John & Mary Twomey

John E. Twomey, retired Professor Emeritus of Ryerson University’s School of Radio and Television Arts, passed away on January 4, 2021, from Covid-19 related pneumonia. He was 91. Born on August 23, 1929, in Chicago, Il, he was the third of seven children. After his military service in the Korean War, John earned an MA in Communications from the University of Chicago. Because of this then-unique experience, the CBC offered him a position in 1958 in the Audience Research and Publicity department, prompting John and his new wife Mary to move to Toronto, both of whom eventually became Canadian citizens.

Née Buchanan on January 29, 1931, in Cuyuna, MN, Mary was the eldest of three children, all raised in Jamestown, ND. Her musical gifts in piano and voice were evident from an early age, leading her to pursue musical studies at Jamestown College. Her wonderful soprano solo performances made her renown as the girl with the golden voice. At age 20, she obtained a BA in Music and began teaching high school history and music in Hankinson and Williston, ND. While she couldn’t maintain her teaching career in Toronto, she did continue singing with the choir at Our Saviour Anglican Church in Don Mills. All three of Mary and John’s children also sang in the choir, and the couple were long-standing members of the church. She also applied her teaching skills conducting tours of the Toronto Reference Library during her years working at the Life Management Centre. Mary predeceased John on October 11, 2020, of natural causes.

A few years after joining the CBC, John was later promoted to producing and writing in the Schools and Youth Department, working on the shows Butternut Square (which later became Mr. Dressup), Friendly Giant, Mister Rogers and Passport to Adventure with Elwy Yost (which became Magic Shadows on TVO). In 1969, John began his career at Ryerson when he was appointed Chairman of the School of Radio and Television Arts, and manager of CJRT-FM. At RTA, until his retirement in 1989, he improved the professional standards of the course, lectured on TV management and facilitated the foundation of the student radio station. On several occasions, he surprised the first-year class with an appearance of the Friendly Giant himself, actor Bob Homme. During his sabbatical year in 1978, he published a report on the status of historical archives of Canadian TV productions.

John and Mary were both passionate about education, music, movies and their lives in Canada. They are survived by their children Chris (Terry), John (Laurie) and Sarah; granddaughters Carlin and Meghan Twomey; and extended family in the United States.

The family wishes to thank the tireless staff at the North York General Hospital, Donway Revera and Thompson House. There are no immediate plans for a memorial due to the current pandemic restrictions. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in their memory to the Better Living Charitable Foundation.