| M.G. Daly Funeral Home Ltd. |
| Mazer, Joel Howard |
We have lost a Renaissance man - Joel H Mazer of Collingwood Ontario - to the demands of a full rich life. He was blessed with an active and lucid mind to his last minutes. A stimulating New Year’s at Lake St Peter was his favourite holiday, surrounded by his many grandchildren, playing bridge, discussing the world’s events, regaling all with family stories and atrocious puns. He died peacefully at Bancroft, Ontario while visiting with his son at his treasured Lake St Peter, on Jan. 9 th, aged 91. Predeceased by his beloved wife Catharine and daughter Meredith, he leaves his sons Michael, Adam and Andrew, and his 10 grandchildren. In accordance with the spirit of jewish and family tradition, he was cremated on Friday the 11 th . There will be a celebratory gathering when his gardens are back in bloom, in Collingwood, likely near bed 54’s hot day lilies, or possibly number 37 near Catharine’s roses! The interment will be around Father’s Day, at Puslinch Cemetery. Reflecting on his life’s course, Joel joined the family’s fashion jewelry manufacturing business, re-engineering the casting and plating departments, and after assuming the CEO’s role, he designed the spring and fall product lines. For inspiration he traveled to Paris, Milan, and London, and sourced stones and carved filigree fittings while in Japan. Much later, with retirement not providing enough stimulation, he developed a precious metals recovery operation, relying on his chemistry training, and Andy’s drive. His gifts and capabilities ranged from artistry to engineering, from award winning gardening to athletics. A self taught classical pianist whose ear was trained by his cellist mother, he filled the house with Beethoven’s Für Elise to suggest to Catharine that they were late for an entertainment Relief from stress came from drag racing his cherished XKE Jaguar convertible and downhill skiing in Collingwood, and Italy . His participation in varsity football at Queen’s University, was matched by his water skiing at Lake St Peter, where he demanded that the children perform “tricks” to justify his effort in driving the boat for their entertainment. He was an early adopter of computer technology, learning to program business computers in 1974, and onwards. He acquired cabinetry skills in 1995, and was still sharpening his planes and chisels months ago, while building an advanced work bench with Adam, at the lake. His recipes for Asian dishes such as siu mai and lichee chicken have been distributed and used by the entire family, while also refining and polishing all the heritage traditional dishes of both sides of the family. Less obvious were his fundamental character traits. He held himself to a fierce moral and ethical code, and expected the same from others. Tempering this was his empathetic grasp of people’s challenges, looking for ways he could provide support in any way, enriching the lives of all with whom he came in contact. His deepest motivation was to teach, and his favorite target was his grandchildren. Anything from wood working for musical instruments or making trims and moldings, to growing his heritage tomatoes from seed, or thai hot peppers, Joel was intent on passing on knowledge and skills, thought and history. Broadly read, he loved to discuss history and philosophy, theology and aesthetics, logic and the future, often forecasting developments decades in advance, including the impact of computers and remote work. Much of this took place during bouts of crib over his brass cribbage board at the kitchen table looking out over his blooming garden beds. We can only be appreciative of the heritage Joel has bequeathed us and aspire to live up to his joy in life. Arrangements entrusted to M.G. Daly Funeral Home, Maynooth. (613) 338-3259 (Condolence messages may be e-mailed to This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it or visit www.mgdalyfuneralhome.com). |