SUN o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2007-08-19 published
War vet
TOOGOOD always on the move
By Amanda ROBINSON,
SUN
MEDIA, Sun., August 19, 2007
William TOOGOOD was always on the move.
After lying about his age to enlist at 15, he was a motorcycle
messenger during the Second World War, zipping around some of
the bloodiest areas of Europe where Canadians fought.
In civilian life, the Saint Thomas man had at least half a dozen
jobs, most spent behind a wheel.
He delivered milk and bread in an era when those goods were delivered
to customers' homes.
He drove a taxi, worked on the railroad and was a travelling
salesperson for such things as vacuums and industrial supplies.
About 1980, at 56, he revved up a new career selling cars, a
tough time in the industry as fuel-stingy Japanese imports muscled
into a North American market dominated by gas guzzlers.
"He did well -- a lot of people liked him," said his eldest son,
Norman TOOGOOD of Saint Thomas.
He said his father prospered selling vehicles for Ford dealers,
Fearn and Talbot, in Saint Thomas. "He was a pretty good-looking
guy. He dressed well, and a lot of guys thought he was a straight
shooter," his son said.
TOOGOOD, who had battled Alzheimer's for years, died of emphysema
August 10 at London's Parkwood Hospital. He was 83.
Born in Saint Thomas in 1924,
TOOGOOD was the
son of a First World
War veteran badly injured in the fighting, making it difficult
for him to work.
The family, said Norman
TOOGOOD, was "pretty destitute."
Enlisting in 1939 was probably his father's response to the grim
economic times the Depression had brought, his son said.
"When he was young, he just wanted to earn money."
TOOGOOD joined the Elgin Regiment as a reservist. He was deployed
the next year as a regular soldier, serving until 1946.
He rejoined the military in the Cold War, in 1954, served nearly
20 years and retired a sergeant.
His most harrowing experiences came during the Second World War.
"He never wanted to talk about it," his son said. "It came out
later in the years that he rode a motorcycle, but he never talked
about firing a gun."
TOOGOOD served in Italy, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and
Germany.
Messengers were often targets for snipers, the documents they
carried valuable to enemies.
"In some cases, he was right on the front lines in enemy fire"
taking messages from post to post, his son said. "He said one
time in Sicily he was in an abandoned farmhouse that got shelled.
I think there it was probably pretty scary."
TOOGOOD returned to Europe for the 50th-anniversary celebrations
of D-Day. At home, he took part in many Remembrance Day ceremonies,
sometimes serving as parade marshal in Saint Thomas.
Predeceased by his wife
June,
TOOGOOD is survived by three children,
grandchildren, great-grandchildren and four siblings.
"I'm very proud of the contributions that he made," said
TOOGOOD's
grand_son, Cory
WHITEHEAD, 24. "I'm just going to miss spending
time with him… he was really special to me."
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SUN o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-09-29 published
SUN,
Chian
Ching
Passed away on September 26, 2007 at Saint_Joseph's Health Centre.
Loving wife of David. Beloved mother of Lulu. A funeral service
will be held on Tuesday, October 9, 2007 at 11: 00 a.m. at the
York Visitation, Chapel and Reception Centre, 160 Beecroft Rd (1 block
west of Yonge, 1 block north of Sheppard), Toronto, 416-221 3404.
Burial to follow.
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SUNDBORG o@ca.on.grey_county.owen_sound.the_sun_times 2007-06-23 published
STEAD, Helen Marguerite (formerly
METHEREL, née
MITCHELL)
Peacefully at Central Place in Owen Sound on Friday June 22,
2007. In her 74th year, Helen Marguerite
STEAD (formerly
METHEREL,
née MITCHELL) the beloved wife of the late Wilbert Carl
STEAD.
Loving mother of Hedley
METHEREL and Sue, John
METHEREL and his
wife Donna,
Doug
METHEREL and his wife Laurna and Mitchell
METHEREL.
Loving step-mother of Pauline and her husband Norman
SUNDBORG
and Paulette
PAPINEAU-
COUTURE.
Proud grandmother of twelve. Dear
sister of Gord
MITCHELL and his wife
June and Peter
MITCHELL
and his wife Betty. Helen will be fondly remembered by her nieces
and nephews. Predeceased by her daughter Kimberley
METHEREL by
her sister Hazel and brother Don. Friends may call at the Breckenridge-Ashcroft
Funeral Home on Monday from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. A funeral service
will be held at the funeral home on Tuesday morning at 11 a.m.
Rev. David
STEAD officiating. Interment in Annan Cemetery. As
an expression of sympathy, memorial donations to the Canadian
Cancer Society would be appreciated by the family.
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