Tag: Obituaries

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Passings: Elizabeth Sabiston

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Elizabeth “Betty” Sabiston – professor emerita in the Department of English in York’s Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, former acting master of Stong College and an accomplished author – passed away at 85 on April 29.

Professors Elizabeth "Betty" Sabiston and Hedi Bouraoui seated at a formal dinner in 1982.
Professors Elizabeth Sabiston (right) and Hedi Bouraoui (left) at a formal dinner circa 1982

Sabiston’s career at York began in 1973. Having started as a contract faculty member, she was eventually promoted and earned tenure. She quickly gained the admiration of graduate and undergraduate students alike, as well as the respect of her colleagues at York and abroad. A dedicated, lifelong educator, Sabiston officially retired from the Department of English in 2006 after a remarkable career as scholar and teacher but continued teaching in post-retirement until 2017.

Born in New York state and raised in New Jersey, Sabiston studied at New York University, Indiana University and Cornell University, before coming to York. She was enthusiastic and knowledgeable about her Scots ancestry, that is, her mother’s lowland background and especially her father’s Orkney roots. With emotional and intellectual connections on both sides of the Atlantic, it is fitting that she specialized in the study of 19th- and 20th-century literature in the U.S. and U.K., with particular attention to women authors. In that area, in addition to numerous journal articles, she published The Prison of Womanhood: Four Provincial Heroines in 19th Century Fiction (1987) and Private Sphere to World Stage from Austen to Eliot (2008).

Her close relationship and intellectual collaboration with novelist, poet and Department of French Studies Professor Hédi Bouraoui led Sabiston to focus her attention on his works, inspiring her books The Muse Strikes Back: Female Narratology in the Novels of Hédi Bouraoui (2005) and Perspectives Critiques: L’Oeuvre d’Hédi Bouraoui (2007) – the latter co-edited with friend and McMaster University Professor Suzanne Crosta, arising from an international conference they organized on Bouraoui’s work. She also translated two of Bouraoui’s novels into English. Her attention to Bouraoui led her to study the literature of migration, one of Bouraoui’s strengths, producing therefrom the volume Pluri-Culture and Migrant Writings (2014), co-edited with Department of Politics Professor Robert J. Drummond.

After Bouraoui founded the Canada-Mediterranean Centre at York, Sabiston aided in its administration and produced the Centre’s bilingual online journal Revue CMC Review.

Sabiston served as senior tutor from 1983 to 1989, and acting master from 1983 to 1984, at York’s Stong College. In retirement she also served on the executive board of the York University Association of Retired Faculty and Librarians. 

Sabiston will be missed dearly by all who knew her.

Friends are welcome to join family at a graveside ceremony for Sabiston on May 9 at 1 p.m. at Elgin Mills Cemetery, 1591 Elgin Mills Rd. E., Richmond Hill. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Elizabeth Sabiston Prize in English at York University would be appreciated. For more information and online condolences, visit www.etouch.ca.

Passings: Luiz Marcio Cysneiros

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Long-serving faculty member Luiz Marcio Cysneiros passed away on March 30. Cysneiros was an associate professor in the School of Information Technology, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, and served York University for more than 20 years.

Luiz Marcio Cysneiros
Luiz Marcio Cysneiros

He was one of the earliest members of the School and played a key role in its evolution. He made significant contributions to the areas of requirements engineering, agent-oriented software development, business modeling and software process.

“Luiz’s passing is a great loss to our School and to the wider academic community. He will be remembered for his many contributions, his kind and compassionate nature, and his unwavering dedication to his students and colleagues,” said Professor Enamul Hoque Prince, director of the School of Information Technology.

“Luiz will always be remembered as a wonderful colleague. When I joined as a new faculty member, he was my go-to person for any questions I had. He was always willing to lend a helping hand and share his insights and knowledge generously,” said Prince.

