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In memoriam: Sudburians we lost in 2020

We honour people of many different walks of life who passed away this year

The tumultuous year that has been 2020 is almost over.

This year has seen the passing of several Sudburians who either made a mark on our city or the wider world, as well as a few people who weren’t from Sudbury, but nonetheless made valuable contributions to the Nickel City in their own way.

Below is a list of some of those we lost this year.

Bob Bateman 

Bob Bateman passed away Feb. 10 at the age of 82. Bateman was one of the first investors in Northern Life newspaper, Sudbury.com’s predecessor print publication. His obituary said he came to Sudbury to work for the municipality as an assistant in the recreation department, where he was in charge of playgrounds. In the 1960s, he was appointed director of urban renewal. He was then hired by Oshawa Wholesale, and spent 10 years developing properties for them in Sudbury and Montreal. For the past 20 years he was an independent and much-respected deal maker. Recently, he was appointed a lay bencher for the Law Society of Ontario. He was a past president of the Sudbury and District Chamber of Commerce and a long time executive member of the Ontario Conservative Party, locally and provincially.

Jack Porter 

The Sudbury Kinsmen Sports Hall of Famer passed away Feb. 25 at the age of 86. Few names are as synonymous with the early success of the Laurentian Voyageurs as coach Jack Porter, the man who guided the team for more than a decade in the formative years of the 1960s. Returning home to pursue a career in education, Porter's arrival coincided with the founding of Laurentian University and the launch of the men's hockey team not long thereafter. In 1964, LU joined the Ontario Intercollegiate Athletic Association (OIAA), laying the foundation for a championship run that would see the Voyageurs capture the OIAA title in six of the next seven years.

Steve Matusch

The founder and president of Ionic Technology Group in Sudbury died at the age of 52 March 11. Respected and well-known throughout the Northern Ontario mining service and supply industry, Matusch founded Ionic Engineering Ltd. in 2000 with the goal of offering the best innovative solutions to problems faced by industry. Ionic’s general manager, André Dumais, said five years ago, Matusch developed primary sclerosing cholangitis, which led to a rare and aggressive form of liver cancer in 2018. In an effort to combat the illness, Matusch had undergone a live liver transplant, an experimental surgery, in September. But around Christmastime, indications showed that the cancer had returned, and Matusch had been in hospital the last two weeks before his death. Over the years, Ionic has expanded to include Ionic Mechatronics, Black Rock Engineering, Variant Mining Technologies, Synaptic Technologies, Ionic Automation, and Ionic Technologias in Chile.

André Lacroix

The founding partner of the Sudbury law firm Lacroix Forest Labrosse and DelFrate passed away at the age of 88 March 16. He was one of a few local lawyers to pass away in 2020. “The practise of law gave him the means to do what he enjoyed the most, helping people,” said his obituary. Lacroix also served on many boards and volunteered with many organizations, and was the recipient of an honourary doctorate from Laurentian University and a Fred Sheridan Award from Cambrian College. 

Murray Alan Scott 

Another local lawyer, Murray Alan Scott, passed away at the age of 71 March 20. He was a partner in the law firm of Conroy Trebb Scott Hurtubise. “He worked tirelessly throughout his life on multiple boards and charities to make a better life for northerners,” said his obituary. “He was honest, fun to be around and always truthful. It was often said that he was not your typical lawyer.”

Normand Forest 

A Sudbury lawyer who served as chair of the Laurentian University Board of Governors from 1984 to 1987 passed away June 27. Normand Forest, who co-founded local law firm Lacroix Forest Labrosse and DelFrate, was 82 years old. Forest is credited with Laurentian University's official adoption of bilingualism. His daughter is Senator Josée Forest-Niesing.

Eddie Shack 

Sudbury native and NHL legend Eddie Shack died July 25 at the age of 83. Shack made a name for himself in hockey over the span of a 17-season career, in which he played 1,047 games from 1958-1975 with six different teams, including nine with the Maple Leafs. He amounted 465 points during that time, made up of 226 assists and 239 goals, including the game-winning goal for the Leafs in the 1963 Stanley Cup Final. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound left-winger also earned 1,431 penalty minutes during that time - the equivalent of almost 24 games. His tough playing style was immortalized in the 1966 Toronto hit ‘Clear the Track, Here Comes Shack,’ written by broadcaster Brian McFarlane.

Ret. Staff Sgt. Karrie Burke

A member of the Greater Sudbury Police Service for 32 years who had just retired in 2019, Ret. Staff Sgt. Karrie Burke died suddenly Aug. 5. A bursary has been set up in Burke’s name by the Greater Sudbury Police Services Board to aid in recruitment efforts and support women in policing.

Martin Chapman

Former CBC Sudbury broadcaster Martin Chapman died from cancer in Peterborough Aug. 24 at the age of 76. Martin Chapman made a career of covering news for the public broadcaster, but his joy was playing bluegrass music and taking part in music festivals at country fairs across Ontario. Part of that passion was a regular music feature on CBC Sudbury called Martin's Melodies where listeners were invited to call in and comment on the tunes he had selected. 

