Mt. Pleasant Cemetery Toronto

I made my annual pilgrimage to Mt. Pleasant Cemetery today to catch the start of the cherry blossoms. It will be a few days of spectacular colours and community gathering. The cherry blossom is considered the national flower of Japan.

Helene Winston (1922–2004) On my beautiful fall walk through the cremation gardens at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Toronto, I discovered the urn niche of Winnipeg-born actress, Helene Winston. Helene was best known to Canadian audiences for her role as Gladys King on the 1970s sitcom King of Kensington, where she charmed viewers with her wit […]

Although Neil Peart is not buried here (yet), the remains of his first wife (Jackie) and daughter (Selena) are interred in this quiet, secluded part of the cemetery. Glass images of Neil and his family are etched at the top of the monument. Neil died in Santa Monica on January 7, 2020. He was 67. […]

When 15-year-old James Franceschini stepped off the boat from Pescara, Italy, in 1906, he arrived in Canada with no money and barely a word of English.But what he lacked in wealth, he made up for with determination. Before long, James had launched his own small contracting business. He carefully saved every dollar, invested in equipment, […]

On my walk through Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Toronto and Alliston Union Cemetery in Alliston, Ontario, I visited the final resting places of two men who changed the way Canadians shop for food—John Milton Cork and Theodore P. Loblaw, co-founders of Loblaw Groceterias. John Milton Cork was born in Picton, Ontario, and began his career […]

On My Walk with Holy Ann On a quiet walk through Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in Toronto, with my glass cross in hand, I stumbled upon the grave of Ann Preston—better known simply as “Holy Ann.” Born in Ireland in 1810, Ann emigrated to Canada in the 1830s, accompanying a physician’s family as their housekeeper. They […]

On my damp walk at Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in Toronto, I discovered the unique grave of shoe manufacturer and museum founders, Thomas and Sonja Bata. Born in the Czech Republic, Thomas Bata learned the shoe business from his father, who owned a successful manufacturing company. Tragically, Thomas’s father passed away when Thomas was only 17, […]

On my enjoyable Spring walk at Mt. Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto. I discovered the grave of the family who brought us stove appliances still likely in your home or cottage, Thomas Lang Moffat Jr. Founders of Moffat Appliances.

Edward “Eddie” Greenspan – on my walk at Mt. Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto, I discovered the grave of the great lawyer, Eddie Greenspan.