Q&Q Omni Category: Obituary
The most recent 250 items in this category are below. To find something specific, please use the search box.
Obituary: Greg Willett, 1955–2013
After a long battle with colon cancer, Greg Willett, senior tradebook buyer at the UBC Bookstore, died in Vancouver on Feb. 5. He was 57... Read the rest »
Jane Irwin, 1941–2013
Jane Irwin, the former co-owner of A Different Drummer Books in Burlington, Ontario, died on Feb. 7 after suffering a stroke. Irwin was 71 years... Read the rest »
Daryl Hine, 1936–2012
Celebrated Canadian poet and translator Daryl Hine has passed away. He died Aug. 20 in his Evanston, Illinois, home, according to a press release from... Read the rest »
Former Globe and Mail literary editor William French dies
William French, a fixture at The Globe and Mail for 42 years and the newspaper’s last full-time book critic, died in Toronto on July 24.... Read the rest »
Basil Stuart-Stubbs, 1930–2012
Former University of British Columbia chief librarian Basil Stuart-Stubbs died this week. Stuart-Stubbs had a long, distinguished, and mostly behind-the-scenes career in Canadian publishing.... Read the rest »
Robin Marlatt Farr: 1926-2012
Robin Farr, a builder of Canadian publishing and one of its true gentlemen, died last week in Oakville, Ontario, at the age of 85. Farr... Read the rest »
Harald Bohne, 1929–2012
A pioneer of independent Canadian publishing has died. Harald Bohne, a past president of both the Canadian Booksellers Association and the Association of Canadian Publishers,... Read the rest »
Children’s author Joyce Barkhouse leaves behind a Maritime legacy
Children’s author Joyce Barkhouse, best known for her 1990 novel Pit Pony, died in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, on Feb. 2. Barkhouse was 98 years old.... Read the rest »
Publishing veteran, author, and journalist Fred Kerner dies at 90
Fred Kerner, editor emeritus at Harlequin, died on Dec. 24. He was 90. An author, journalist, editor, and publisher, Kerner was named editorial director... Read the rest »
Nora Alleyn, 1933–2011
Nora Alleyn, who came to literary translation as a second career, brought the work of French Canadian writers and poets to an English-language audience. She... Read the rest »
Richard Landon, 1942–2011
Richard Landon, longtime director of the University of Toronto’s Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, died in Toronto on Oct. 5 of cancer. He was 68.... Read the rest »
Designer Glenn Goluska remembered with a typeface in his name
Glenn Goluska, an iconic figure in Canadian typography and book design, died last month after a short battle with lung cancer. He was 64.... Read the rest »
Ben McNally Books to host Karen Cossar memorial
A memorial service for Karen Cossar will take place Sept. 19 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Ben McNally Books in Toronto. Cossar, who previously... Read the rest »
Karen Cossar: 1965–2011
Karen Cossar, a former rising star in the Canadian publishing industry, has died. Cossar was found in her home in Toronto’s Summerhill neighbourhood on July... Read the rest »
Robert Kroetsch: 1927–2011
The death of iconic Canadian novelist, poet, and critic Robert Kroetsch comes as a blow to Canada’s literary community, which is mourning the loss of... Read the rest »
John Lavery, 1949–2011
After a battle with cancer, Gatineau author John Lavery died on May 8 at the age of 61. In 2010, Lavery published his first... Read the rest »
Maynard Gertler, 1916–2011
Quebec publishing pioneer and social activist Maynard Gertler died in Montreal on April 19th at age 94. Gertler received the Order of Canada in 2003... Read the rest »
May Cutler remembered by former Tundra colleagues
The founder of Tundra Books, May Cutler, died after prolonged illness on Thursday, March 3, surrounded by family at her Montreal home. She was 87... Read the rest »
Michael Van Rooy: 1968–2011
Crime novelist Michael Van Rooy, a tireless supporter of the Winnipeg writing scene, has died at age 42. Van Rooy was on a book tour... Read the rest »
Dennis Johnson, 1952–2011
Dennis Johnson, the former publisher of Red Deer Press, has died. The 58-year-old suffered a heart attack on Tuesday while vacationing in Mexico. “As... Read the rest »
Ivon Owen: 1923-2010
Influential Canadian editor Ivon Owen, co-founder of literary magazine The Tamarack Review, died last week in Toronto of complications from Alzheimer’s and lung disease. He... Read the rest »
John Hatfield: 1929–2010
Leishman Books co-owner Sally Hawks first met Ottawa bookseller John Hatfield when she was a sales rep for General Publishing in 1987. Things didn’t go... Read the rest »
Georges Laberge: 1931-2010: Saying goodbye to a Canadian publishing pioneer
