorer in western competition,
looked like a midget on the big [Maple Leaf] Gardens floor and
he found the going rough and nasty," the Globe and Mail's Jim
VIPOND reported in 1946. The Athletics again won the cup.
Mr. HILDEBRAND would score more than 900 goals and 700 assists
in his lacrosse career, which saw him play in five Mann Cup series.
He was named to league all-star teams 13 times in 15 seasons.
He won scoring titles in 1946, 1948, 1954 and 1955, the last
two coming while playing for the Peterborough Timbermen.
A talent in both of Canada's national sports, he played hockey
in winter and lacrosse in summer.
He had two successful seasons with hockey's Oshawa Generals and
another with the Toronto Marlboroughs, before being invited to
training camp for the National Hockey League's Maple Leafs at
Owen Sound. He practised during the day and then flew to Peterborough
to play in the Mann Cup. The Leafs owner wanted the budding star
to sign.
"Major Conn
SMYTHE called me into his office and here's the deal
he offered me -- $1,000 up front, $3,000 a year if I played in
the minors at Tulsa, $4,000 if I went to Pittsburgh, and $5,000
if the Leafs kept me," Mr.
HILDEBRAND once told Toronto Star
columnist Jim
PROUDFOOT. "I told him I'd have to talk it over
with my mom and dad."
Instead, he telephoned Charlie
CONACHER, the retired National
Hockey League star who had been his coach at Oshawa. His advise
was to ask for $1,000 on top of each of those figures. When Mr.
HILDEBRAND
did so, suggesting the higher salary came as parental advice,
Mr. SMYTHE became furious. "You little so-and-so, have you been
talking to
CONACHER?"
Mr. HILDEBRAND wound up playing for the Los Angeles Monarchs
and would spend five high-scoring seasons in the minors, all
the while studying to become a structural engineer for a career
he would later follow.
In 1954, he finally broke into the National Hockey League when
the New York Rangers put him on a line with Don (Bones) Raleigh
and Nick Mickoski, a fellow Winnipegger. He scored two goals
and added three assists in his first five games.
Despite the terrific early success, Rangers coach Frank Boucher
juggled lines, placing Mr.
HILDEBRAND with rookie winger Billy
Dea and centre Max Bentley. The goals stopped coming and the
Rangers sold him to the minor-league Vancouver Canucks before
being flipped to the National Hockey League's Chicago Black Hawks.
He soon rediscovered his scoring touch, but his season came to
a sudden end after he broke a leg in a game in Toronto in February
of 1954. He wound up with just seven goals and 11 assists in
a 41-game National Hockey League career.
As a coach, he had success behind the bench at both lacrosse
and hockey, as he handled junior and senior Ontario teams in
Pembroke and Orillia. He led Belleville to an upset Allan Cup
championship over the Kelowna Packers in 1958, earning nomination
as Canada's representative to the world championship the next
March.
In 1985, he was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in
Toronto. He had earlier been enshrined in the Canadian Lacrosse
Hall of Fame at New Westminster and the sports halls of fame
in the Ontario cities of Peterborough, Belleville and Oshawa.
Even so, being a small man in a roughneck sport like lacrosse
was not the most dangerous job Mr.
HILDEBRAND ever held. As a
young man in New Westminster, he painted bridges along the wind-swept
Pacific Coast.
Ike HILDEBRAND was born on May 27, 1927, in Winnipeg. He died
on August 27 in St. Albert, Alberta. He was 79. He leaves his
wife Barbara, two sons, three daughters, four grandchildren,
a sister and a brother.
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SMYTHE o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2006-11-16 published
SMYTHE,
Conn, 1980 -- Died This Day
Athlete, coach and sports executive born in Toronto on February 1,
Sent to Upper Canada College only for as long as his journalist
father could afford the fees, he later attended the University
of Toronto, where he led the Varsity Blues to the 1915 Ontario
championship. Later, he formed the Varsity Grads team that won
the Olympic gold medal at St. Moritz in 1928. By then the manager
of the New York Rangers, he bought the Toronto St. Pats and renamed
them the Maple Leafs. In 1932, he built Maple Leaf Gardens in
Toronto. In 1964, the National Hockey League created a special
trophy in his name. He also fought with distinction in two world
wars.
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