> THE LIVES THEY LIVED

Thousands of Canadians have died during the coronavirus pandemic. The Star is building a book of remembrance to tell their stories — not the stories of their deaths, but of the lives they lived, as mothers and fathers, as war veterans and artists, as family and friends, as sports fans and music lovers. Tributes will appear in our pages and online as we identify more people taken from us by COVID-19. If you have lost a loved one and would like to memorialize them, contact us at covidremembrance@thestar.ca to share their story.

Jan Kwast, 97 Camilla Care Community, Mississauga

Kwast, a beloved father and grandfather, was a Second World War veteran and a TTC mechanic for over 30 years. He worked tirelessly fixing streetcars and providing for his family who lived in the Warren Park neighbourhood of Toronto. After retirement, Jan moved to Midland, Ont., where he lived until 2019 when he was brought to Mississauga to be closer to his family.

Jan was a gentle, kind and loving man who cared deeply for his family and always told his granddaughters, “I don’t know what I would do without you.” His sweet disposition will be missed by many, but especially by his family, who loved him dearly.

Bruce Paisley, 91 Mackenzie Place LTC, Newmarket,

A hockey fan with a “terrific smile,” Paisley was a big-hearted family man and adored by his wife, children and grandchildren.

“He loved watching hockey, whether professional or his grandchildren, and spending time with whoever dropped in to see him,” his family told the Star in an email.

Due to in-person visitation restrictions at long-term-care homes, the family communicated with Paisley through FaceTime once a day. “While he didn’t quite understand the technology he enjoyed seeing our talking pictures,” his family said.

James Hollohan, 71 Carlingview Manor, Ottawa

Hollohan was born in the small town of Badger, N.L. He moved to Toronto at a young age and joined the Royal Canadian Navy shortly after his 18th birthday, serving on the HMCS Okanagan submarine. After a motor vehicle accident in 1969, Hollohan was honourably released from the Navy and moved to Mississauga. He was an active member of St. Dominic parish.

He “was a submariner until the day he died,” said his niece, Lisa Hollohan.

Nina Gertrude Watt, 86 Orchard Villa, Oshawa

Watt had an endless supply of knowledge and wisdom. “Everywhere we went, she’d be able to tell me the backstory on buildings we’d pass or things we’d see,” said Andrew Watt, Nina’s son. “She was like a computer.”

She was also an outgoing, talkative and easily approachable character who grew up in Oshawa and spent her life in Southern Ontario.

She worked at General Motors after graduating high school, and volunteered with the Red Cross Meals on Wheels program. She was a longtime member of St. Stephen’s United Church and choir. She spent her later years working as a caretaker for Cardinal Nannies.

Joyce Inez Davidson-Susskind, 89 Meighen Manor, Toronto

Davidson-Susskind was a pioneering female broadcaster and television personality with a long career on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border, thanks to an offhand remark she made about Queen Elizabeth.

Her decades-long career, which began on a cooking show on Hamilton’s CHCH in 1954, included her own daytime talk show, CFTO-TV’s “The Joyce Davidson Show.”

But it was an on-air remark during a 1959 guest appearance on NBC’s “Today” in which she said she was “indifferent” to an upcoming visit by the Queen to Canada that cost her a highprofile job as a presenter and interviewer on “Tabloid,” a CBC evening news and entertainment show.

She subsequently held a number of prominent broadcasting roles in the U.S.

Davidson was born in Saskatoon, Sask., in 1931.