Gentleman. Funny. Brilliant. These are some of the words used by those who loved him to describe my father, George Waugh.
George was born on April 16, 1936 in the East End of London, England. He was born within the sound of the Bow Bells. That made him a true cockney, as was evident whenever you heard him revert to his original, true accent. We believe his mother named him after the late King George V who died a few months before he was born.
My grandmother, Lily, was a single mother at a time when it was very hard to be a single mother. She mostly worked in domestic service, working and living in large houses in London as a maid. My father was truly a beautiful child with a big mop of blonde curly hair. So, often, the lady of the house would let him play in the nursery with her children. Dad remembered wonderful toys growing up, wooden rocking horses and lead soldiers.
But, during the second world war everything changed. Lily found it difficult to get work in the grand homes and so she and George lived in a small flat. These were hard years and food and coal to keep them warm were scarce. Dad would speak of rummaging through the rubble left by the bombings every night in London during the Blitz, and finding little treasures that the young boys would trade. Bits of string or mirror, or the ultimate a jagged, sharp, dangerous piece of shrapnel. He remembered going into the bomb shelters which for him was an underground station, to wait out the bombings. For him, a child of 5, it was like a strange party where the children would play, oblivious to the danger surrounding them.
A few years later, after the war was over, Lily married Ian Waugh. He was a frail, sweet, and simple man whom my father absolutely adored. A few years later my father’s brother Barrie was born. Dad loved Barrie very much and would take care of him, feed him, and take him to his nursery school every day.
In high school dad was a prefect and became Head Boy. He excelled at arts and maths winning an Art Competition for all of London and came second for all of England in a math competition. But his family didn’t have the resources to send him to university so, after graduating, dad joined the British army. He became a Military Police officer stationed in Berlin, Germany. On a weekend off he, and his friends, went into East Germany for a bit of fun. Overnight the Berlin wall was established, at first just with barbed wire and armed guards. They all changed into civilian clothes and convinced the guards they were tourists and managed to get back into West Berlin.
After the army dad did many jobs including working as a china salesman in John Lewis, a car repossessor, and a credit collector. Then, in August 1965 he went on a week trip to a resort in Majorca, Spain. And there, he met the love of his life, Maria.
By October 1966 they were married and came to Canada to join Maria’s family here in January 1967 during a terrible snow storm. Dad said seeing the blizzard and the huge jackets and boots that the family brought for them in airport, they almost turned around and took the next flight back to London. But they didn’t, and dad joined Maria’s large family in Canada. He had brothers-in-law of Charlie, Pete, Wilf, Vince, and Joe, and sisters-in-law of Connie, Sossie, Dorrie, Joan and Dorris.
He found a good job as a ticket seller for Greyhound and he and mom rented a skyscraper apartment and established a life here. George was a man of many talents and had many divers jobs including salesman, Process Server, Car Repo man (where one guy chased him with a gun) and Private Investigator (I used to tell people that my father was “Cannon”, a Private I on a TV show in the 1970s).
Two years later I was born and they were thrilled as they both wanted a baby very much. They were wonderful parents who loved me as much as any parent could. And they loved each other which made my childhood a happy one. Many of you may remember George dressing up as Santa Claus (because the real Santa was busy of course) at our family Christmas parties. He was always quick with a joke – sometimes having to make the kids leave the room first. He enjoyed our family card games, going to Preston Lake in our trailer in the summers, and was always ready to have a good time.
I met a friend in Grade 1 called Sharon and quickly our two families became life long friends. George always considered Harry, Mary, Nikki, and Sharon Hainey as family. We went to Florida together in 1982 and enjoyed many other outings together over the years. We spent Christmas and New Years together throughout my childhood and the New Year tradition has lived on to this day. Through Harry George met a number of good friends who he played cards with every week for many years. They would go away for golfing and cards to a cottage for a weekend every year which my father really looked forward to.
In 1975 George was hired by Consumers Gas to be a credit clerk. He stayed with Consumers which became Enbridge until his retirement in 1998. With little education, this brilliant man had risen to the position of co-ordinator of special projects by his retirement. He made many friends at Consumers including Barbara-Ann Crosier, Jim O’Shaughnessy, and Ramsay Singh.
