Author Archives: Admin

22 May

Laurence H. Stover

January 19 1927 – May 22 2018
 
Father, Grandfather and my Father-in-law. Laurence Hamilton Stover,
we will miss you and your ways. RIP Grandpa
 
Happy Father’s Day to both incredible men in my life, my father and my husband but today we will honor my father-in-law, Laurence Stover as we proceed with his interment.
 
As a soldier in the Canadian forces during the Second World War some of his medals below will be in the good hands of his grandson Julian Benson currently with the The Royal Regiment of Canada a reserve of the Canadian Army (hope I got that right Julian) therefor I photographed and found some links for the other grandchildren to reference as there are very few survivors now and WW2 will soon be complete history.
 
Laurence was pretty serious man, most of the time, but I can picture him, right now, chuckling too hard to finish one of his many stories – I think that is how I would like to remember him. RIP Laurence. xxxooo
 
1939-1945 Star
http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/medals-decorations/details/11
 
France and Germany Star
http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/medals-decorations/details/19
 
Canadian Volunteer Service Medal
http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/medals-decorations/details/21
 
War Medal 1939-1945
http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/medals-decorations/details/23
21 Dec

Death Is Nothing At All

Death is nothing at all.
It does not count.
I have only slipped away into the next room.
Nothing has happened.

Everything remains exactly as it was.
I am I, and you are you,
and the old life that we lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged.
Whatever we were to each other, that we are still.

Call me by the old familiar name.
Speak of me in the easy way which you always used.
Put no difference into your tone.
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.

Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes that we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.
Let my name be ever the household word that it always was.
Let it be spoken without an effort, without the ghost of a shadow upon it.

Life means all that it ever meant.
It is the same as it ever was.
There is absolute and unbroken continuity.
What is this death but a negligible accident?

Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?
I am but waiting for you, for an interval,
somewhere very near,
just round the corner.

All is well.
Nothing is hurt; nothing is lost.
One brief moment and all will be as it was before.
How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting when we meet again!

By Henry Scott-Holland

16 Dec

Angela Molinari (De Matos)

We lost the heart of our family on Saturday. Our beautiful mother fought many battles with such dignity and concern for her family, never herself. I am so grateful for the extraordinary care my sister Lili gave my Mom and Dad these past 5 years with her battling lymphoma cancer. We are heartbroken but together we will enter this next chapter of our lives and be grateful that the suffering is over. My wish for my family is that they all, like I do, feel her love deep inside and her voice in their head whenever they need to talk to her, as I do.

Angela Molinari (De Matos), age 74, fought a great battle with Lymphoma Cancer but sadly passed away on December 16th, 2017 peacefully at home in Mississauga with her husband of 56 years and family that cherished her.

Angela is loved and remembered by her husband Ricardo, children Fernando (Karen), Silvina (Warren), Lili and Ricky. Grandchildren Alex, Sean and Carina. Brother José De Matos (Betty) Family: De Matos, Simó, Vaccaro, Alvarez, Hernandez and the rest of her family and friends both near and far.

Rest in peace now mom and spend Christmas in Heaven, till we meet again.
In lieu of a funeral service, a celebration of life will be announced at a later date.
Angela Molinari: April 1 1943 – December 16 2017

15 Dec

Gone

It won’t be long until I’m gone, remember me.
Those quiet early mornings when everything is still, remember me.
That is how I’ll know a piece of me will always be.

December 2017 – Silvina Stover

 

16 Aug

Helen Stover

August 23, 1929 – August 16 2017

Heaven received a very special angel 😇 today, my mother-in-law was a sweet lady, the best cook ever and dedicated so much of her time as a volunteer to help others. Love you forever and the memories and photos will always keep you close to our hearts ❤️ RIP Helen

23 May

Relay For Life, thank you Julie – friends are everything!

This years relay is dedicated to Angela who is a FIGHTER! Diagnosed with B-cell lymphoma non-hodgkins Stage 4 in July 2013, Angela does not know the word “quit”. her strength and determination are a huge inspiration to her family and friends. I am honoured to relay for Angela this year!

I’ve accepted the baton and will be participating in Relay For Life to raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society. Will you help me reach my goal by making a donation?  Any amount you can give helps. It all adds up!

Together, we can help create a world where no one fears cancer!

Thanks,

29 Dec

Mom

My mother is not well, battling numerous disorders including non-Hodgkin lymphoma cancer.

Today she called me to let me know that she was not well last night, burning fever, sweating and just not right.  She said she felt like there were two of her and she was speaking to all of us (her children) letting us know things like how much she loves us, that there is no will, to take care of each other, basically final thoughts.  She thought she was dying.  Not sure why, but I feel compelled to right this down.

I believe she had an out of body experience.  You usually here of this and visions of deceased relatives, she only saw us living one – that gave me some peace.

Picture:  May 16th 2017 Leaving hospital day after Mother’s Day

 

13 Sep

Yusuf / Cat Stevens “A Cat’s Attic Tour”

Nida, Tadas, Stover and I at the ” A Cat’s Attic Tour”

csqrjf2waaaivrh-jpg_large

Yusuf / Cat Stevens takes fans on career ride in Toronto
By John Williams, Postmedia Network

The peace train is full steam ahead once again.