Pierette Madore 

Franco-Ontarian music champion Pierrette Madore of Verner passed away Sept. 7 at the age of 64. Before cellphone cameras, Pierrette and husband Guy would take as many photos as they could at a show, and then have doubles printed of each one. Whichever artist was featured would be sent one set, and the other went into “the binders.” Now, 50 years later, the Madores have created the most comprehensive and lovingly created archive of contemporary Franco-Ontarien music ever known. Read more about Pierrette Madore’s story in our article about her life.

Aline Chrétien

Aline Chrétien was not from Sudbury, but she was Laurentian University’s first chancellor. The wife of former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien passed away Sept. 12 at the age of 84 at her home in Shawinigan, Que.  Aline was named chancellor of Laurentian University in 2010. She said at the time education had always been her goal. As part of her duties, she presided over convocation ceremonies and conferred degrees, provided advice to the president and assisted with the university’s advocacy efforts.  “I’m very emotional and very, very humbled,” she said in the 2010 interview. “I think it’s a great honour and responsibility, too. I want to do my best.” 

Alex Trebek 

Arguably the most famous person to come from Sudbury, Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek, passed away is Los Angeles, California on Nov. 8 at the age of 80 from pancreatic cancer. Trebek was born in Sudbury on July 22, 1940, the son of George Edward Trebek, a chef who had emigrated from Ukraine as a child, and Lucille Lagacé, a Franco-Ontarian. Trebek's first job was when he was 13 as a bellhop at the hotel where his father worked as a chef. He attended Sudbury High School (now known as Sudbury Secondary School) — Sudbury Sec actually issued him an honourary diploma in 2019 — and then the University of Ottawa, graduating with a degree in philosophy in 1961. Trebek began his career at the CBC in 1961. He would go on to read the national news and cover a wide range of special events for CBC's radio and television divisions. He hosted several TV shows for CBC, including the high school quiz show Reach for the Top. In 1973, he moved to the United States and worked for NBC as host of the game show The Wizard of Odds, going on to host a number of different series. He began hosting Jeopardy! in 1984, and would continue with the show for more than three-and-a-half decades.

Carl Lewis III

The Sudbury Five player tragically passed away Nov. 17 at just 19 years old. The Los Angeles Country Medical Examiner reported Lewis was the victim of gun violence in his home community of Compton, California. The 6’11”, 275-pound Lewis was signed by the Five in November 2019 and played 18 games in the 2019-2020 National Basketball League of Canada season. He netted 39 rebounds, six blocks and 54 points over those games. Lewis played for Lynwood High School and Compton High School before finishing his high school career at Hillcrest Prep in Arizona. He would have been eligible for the NBA draft in 2023.

Tamerra London 

The 22-year-old Laurentian University biomedical biology student tragically died Nov. 22 at the age of 22 in a car crash in Southern Ontario. London had recently been involved in Black Lives Matter Sudbury as the chair of the education committee.

Ilja Buz

The 99-year-old former Second World War Russian soldier died Nov. 29. Buz shared his life story with Sudbury.com in 2016. He was born in Russia and drafted into the Russian army in 1940, at the age of 19. Ilja was captured by the Germans and was a prisoner of war from 1941-1945. Upon his release, he met up with the American army and worked in their kitchen as a dishwasher, then was moved to Munich refugee camp until April 1947. Having escaped from this refugee camp, to avoid repatriation, Ilja made his way to Leige, Belgium, where he found work in a coal mine. It is here that Ilja met his wife, Tamara. Ilja was determined to immigrate to Canada, a land of hope for his family. He worked hard in the coal mine for six years, saved his earnings, and finally saw his dream come true when he landed by ship in Quebec City in July, 1953. Travelling by train, he arrived in Sudbury with his wife and three daughters to a house arranged and prepared by a friend he had met in Germany. Ilja took odd jobs, including work in a lumber camp in Chapleau, until finally getting a job with Falconbridge in the smelter, where he worked for 30 years, retiring in 1984. Over the years, Ilja took courses to enhance his communication skills and to provide him job opportunities on the side, fixing TVs and wiring homes. 

Donald Rastall 

Don Rastall, a legendary Sudbury entrepreneur, industrial supplier and founder of the Rastall Corp., died Dec. 5. His family and colleagues will remember Rastall as the ultimate salesman who possessed a strong head for business, was a willing mentor, was generous and instilled confidence in others. He observed that 12-inch adjustable wrenches were regularly being tweaked to open wider to meet miners' demands, and Rastall launched his own business in 1975 to create and sell a unique modified adjustable wrench. His invention became known as the patented Rastall RS-12 Adjustable Wrench.

Claire Pilon

The leader in Greater Sudbury’s francophone community passed away Dec. 16 at the age of 68. For many years, she was a trustee with the former Sudbury District Roman Catholic Separate School Board, and was the first chair of Conseil scolaire catholique du Nouvel-Ontario from 1998 to 2000, following its creation. She is also known for her work writing articles for Le Voyageur and The Sudbury Star.


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