DERMOT PIUS PATRICK GANLEY
May 28, 1954 - January 26, 2021
"Goodnight sweet prince, And Љights of angels sing thee to thy rest"
Sadly, we say "later" to our music-loving, Oscar Wilde-quoting "man about town" as he embarks on his next romantic adventure. Dermot slipped the surly bonds of earth on Tuesday, January 26, 2021, Јttingly accompanied by an instrumental version of "Moon River" - a song he loved and which aptly captures his "Huckleberry" spirit.
Dermot was diagnosed with cancer just four short months ago. After a month in hospital, he returned to his downtown Toronto apartment to spend his remaining days with calm dignity. He died peacefully in his sleep.
His life partner, Debra, lovingly cared for him and made his Јnal days as comfortable as possible. We love you Deb - you are a saint.
Dermot was just two years old when the Ganley family moved to Windsor, Ontario from Athlone, Ireland, in 1956. He grew up in Windsor and settled in Toronto after living in Montreal for a couple of years.
Dermot was an avid reader from a young age and exhausted the libraries at home, in high school and at the University of Windsor, where he studied English and Philosophy. He also exhausted many a Professor in the English department at the U of W, with his inquisitive mind and his "scary" knowledge of writers, poets, existentialists - both classic and modern.
One would never question Dermot's references to Wilde, Joyce, Shakespeare, Yeats or Nietzsche.
It was also during those times that Derm began his lifelong love aЇair with music. Naturally, he became Јercely knowledgeable about music and the musicians who made it. From Iggy Pop and Jimi Hendrix, in the day, to the musicians of today, his musicology was, again, "scary".
Dermot loved Toronto and was a denizen of the city's music venues (a nod to Lee's Palace here), its restaurants, movie theatres, museums and sundry cultural oЇerings. Downtown Toronto was his "turf" - north of Bloor Street was "nosebleed country", Etobicoke and Scarborough the "boonies". Anything going on in this city, he knew about it.
Dermot decided at an early age he wasn't going to have children recognizing his own free-spiritedness - and treated his many nieces and nephews as if they were his own children.
"Uncle Dermo" became the de facto tourist guide to his siblings and nephews and nieces who visited from Windsor and to his "Irish" cousins visiting from Ireland.
Dermot worked as a labourer at "the Soup" (Campbell's) for many years and as a custodian at a Toronto synagogue for several more years.
But they were just jobs to help pay the rent and help facilitate his higher pursuits - knowledge and insight. He found ambition to be vain. He didn't put much stock in attaining fame or glory, nor did he care too much about acquiring wealth.
Dermot was a sensitive and somewhat rebellious youth - and never really changed his stripes.
He was generous to a fault and would give one the shirt oЇ his back - after he corrected one's sloppy use of grammar or a misquoted Bob Dylan lyric.
He was a keen baseball aЈcionado and remained a Detroit Tigers fan for life. Detroit's old Tiger stadium held a special place in his heart.
Dermot lived his life on his own terms. He most deЈnitely did it "his way".
Dermot, we'll see you sitting on that rainbow's end just round the bend our Huckleberry friend - legs crossed, calmly smoking a cigarette, drinking a glass of chardonnay and looking at us like we're late.
Debra and the family would like to thank the staЇ at the palliative care unit at St. Michael's Hospital and at the Temmy Latner Centre for Palliative Care at Mt. Sinai Hospital.
Dermot was predeceased by his dad and mom, Sean and Marion, brother, Bernie and his wife, Denise, and his brother, Patrick.
He is remembered by his Toronto friends, Kevin, Reva, Ted, Wade, Ken, Michael, John, Sam, Jim, Janet, Nancy, Dini, his friends and neighbours at Windmill Line and his lifelong friends Gerald in Vancouver and Doug in Windsor.
Dermot is also survived by family in Windsor too numerous to mention here but will be acknowledged in the Windsor notice. Cremation has taken place. A Celebration of Dermot's Life will be held later. Donations can be made to St. Michael's Hospital.