The man formerly known as Cat Stevens, now going by the official handle Yusuf / Cat Stevens, kicked off his acoustic A Cat’s Attic Tour before a sold-out crowd at Toronto’s Sony Centre for the Performing Arts on Monday night.

It was all in celebration of his 50th anniversary of his first single, I Love My Dog, released way back in 1966.

The notoriously reclusive singer-songwriter was anything but, as he opened up with stories behind some of his most famous songs.

Dressed in jeans and a grey T-shirt, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer was greeted to a standing ovation before he even played a single note.

And despite it being only his second North American tour since 1978, there were no signs of rust as he launched into Where Do the Children Play? off of his classic 1970 album, Tea For the Tillerman.

The stage looked like something out of a Broadway play, with a full moon shining over a cabin, complete with rustic chairs, boxes of vinyl records and a smoking chimney.

His backing band – which included Eric Appapoulay on guitar and Kwame Yeboah on bass, piano and percussion – were outstanding, and even had Yusuf looking back at them at certain points in amazement.

He told stories early on about his love for Natalie Wood and West Side Story, wanting to be a member of the Beatles (which segued into a stunning version of Love Me Do), and the Neil Diamond-composed I’m a Believer (made famous by the Monkees) keeping him at No. 2 on the charts, a song that he stated was “horrible” (in jest, of course).

Meanwhile, one fan screamed out “Toronto loves you!” between songs, and Yusuf responded with one thumb up and said with a wry smile, “They give me such a hard time getting in here.”

Well played, sir.

A rousing version of The First Cut Is the Deepest had those in attendance back up on their feet again, with Yusuf looking genuinely thrilled by the thunderous applause.

After shunning the spotlight for decades, it seems he’s come to grips with his rock star past.

He told a tale of his brush with death after almost drowning in the ocean of the California coast in 1976, which was the catalyst for his switch from rock star to philanthropist. “I made a promise that if God saved me, I’d work for him,” Yusuf said, as he belted out a great cover of The Impressions’ People Get Ready.

Other standouts included Bad Night, which he told a tale of debauchery in his early days on the road: “You smoke and you drink like one does… especially when you tour with Jimi Hendrix.”

The hits were out in full force as well, with Father and Son (with the crowd in full sing-a-long mode), Peace Train, Morning Has Broken and Another Saturday Night all being played in the last half of the set.

The nearly three-hour journey all came to a close with stunning versions of Wild World, Moonshadow and Oh Very Young, and it also ended the way it started – with fans on their feet.

“I hope you’re enjoying this trip,” Yusuf remarked.

We sure did.

Full setlist:

Where Do the Children Play?

If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out

Somewhere (West Side Story)

Love Me Do (Beatles cover)

Here Comes My Baby

The First Cut Is the Deepest

I Love My Dog

Matthew & Son (with Tears For Fears Mad World snippet)

Northern Wind (The Death of Billy the Kid)

A Bad Night

Trouble

I Wish, I Wish

Lilywhite/Don’t Be Shy

Pop Star

On the Road to Find Out

Second set:

Miles From Nowhere

Into White

Father and Son

You Can Do (Whatever)

The Wind

Peace Train

Morning Has Broken

How Can I Tell You

Ruins

Another Saturday Night (Sam Cooke cover)

Novim’s Nightmare

People Get Ready (The Impressions cover)

Be What You Must

Just Another Night

Maybe There’s a World/All You Need Is Love

Wild World

Encore:

Moonshadow

You Are My Sunshine (Pine Ridge Boys cover)

Oh Very Young

14 Aug

Tragically Hip’s last ever concert in Toronto

hipThe Man Machine Poem Tour

The Tragically Hip have existed the building.

The legendary Canadian band took their final bow in Toronto at the Air Canada Centre last night. The third, and final, night of their Man Machine Poem tour was certainly one filled with emotions – from fans and the band alike.

Another sold-out crowd sang along to the 26-song set list, cherishing the moments of the final show. There were visible tears among fans, especially when Gord Downie seemed to have an emotional and tearful moment on stage. But emotions aside, the band put on one hell of a performance, and Downie’s dance moves throughout the evening energized the crowd. And as the city danced along, many will certainly remember this as “that night in Toronto.”

The Tragically Hip’s final tour continues this week, ending in Kingston on August 20.

The-Tragically-Hip-160810-ACC-Mike-Fowler-15Photo by MIKE S. FOWLER for CORUS ENT.

26 Jul

Napoleon Hill’s Thought for the Day

If you must let someone down, be sure it isn’t the friend who helped you up when you were down.

We all have short memories. We become preoccupied with our own interests and daily cares, and it’s easy to lose track of friends. There will always be times when you must choose between what you wish to do and what you must do. When you are faced with such decisions, make sure you always remember those true and loyal friends who were there when you needed them, and never, under any circumstances, abandon them. When you let down a friend who helped you when you needed it most, you will not only adversely affect the friendship; you will seriously damage your own self-respect. When you fail a friend, regardless of how heavy your own burdens may be, you also fail yourself. If you absolutely cannot do what good friends would like, find another way to make it up to them.