A look back at noted local people we lost in 2017
A number of people who left their mark on Windsor and Essex County died in 2017. Chris Thompson looks at their contributions, based on Star reports through the year.
Jan. 16: Larry Costello, a veteran of the Second World War who signed up for the Royal Canadian Navy at the age of 16 and for years was the voice and face of local military veterans, dies at 92.
Jan. 22: Elphedge (Elphy) Chapieski, the longtime owner of Canada Salvage on Ottawa Street, dies in his sleep at Windsor Regional Hospital with family members by his side. He was 82.
Jan. 28: Thomas (Tommy) Simpson, a Second World War radar operator who saved hundreds of lives when he spotted a stalking German U-boat that was sunk, becoming one of few Canadians to receive the Distinguished Service Medal, dies at 95.
Feb. 9: Robert (Al) Perry, who lied about his age to join the Royal Canadian Air Force at 17 during the Second World War and received the Distinguished Flying Cross, dies at 93.
Feb. 10: Mike Ilitch, the founder of Little Caesars Pizza and owner of the Detroit Red Wings and the Detroit Tigers, and the overseer of many philanthropic causes, dies at 87.
Feb. 19: Bob White, the patriotic Canadian labour leader who fought for the creation of the Canadian Auto Workers union as a separate entity from its American parent, dies at 81.
March 5: Second World War veteran Les Tetler, a member of the Essex Scottish Regiment who survived the Dieppe Raid and spent three years in a PoW camp, dies at 97.
March 21: Evelyn Slobasky, the former owner of the Crescent Lanes bowling alley and an award-winning bowler in her own right, and a dedicated Windsor booster, dies at the age of 94.
March (unknown day): Dave Bechard, known on local football fields, baseball diamonds and basketball courts as Big Dave or Bech, and a fastidious keeper of local sports statistics, dies in his Windsor apartment at the age of 63.
March 30: MaryRose BearfootJones, a local Indigenous activist who helped start the Can-Am Friendship Centre and spent her life trying to bring the local urban Indigenous population together, dies at 84.
April 15: Alvira Irene Wigle, a retired librarian who helped ensure that the John R. Park Homestead on the shores of Lake Erie would be preserved, as well as many other preservation efforts in the Kingsville area, dies at 89.
April 27: Kurt Deeg, one of Windsor’s pioneers of fine dining in the downtown core as proprietor of Ye Olde Steak House and L’Auberge de la Bastille, dies at 85.
May 9: Germain (Gerry) Lacoursiere, a Windsor native and music industry executive who launched the careers of people including Bryan Adams, Jann Arden, Rita MacNeil and Gino Vanelli, dies at 80.
May 24: Windsor labour activist Rolly Marentette, a crusader for workplace safety and the rights of injured workers in the Injured Workers Coalition, dies at 69 after a short battle with cancer.
June 6: Paul Rose, the founder of Rose City Gymnastics in 1970 and known locally as Mr. Gymnastics, dies at 80.
June 19: Judge Saul Nosanchuk, known for his innovative and compassionate sentences for those who came before him on the Windsor bench during his 29-year tenure, dies at 83.
Aug. 7: Jeffrey Craig, the youngest brother of the Craig family known locally for their craft beer, a brewer at Walkerville Brewery and co-creator of the cancerfighting Fine N’ Dandy beer, dies of esophageal cancer at 25.
Aug. 15: Mike Leach, a former standout for Herman and the AKO Fratmen who went on to a coaching career and served many years as president of Windsor Minor Football, dies suddenly of a heart attack in his Ohio home at the age of 47.
Aug. 24: Michael Dougall Bell, a Windsor native who served Canada as a foreign service officer, serving as ambassador to Egypt, Jordan and twice to Israel, as well as director general in central and eastern Europe for the Department of Foreign Affairs, dies at 73.
Sept. 12: Thorald (DJ Thor) Findlay, a well-known local DJ and official DJ for the Windsor Express, dies at the age of 41 after a battle with multiple myeloma.
Sept. 13: Lois Smedick, a champion of Windsor’s arts and culture scene for many years and a former English teacher at the University of Windsor, and an essential force in the creation of the Art Gallery of Windsor, succumbs to the West Nile virus. She was 84.
Sept. 14: Dave Scott, a teacher at General Amherst high school in Amherstburg for 43 years and coach of multiple sports, dies at 71 after a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Oct. 5: Zarko Vucinic, an immigrant who became an ambassador for Amherstburg while running Duffy’s Motor Inn and Tavern for 55 years, and who became known as the best host on the Canadian coast, dies at the age of 96.
Oct. 18: Tony Crncich, the founder of the 135-store chain of Big V drugstores, which began in Windsor in 1962 and was sold to Shoppers Drug Mart in 1996, dies at 87.
Nov. 2: Legendary University of Windsor Lancers basketball coach and Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame member Paul (Doc) Thomas dies of complications from cancer at 91.
Nov. 11: Nathan Komsa, a wellknown golfer in Canada and the U.S. and the owner of several downtown bars and restaurants over many years, dies suddenly at 33.
Nov. 14: Rev. Dennis Wilhelm, the popular pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church who was known for his compassion and uncanny ability to remember people’s names, dies at 70 after battling numerous health issues.