Georges Laberge, an innovator in the Quebec and Canadian book industries for five decades, died in Montreal on Feb. 13 after a long battle with... Read the rest »
Paul Quarrington remembered: Nino Ricci Reflects on his friend’s cultural legacy
Artistically, Paul Quarrington came of age at the same time the country did. He started in music, dropping out of university to play bass with... Read the rest »
P.K. Page: 1916-2010
The renowned Canadian poet, author, and artist P.K. Page has died. According to news reports, the 93-year-old writer died in her home in Oak Bay,... Read the rest »
In memoriam
Some Canadian publishing figures we said goodbye to in 2008. Robert Weaver, editor and broadcaster Val Ross, author... Read the rest »
Alberta bookseller dies
Barbara Mousseau, the former owner of Volume II Bookstore in Edmonton, has died. A lifelong Edmontonian, Mousseau purchased Volume II in the early 1980s... Read the rest »
Nancy Fleming: 1931-2008
Nancy Fleming, a respected behind-the-scenes player in Canadian publishing and an irrepressible advocate of freedom of expression, died peacefully on Monday at Toronto Western Hospital... Read the rest »
Gabriele Schreiber: 1951-2008
Veteran library sales rep Gabriele Schreiber died suddenly on Feb. 14. Schreiber had worked for Random House of Canada for about 20 years, and since... Read the rest »
Val Ross: 1950-2008
The noted Canadian journalist and occasional children’s book author Val Ross, who died last weekend after a four-month battle with brain cancer, was hard at... Read the rest »
Carol Smith: 1921-2008
Former bookstore owner Carol Smith died in Calgary on Jan. 23. She was 86 years old. Smith owned the Hamilton Bookcellar in the late... Read the rest »
Robert Fitzhenry: 1918-2008
One of the grand old men of Canadian publishing, Robert Fitzhenry, died in his sleep last week at the age of 89. The former Fitzhenry... Read the rest »
June Callwood, 1924-2007: Widening our gaze, strengthening our hearts
The many tributes to June Callwood since her death on April 14 have focused on her social activism and on her astonishing record of launching... Read the rest »
A model for all public intellectuals: Jane Jacobs was the best urban renewal criticwrites Alex Bozikovic, because for her it was personal
Jane Jacobs was the ultimate amateur, in the best sense of the word. While seeking work in 1930s Manhattan, she found herself in... Read the rest »
Obituary: Verne Clemence
Saskatoon author, journalist, and critic Verne Clemence died on May 12. He was 67. Clemence’s passing came 10 days after he suffered an aneurysm,... Read the rest »
Obituary: Sheldon Oberman
Winnipeg children's author, storyteller, and teacher Sheldon Oberman died of gastric cancer March 26 at the age of 54. In an eclectic career that spanned... Read the rest »
Poet was "one of the best": John Newlove (1938-2003)
Known as a poet’s poet and poet’s editor, John Newlove was a roaring figure of life and vigour, his dark and worrisome alcoholic episodes offsetting... Read the rest »
Writer sought voice of Canada's people: Barry Broadfoot (1926-2003)
Barry Broadfoot, the author of several popular oral histories – including Ten Lost Years, Six War Years, and The Pioneer Years – died last November... Read the rest »
Carol Shields: 1935-2003
Endings are all anyone remembers, according to Jack Bowman, the protagonist of Carol Shields’ 1980 novel Happenstance and, as with most of Shields’ characters, you’re... Read the rest »
A champion of the everyday: Carol Shields was renowned for her wry portraits of ordinary lives
Canadian literature lost one of its most beloved authors when Carol Shields yielded to a long battle with cancer on July 16, at her home... Read the rest »
Catherine McKay
Canada’s book community lost a strong voice in April when Catherine McKay, owner of Calgary’s Pages Books on Kensington, died from complications due to cancer.... Read the rest »
Trailblazing YA author Monica Hughes dies: YA author remembered for her extraordinary body of work
Canadian young-adult literature lost one of its founding members on Mar. 7, when Monica Hughes died unexpectedly after a stroke. The 77-year-old writer published... Read the rest »
Publishing loses two pioneers
Peter Martin Canadian publishing pioneer Peter Martin has died. One of the earliest of the new generation of publishers to emerge in the 1960s,... Read the rest »
Remembering Ross: Author and academic helped shape CanLit
Malcolm Ross, who helped to launch McClelland & Stewart’s New Canadian Library series, died in Halifax on Nov. 4 at the age of 91. Here Nova Scotia author Lesley Choyce pays tribute to Ross. Read the rest »
Munro’s buyer wrote poetry
