Arthur Almer Hughes

With great sadness I, Joan Hughes, announce the death of Arthur A. Hughes, my dearly loved husband and best friend. He was a wonderful father to our seven children Peter, Jan, Wendy Susan, Kate, Mary Jo, Bill and Sarah Beth. We have thirteen grandchildren and three great grandchildren. Art and I just celebrated our 65th wedding anniversary last fall. We had a lot to celebrate as our marriage has been full of love and care. He will always be my “Ummer” but to others he was known as “Double AA”.

Art was born 88 years ago in Kent Bridge, Ontario to his parents Jim and Eva Hughes. He was the seventh of eight children. He came to Toronto with his brother J.R. after the war to become a professional engineer. He graduated from the University of Toronto in 1950, the same year we married 65 years ago.

After graduation, he was lured by Union Carbide to work for them in Toronto. He was transferred many times to different cities. We and the children moved back and forth across Canada every two years. We lived for seven years in Unionville in a quaint 200 year old house that used to be a jail. All the “little kids” started school there and our three eldest daughters graduated high school. We then moved to Connecticut for two years as Art was working in New York City. We had a cottage in Muskoka for twenty five years and to the children that was our real home.

Art retired after 25 years, and moved on to become President of Canadian Welding Gas with offices in Oshawa, Peterborough, Belleville and Kingston. In retirement we spent our winters in Venice, Florida and lived in Cobourg and Prince Edward County.

He had a great sense of humour often dancing in the kitchen while singing – Dance with the Dolly with a hole in her stocking. And he had a great appreciation of classic music, Mozart was his favourite. Relaxing before dinner we listened to the Brahms Serenade in A. We had quite a wonderful life.

He leaves the last of his family, his sister Kate in Blenheim, Ontario.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation are welcome.

There will be a memorial service at a later date.

Good night, sweet prince,

And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest! Shakespeare, Hamlet