In 1980 Jacqui was in her first play at the Whitby Theatre. Dad helped produce the play and he was bitten by the theatre bug. He had never been on stage, but helped by reading so the women could audition for 3 one act plays at The Whitby Theatre and was given the lead part of Pluto, god of the underworld, in “Ah Euridice”. That began a wonderful stretch of shows at the Whitby and Oshawa Little Theatres. Among his favourite parts were Alfie Doolittle in “My Fair Lady”, Andrew Wyke in “Sleuth”, Sidney Bruhl in “Deathtrap”, and Sir in “The Dresser”. He established the Oshawa Little Theatre Youth Group in 1984 which is still in existence today.
He was then suggested as a quick replacement for an actor who had been in a car accident for a show at Herongate Dinner Theatre. There he met old friends, the Ward family, who we had known as Pat and Anne Ward had been my first drama teachers in a Saturday morning drama class at the library where Pat was librarian. It was meant to be; and dad found a theatre home at Herongate where he performed for over 20 years. Some of his favourites were Jonathan Brewster in “Arsenic and Old Lace”, Willie Clark in “The Sunshine Boys”, Sir William in “Don’t Just Lie There, Say Something!”, Ben Chambers in “Norman, Is that You?”, and the scruffy Ferris in “Bedside Manners”. Herongate brought him many happy memories and life-long friends including Anne Ward & Steve Graham, Al Ward, Pat Ward & Arthur Sugarman, Bob Whitefield, Andrea Risk, Geoff Coulter, Chris Cole, Paul & Maggie Frances, Don & Rose Green & Kelly Moss & Mel Coolie
In 1988 Jacqui met Rick and Rick joined our little family and became the son George never had. My parents, along with Rick’s family of Dinarte, Alda & Sue, gave us a beautiful wedding and I know my father was very proud. He gave a moving, funny, and memorable speech at my wedding which many of us will never forget.
I am so happy that he enjoyed a long, 22 year, retirement. He and Maria travelled, and took cruises, and loved looking after their beautiful grandchildren Sarah and David. They enjoyed taking the grandchildren to Cullen Gardens, the Christmas pantomime each year, and anything else that came into town like Disney on Ice or the Circus. My father said he couldn’t believe how much love he felt for these two little people, but, George was always full of love so it didn’t surprise me.
When he lost Maria in 2013 he was devastated. He adored Maria and had taken such good care of her the last years of her life as she was very ill for a long time. We asked him to come and live with us when she was gone and he was so happy to join our home. We bought a house where he could have his own apartment thereby retaining his independence but having the security of a loving home and family.
In 2014 George had a spiritual awakening. He worked with Father Freddie here at St. Rose of Lima, to convert from Church of England to Catholicism. Father Freddie said that at 76, George was his oldest convert. Dad had his first communion and confirmation in May of 2015 with me as his sponsor.
A few years later he joined the Scarborough Centre for Healthy Communities. There he made many friends and so enjoyed his art classes, luncheons and special events that the Centre sponsored. The Centre gave him so much pleasure the past few years.
In December 2019 the whole family went to Walt Disney World for a much anticipated vacation. Dad couldn’t wait for this trip and thoroughly enjoyed seeing the beautifully Christmas decorated buildings and going on the rides. He particularly enjoyed the food, remarking to me that he never had a bad meal the entire week.
Dad passed away from pneumonia on January 22, 2020. Before he passed, in a lucid moment, he told me not to be sad. He said he was so happy because soon he would be with the love of his life. He had missed my mother so much and I’m so happy he’s finally reunited with her. But I’m heartbroken to lose him. I told him the day before he passed that if a man is judged by those who love him, then he must be one of the greatest men on earth because so many people truly loved him. So, yes, he was a gentleman, funny, and brilliant…but I add to that beloved. Beloved by his audiences, beloved by his friends, beloved by his family, and beloved by me. Dad, you have the final bow and it’s a standing ovation.
Your loving daughter,
I’ll love you forever,
Jacqueline Medeiros
Visitation for George will be held Monday, January 27, 2020 from 2 to 4 PM and 6 to 8 PM at Giffen-Mack Funeral Home & Cremation Centre, 4115 Lawrence Ave East, West Hill. The funeral service will occur Tuesday, January 28, 2020 at 10AM at St Rose of Lima, 3216 Lawrence Ave E, Scarborough, ON. Burial will follow at Christ The King.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.giffenmackscarborough.com for the Waugh family.
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