Munro’s Books children’s buyer Denise Cammiade died on Nov. 20. Munro’s owner Jim Munro pays tribute to his longtime colleague. Denise had been with... Read the rest »
Obituary / Joan Bodger
Storyteller and children’s author Joan Bodger died in Tofino, B.C., in July – just two years after publishing a well-received autobiography. She was 79.... Read the rest »
Tributes to Tiff
Over his long career Timothy Findley touched many lives in the book trade. Here, editors, writers, and booksellers remember the Findley they knew. Iris... Read the rest »
The long wave goodbye: Findley’s work dealt with traps, crises, and interrupted relationships
With his passing, Timothy Findley has left a body of work that is distinctly Canadian in its subject matter and innovative in its psychology. In... Read the rest »
Turnstone’s Dias championed authors
The sudden death of Turnstone Press managing editor Manuela Dias has left her colleagues in mourning. Dias, who died unexpectedly on Sept. 4, had... Read the rest »
Mordecai Richler: 1931-2001
Mordecai Richler was a hedgehog not a fox. His prickliness was legendary but I mean what the ancient Greek poet meant by his distinction between... Read the rest »
Richler immortalized Jewish Montreal: Obituary/Mordecai Richler
Canadian literature lost one of its undisputed giants when Mordecai Richler died in a Montreal hospital on July 3. At the time of his death,... Read the rest »
Vancouver writer was adept in many genres: Michael David Kwan dead at 67 from a heart attack
On Friday, May 18, award-winning author Michael David Kwan suffered a heart attack while reading at the Victoria Literary Festival in Vancouver. He died two... Read the rest »
Louis Dudek made poetry irresistible: McGill prof and poet inspired students to write
The Canadian poet Louis Dudek, who co-founded Contact Press in 1952 and taught at McGill University, died in March at the age of 83. Montreal... Read the rest »
Mystery writer used B.C. settings: L.R. “Bunny” Wright brought Canadian locations and characters to crime fiction
On Feb. 25, author L.R. Wright lost a long battle with breast cancer. But the well-known B.C. mystery novelist – known to friends and family... Read the rest »
Obituary / Gail Stewart
Gail Stewart, a longtime executive assistant to Doug Gibson of McClelland & Stewart, died in December 2000 after a two-year struggle with cancer. She is... Read the rest »
Strong-minded poet was passionate for Judaism, feminism
Libby Scheier, the Canadian poet, teacher, activist, and journalist whose distinct writing and fierce personality won the respect of colleagues and students alike, died on... Read the rest »
Corbeil wrote with sharp insight
In his acceptance speech at the Giller Prize gala on Nov. 2, Michael Ondaatje paid tribute to the recently deceased novelist Carole Corbeil, who had... Read the rest »
General VP helped modernize book distribution in Canada
Dorothy Bogdan, former vice-president of General Publishing, died suddenly on Oct. 12, 2000, at the age of 85. Bogdan joined General Publishing as a secretary... Read the rest »
Bernard Assiniwi: Passionate for native culture
Dr. Bernard Assiniwi, the prolific lecturer, writer, and aboriginal historian, died Sept. 4 at age 65 after failing to recover from heart surgery.... Read the rest »
Beverley Endersby edited Alberto Manguel, Rosemary Sullivan: Long-time editor radiated "fierce intelligence"
When Beverley Beetham Endersby died at the age of 51 on Sept. 9, after a long and valiant battle with cancer, her friends both inside... Read the rest »
Cartoonist took up literary causes
Ben Wicks, the cartoonist, writer, and philanthropist who died on Sept. 10 at age 73, left behind a legacy of popular books, cartoons, and an... Read the rest »
Hugh Hood and his world: The late writer perfected a narrative voice unlike any other
Thirty-three years ago, when Canada turned 100, there was a torrent of words. Much of what was written to mark our centennial year is now... Read the rest »
James Barrett Lamb
James Barrett Lamb, a prolific author and journalist perhaps best known for a frequently reprinted newspaper editorial called “The Canada I Love: An Unfashionable Testament,”... Read the rest »
Martyn Godfrey
Young-adult author Martyn Godfrey – a prolific writer with a gift for engaging even the most reluctant readers – died from liver disease on Mar.... Read the rest »
Anne Hebert: a singular voice of wisdom and rigour
The following tribute was written by Odile Tremblay and first appeared in Le Devoir. Translation by Bernard Kelly. Her beautiful, luminous face and her... Read the rest »
Nancy Walsh created student anthology
Nancy Walsh, a key staff member of McMaster University Press and the creator and editor of Main Street, an anthology of student writing that gave... Read the rest »
A writer who
