Montrealer Michael Spears was champion of the Irish
Michael Spears loved a good prank. Spears, a retired police officer who died of cancer on July 15 at the age of 76, enjoyed messing with people he knew.
Spears often spent winters in Florida. One year, he brought an American phone book with him back to Montreal. He tore the front off the phone book and carefully glued a Montreal cover on instead.
“He had people look up phone numbers for him,” said a friend, Tim Furlong. “And you can’t find the numbers because, of course, it’s a Florida phone book.”
It wasn’t the only joke Spears played on friends and colleagues.
“He’d have a rock, a heavy rock, and he’d put it in your coat,” Furlong said. “As you’re leaving, you’re wondering why your coat is so heavy, and there would be a rock in your pocket.”
Furlong knew Spears from the Erin Sports Association, an Irish organization in Montreal. Spears was heavily involved in the community.
In 1988, he was voted Irishman of the Year and later served as the president of the United Irish Societies of Montreal, which organizes
the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade. Spears was eventually inducted into the society’s Hall of Recognition for his volunteerism and dedication.
He continued his involvement while in Florida.
“The Irish were really close to his heart,” said Ken Quinn, who worked with Spears at the United Irish Societies. “While he was down south, he and some of his cohorts managed to participate in the Hollywood St. Patrick’s Day parade. They even brought their top hats. Montreal wasn’t too far from Michael wherever he went.”
Spears gave back in other ways as well. One person wrote on Facebook that he was “a cop’s cop” for his knowledge and dedication to the field.
Spears helped found the LaSalle Boxing Club, and had a special place in his heart for Point StCharles, historically a workingclass area of the city.
“He did a lot of stuff behind the scenes that people don’t know about,” Quinn said. “He very quietly raised money for St. Gabriel’s Parish through doing barbecues in September to, at his own expense, having luncheons at the Erin Sports Association clubhouse, where all the proceeds would go toward the church.”
Spears’s influence was felt far beyond Montreal. For years, he’d bring in young Irish people to Canada during the times when their home country was in turmoil.
“I know that those adults now really appreciate what Mike and his associates did to bring them over to Canada to gain work experience and get them away from the hotbed of Irish trouble,” Quinn said.
“This was shown by the comments in the guest books that were set up as a tribute to Mike. Even though they may not have seen him for a number of years, they hadn’t forgotten.”
Spears left his mark many people and organizations around him, and in 2013 he was awarded the Simon McDonaugh Humanitarian Award by the United Irish Societies.
Despite the accolades, he remained humble, compassionate and down to earth, his friends say.
“I’m going to miss him,” said Quinn. “I’m going to miss his laugh and his smile, but the community also is going to miss his hard work and humble dedication.”
“Hopefully what we’ve learned from him is that we can all make a difference, no matter what our station in life is.”
I’m going to miss his laugh and his smile, but the community also is going to miss his hard work and humble dedication.