Mont Royal QC Funeral Homes

Mont Royal QC Obituaries and Funeral Related News

Parc Ave.'s old Greek soul flickers in its restaurants and shops - Montreal Gazette

For nearly three decades, through the ’60s and ’70s and into the ’80s, Parc Ave. was the centre of Greek life in Montreal. In the blocks between Bernard Ave. in the north and Mont Royal Ave. in the south, there were Greek restaurants and tavernas, grocery stores, bakeries and cafés, nightclubs, banquet halls and theatres, Greek travel agents and funeral parlours, and even a branch of the National Bank of Greece. The neighbourhood was home to more than 45,000 residents of Greek origin, along with Hasidic Jews, Italians and Eastern Europeans who also called it home. When Greeks first started to come to Montreal in large numbers in the 1950s, fleeing poverty in post-war Greece, they settled around Mont-Royal and Parc Ave. But as restaurants like Meraklis taverna opened farther up the street, people followed, and with Expo 67, even more Greek restaurants opened. By the end of the 1960s, there were more than 30 Greek restaurants on Parc Ave. “It’s sad, but there are only four of us left now,” says Mangafas, 76, the street’s unofficial record-keeper. George Mangafas and his wife, Georgia, at Rodos. Pierre Obendrauf / Montreal Gazette Most of the Greek families have long since moved away, first to Park Extension, then Chomedey, Laval, and the West Island. Fewer than 800 Greeks are still living in the area, most of them elderly. Many of the street’s old clothing shops, drapery stores and restaurants have shut down, replaced by a Mexican snack bar, a Marseillais hangout or a trendy buvette. But you’ll still see Parc Ave.’s Greek side in the blue and white flag above a stationer’s shop or a dry cleaner’s, in a clutch of old Greek men congregating at the Cretan Association or the Laconian Brotherhood, or in the sound of live bouzouki music blasting from a Saturday-night party at Mythos Ouzeri. These days, Chery laments, people from outside the neighbourhood use Parc Ave. as a “highway,” speeding along the reserved lanes, never bothering to stop and get out. But wander around on foot, look up at the beautiful old buildings, peek into the shops with blue and white flags and you’ll find flickers of the street’s Greek golden age, when nightclubs like the one called Grecian Nights flew in stars from Athens for sold-out shows, and every bakery on the street did its own rendition of the syrup-drenched custard-filled sweet known as galaktoboureko. Take a tour of Chery’s favourite Parc Ave. places. A good starting point is her own shop, Melina’s: Joanna Chery cuts spanakopita at Melina’s Phyllo B...
http://montrealgazette.com/life/10-places-to-find-parc-ave-s-old-greek-soul

James Shea remembered as 'fervent advocate' for education, language rights - Montreal Gazette

A fervent advocate for Quebec's English-speaking community and an impassioned proponent of bilingualism.' James Shea James Shea of Aylmer, an educator and minority language rights advocate, died on Saturday. He was 76.Chairman of the Western Quebec School Board and retired superintendent of the Ottawa Catholic School Board, Shea was also the former president of the Quebec Communities Group Network (QCGN) and immediate past president of the Regional Association of West Quebecers. In a communiqué issued Monday, current QCGN president Geoffrey Chambers described Shea as "a fervent advocate for Quebec's English-speaking community and an impassioned proponent of bilingualism," adding he was "serving at the helm when QCGN successfully advocated for increased support from the federal government's Official Languages strategy as well as recognition from the provincial government that f...
https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/james-shea-remembered-as-fervent-advocate-for-education-language-rights

Dozens of bikers attend funeral for Hells Angels member gunned down in Peel - Yahoo News Canada

Saturday afternoon for the funeral of a Hells Angels motorcycle gang member shot to death in Mississauga earlier this month.Motorcycle club members from across Ontario and as far away as Quebec and British Columbia attended a service for Michael Deabaitua-Schulde at the Vescio Funeral Home in Woodbridge.Deabaitua-Schulde, 32, was described by police as a "well-entrenched" member of the notorious motorcycle gang's Niagara chapter. He was gunned down in the parking lot of HUF Boxing Gym on March 11, in what investigators called a targeted hit.Police have arrested four men from Montreal in connection with the daylight slaying.View photosPaul Smith/CBCMoreMany Hells Angels, along with members of allied outlaw motorcycle clubs - commonly called "support clubs" - were seen milling about outside the funeral home before the service began. There was also a heavy police presence, with officers from the OPP and York keeping a close eye on those in attendance.Funerals for club members often offer police a rare opportunity to keep tabs on the who's who of the biker underworld.The Hells Angels have hundreds of members in Canada. The gang first moved into Ontario in 2000, after they emerged victorious ...
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/dozens-bikers-attend-funeral-hells-213937721.html

Hundreds of Hells Angels expected for murdered biker’s Woodbridge funeral as police search for suspect with lengthy record - Toronto Star

Star.Hells Angels' biker Michael (Diaz) Deabaitua-Schulde, 32, who was gunned down in Mississauga on Monday. (GoFundMe)A Quebec man with Hells Angels ties is already in custody on first-degree murder charges and police have issued a Canada-wide first-degree murder warrant for another Montreal man who has a history of weapons possession, fraud and possession of false documents, and is awaiting trial for allegedly intimidating someone connected to the court system.The funeral of Deabaitua-Schulde, a father of two, is set for Saturday, March 23 at the Vescio Funeral Home in Woodbridge, according to the funeral home’s website. A GoFundMe page has also been set up in Deabaitua-Schulde’s name.“God called Michael on Monday March 11, 2019, at the age of 32,” his online obituary begins. “He will be forever missed by his loving spouse, Ashley and his children … He will be held dear in the hearts of his family, relatives, and many friends.”Article Continued BelowAs his funeral is being planned, police continue to hunt for Montreal fugitive Joseph Pallotta, 38.Deabaitua-Schulde was shot dead shortly before noon on Monday outside a gym in Mississauga at 700 Dundas St. E., near Cawthra Road.Peel Regional Police chief Chris McCord said that Deabaitua-Schulde was the victim of a targeted attack.Pallotta is considered armed and dangerous.Peel Regional Police announced...
https://www.thestar.com/news/crime/2019/03/15/suspect-wanted-in-shooting-death-of-hells-angel-has-lengthy-criminal-history.html