Another year has come and gone, and with it we've lost several Sudburians who have made contributions in their own way to make the city what it is today.
Below is a list of some of the notable Sudburians and area residents who died in 2017.
John Rodriguez
Feb. 12, 1937 – July 5, 2017
After a long bout with a respiratory illness, John Rodriguez, the colourful former Nickel Belt MP and mayor of Greater Sudbury, died July 5 at his home, with his family by his side. Rodriguez was born in Georgetown, Guyana, and moved to Canada in 1956. He moved to Coniston in 1962, where he was appointed as principal of St. Paul School. He ran for the New Democrats in 1972 in Nickel Belt, defeating Liberal Gaetan Serré. He held the seat until losing to Judy Erola in 1980, before reclaiming it in 1984 until 1993. He returned to teaching after 1993, becoming principal of St. David School. In 2005, he tried to fight forced retirement, before running and winning the mayoralty in 2006. He lost to Marianne Matichuk in 2010, and to Brian Bigger in 2014.
Gaetan Serré
Jan. 24, 1938 – Nov. 24, 2017
Gaétan Serré, a former Liberal MP for Nickel Belt and father of current MP Marc Serré, passed away Nov. 24. He was 79. Serré, who was MP from 1968-1972, entered Parliament when Pierre Trudeau was elected prime minister. His son entered Parliament when Trudeau's son, Justin, was elected PM in 2015.
Dave Kilgour
May 31, 1947 – July 9, 2017
Dave Kilgour, who passed away July 9, first served as a councillor and mayor for the Town of Capreol, then as a regional councillor and finally as councillor in the amalgamated City of Greater Sudbury. He last served as Ward 7 Coun. from 2010 to 2014. He sought re-election in the 2014 municipal election, but was defeated by Mike Jakubo. The 70-year-old is survived by his wife of 48 years, Jeannie, children Brett and Scott, and grandchildren Sophie, Paige and Evelyn.
Ed Pokonzie
June 27, 1949 – June 18, 2017
A perennial election candidate who ran in almost every federal, provincial and municipal election in Greater Sudbury since 1993 passed away June 18. Edward Pokonzie's antics during a 2014 mayoral election debate were recorded in this article by Sudbury.com reporter Darren MacDonald. Pokonzie, who, according to his obituary, went by the nickname “Iron Eagle,” died nine days short of his 68th birthday at his home. He is survived by his three children, Haven, Adrian, and Royce, and his four grandchildren.
Michel Dallaire
Jan. 7, 1957 – April 25, 2017
Award-winning Francophone author Michel Dallaire passed away suddenly April 25. Sudbury.com interviewed the 60-year-old several times over the years, most recently in October 2016 after he released two poetry books, bringing the total number of books he'd published in his lifetime to 18. In 2015, he won a couple of awards for his novel, "In Violoncelle pour lune d’automne". He was presented with a French-language Trillium Award, as well as the Prix Christine Dumitriu-van-Saanen. Dallaire was nominated for the Trillium Award three times previously.
Paulette Gagnon
1955 – Oct. 11, 2017
A 62-year-old Sudbury woman who was the driving force behind the Place des Arts project passed away Oct. 11. Paulette Gagnon, the director of development for Place des Arts, was known for her work with Francophone arts organizations. She was head of the Franco-Ontarian section of the Ontario Arts Council and executive director of the Associations des theatres francophones du Canada. Locally, she was involved with Le Regroupement des organismes culturels de Sudbury (ROCS) and Le Théâtre du Nouvel-Ontario (TNO). Gagnon was survived by her three children.
Dr. Robert (Bob) D'Aloisio
Aug. 6, 1932 – Sept. 4, 2017
Local dentist Dr. Robert (Bob) D'Aloisio was tragically killed Sept. 4 while riding his bicycle on Paris Street. He had practised dentistry in Sudbury for 60 years, and was an integral part of the city's dental emergency on-call service. He was also a landlord, owning several properties in Sudbury. D'Aloisio was also known for his love of cycling, often using his bicycle to get around town. D'Aloisio is survived by his wife of 58 years, Jean, as well as six children, one foster child, 15 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Dr. Edward Grodecki
Aug. 10, 1955 – Sept. 20, 2017
A few weeks after D'Aloisio's death, one of his dental colleagues, Dr. Edward Grodecki, also passed away tragically. Grodecki's Cessna plane crashed over Lake Huron Sept. 20. He was a successful oral and maxillofacial surgeon who practiced out of offices in Sault Ste. Marie, North Bay, Timmins, Sudbury, and who owned several offices in southern Ontario.
Maury East
March 24, 1924 – Sept. 10, 2017
He's not a Sudburian, but many people in the Nickel City would know Maury East's name because of the influential role he played in Killarney, a popular tourist area located about an hour south of Sudbury, on Georgian Bay. East, who owned Killarney Mountain Lodge on the scenic Killarney channel for 53 years before selling the property in 2015 and retiring to Parry Sound, passed away Sept. 10. His daughter, Katherine East, said her father's health had become increasingly frail over the last few years. He'd recently broken his hip and entered a Parry Sound nursing home. Maury, who was 93, is survived by his wife, Annabelle, and five children from his two marriages, Ted, Brien, John, Jennifer and Katherine, as well as seven grandchildren.
Sherry Drysdale
1960 – June 21, 2017
A former broadcaster whose voice would be familiar to many in Greater Sudbury passed away from cancer June 21. Sheryl (Sherry) Drysdale, 57, was a writer, editor and broadcaster best known for her 25-year career at the CBC. She was a back-fill host on the national radio news desk and was also heard on the provincewide program Ontario Today. Before joining the CBC, she'd worked for private radio stations. After leaving the CBC in 2011, the Sault Ste. Marie native worked in communications for Laurentian University. She is survived by her children, Jack and Miriam, and her mother, Patricia. Since 2010, she spent part of the year in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, with her companion Stu Deutsch.