Poet Dennis Lee spoke for many in the literary world with his eulogy for Matt Cohen, the brilliant Canadian writer who died in December at... Read the rest »
A publishing pioneer
The Canadian publishing industry lost a well-known and highly respected colleague on June 11 with the death of Gladys E. Neale, 84. Miss Neale, who... Read the rest »
Saskatchewan poet was "a great spirit"
One of Saskatchewan’s leading literary voices, Anne Szumigalski, died April 22 in Saskatoon from complications related to cancer. She was 77. A founder of... Read the rest »
Brian Moore, 1921-1999
Brian Moore, 1921-1999 During the course of a 40-year career that spanned 19 novels, writer Brian Moore attracted considerable international renown. However, his death... Read the rest »
David H. Duthie
The Vancouver bookselling community lost a venerable member with the death on Oct. 17 of David Hunter Duthie, of Duthie Books in Vancouver. He died... Read the rest »
James H. Gray
Popular western writer and social historian James Henry Gray died in a Calgary nursing home on Nov. 12. He was 92. Gray was born... Read the rest »
Lawrence Jackson
The Canadian writing community lost one of its staunchest supporters of authors’ rights when Newfoundland writer Lawrence “Larry” Jackson, 56, died of brain cancer on... Read the rest »
Merna Mitchell
Merna Hirtle Mitchell, vice-president of W.O. Mitchell Ltd. and wife and creative partner of one of Canada’s best-loved authors, died May 12, aged 78.... Read the rest »
Leslie (Sam) Smart
Leslie Smart, better known as Sam, died apparently of a heart attack at home in Toronto on April 3, age 76. He was a mentor... Read the rest »
Mitchell perpetuated writing's "magic lie": Author, humourist captured meaning in small-town prairie life
W.O. Mitchell, the author of such Canadian classics as Who Has Seen the Wind and Jake and the Kid, died at his home in Calgary... Read the rest »
Tributes to W.O. Mitchell
The following tributes to WO. Mitchell, by writer Sandra Birdsell and M&S publisher Douglas Gibson, were delivered at last year's PanCanadian Wordfest. The piece by... Read the rest »
Obituary: Sheila Watson
Sheila Watson, best known for her novels Deep Hollow Creek (1992) and The Double Hook- published in 1959 and considered by many to be the... Read the rest »
Obituary: Catherine keachie
Catherine Keachie, president of the Canadian Magazine Publishers Association (CMPA) and longtime member of the book publishing industry died on Dec. 13 at 47.... Read the rest »
Obituaries: Robin Skelton, Robert Gordon Mitchell
ROBIN SKELTON Robin Skelton, the West Coast literary Magus, teacher, and poet who founded The Malahat Review and whose life inspired and amused many... Read the rest »
McKee was library advocate
Canadian public libraries lost one of their great champions when Penny McKee, who retired last December as director of the Edmonton Public Library, died on... Read the rest »
Coles founder dead at 76
Jack Cole, the retail book maverick whose aggressive “supermarket” approach to merchandising revolutionized the business of bookselling in Canada, died on Jan. 22 in Toronto.... Read the rest »
Bernard (Barney) Sandwell
A forthright advocate of Canadian publishing, Bernard (Barney) Sandwell, died in Kamloops, B.C. on Dec. 22 at the age of 81. He began his... Read the rest »
Jack Jensen, Dorothy Livesay
JACK JENSEN Jack Jensen, who was a senior sales executive for McClelland & Stewart, once worked as none other than Marilyn Monroe’s driver. This is... Read the rest »
Mary Newitt
MARY NEWITT Members of the publishing industry who first met Mary Newitt over the telephone remember her as the person who could always make them... Read the rest »
Doug Brown
Doug Brown, a longtime sales rep and bon vivant, died Aug. 12 following a brief bout with cancer. He had just turned 50. Brown’s... Read the rest »
Janice Handford
A tireless champion of books and the proficient administrative presence behind the Organization of Book Publishers of Ontario (OBPO), Janice Evelyn Handford, 45, died in... Read the rest »
Rosalind MacPhee
Author Rosalind MacPhee, 50, who wrote about her struggle with cancer and coming to terms with her mastectomy in Picasso’s Woman: A Breast Cancer Story... Read the rest »
British literary agent touted Canadian books abroad
The Canadian publishing industry lost one of its best overseas ambassadors in March, when literary agent Carolyn Brunton, 47, died of cancer in London. Manager... Read the rest »
Ross pioneered prairie fiction
"Out of a sprawling sunset, ragged and unkempt,...” Thus begins “No Other Way,” Sinclair Ross’s first published short story, which appeared in Nash’s Pall-Mall in... Read the rest »
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