Cysneiros’ main research areas were requirements engineering, non-functional requirements, requirements for health care domain, agent-oriented software development, business modelling and software process. He was the author of several publications, including book chapters, journal articles, conference papers and more.

The School of Information Technology will host a memorial service at a later date to bring together family, friends and colleagues to share memories and celebrate Cysneiros’ life.

Passings: Michelle Hughes

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The Schulich School of Business has announced that dedicated recruitment coordinator and proud York alumna Michelle Hughes passed away on Tuesday, March 21 after a long battle with cancer, with her family by her side.

A loving and beloved mother, wife and daughter, Hughes leaves behind her husband, John; her children, Christopher, Johan and Samantha (Sage); and her mother, Violet.

Michelle Hughes portrait
Michelle Hughes

In his recent statement honouring Hughes’ memory, Schulich Dean Detlev Zwick wrote, “Michelle was the recruitment and communications coordinator for the Master of Management Program and the Master of Accounting Program. She joined Schulich in 2009 after having worked for nearly a decade as a career advisor at Humber College and DeVry Institute of Technology. She graduated from York University in 1994 with a BA in psychology, and during her time as a student, was elected president of the York Federation of Students (YFS) – a testament to the high esteem in which she was held by her peers.”

Hughes’ steadfast commitment to bettering her community and creating opportunities for others was not only demonstrated in her election as the first Black YFS president, but also through the work she carried out with myriad charities and fundraising initiatives, including: Bring Back our Girls; The Black Link; and Ebony Toastmasters, which she co-founded.

“Michelle was the consummate people person – engaging and caring,” Zwick continued. “She was known for her infectious enthusiasm and energy; her sense of humour; and her positive, can-do disposition. Her motto – proudly displayed as an icon next to her Schulich email – was ‘Work hard and be nice to people.’ When Michelle was hospitalized due to her illness, her colleagues described her as an inspiration to others, and remarked on her strength, grace and sense of compassion.”

Among the many co-workers and alumni whose lives were touched by Hughes, a common refrain has been that her welcoming presence greatly influenced the decisions of many to join the Schulich community.

Zwick noted that, “In her spare time, Michelle worked as a motivational speaker and developed a public speaking program to assist young people in finding their voice and gaining confidence. She was also deeply committed to advocacy on behalf of Black youth and devoted a lot of time and energy to inspiring and mentoring Black students at Schulich. She took great satisfaction in sharing stories about some of the students whose life path and career prospects changed, and she would often say, ‘Changing lives – one or 101 at a time.’”

Hughes’ visitation ceremony will take place on Thursday, March 30 from 4 to 8 p.m. at Turner & Porter’s Butler Chapel in Etobicoke. Her funeral service will follow on Friday, March 31 at 1 p.m. at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church Humber Heights in Etobicoke.

In memory of Hughes, and in observance of her funeral service, the University flag will be lowered to half-mast on Friday.

“Our School will also host a memorial service at a later date to bring together family, friends and colleagues to share our memories and celebrate Michelle’s life,” Zwick said. “Donations received in support of the Michelle Hughes Memorial Fund will allow us to create a new student award in Michelle’s honour.

“The award will be given annually to an incoming Black student in our Master of Management Program with demonstrated community leadership. It is a fitting legacy for Michelle, who was committed to making business education more inclusive and accessible for individuals from Black communities,” he added.

Those wishing to make a donation can do so here; messages of condolences and memories of Michelle, can be shared here.

Passings: Professor Emeritus Michael Brown

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York University’s Israel and Golda Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Studies (CJS) has announced that founding member, esteemed professor emeritus and rabbi, Michael Brown, passed away on March 17 in Montreal.

Professor Emeritus Michael Brown close-up portrait
Michael Brown

“Last year around this time, my fellow Jewish Studies faculty members and I nominated Professor Brown to be recognized with the Association for Canadian Jewish Studies’ 2022 Louis Rosenberg Distinguished Service Award,” CJS Acting Director David S. Koffman wrote in a statement. “It was an honour for which he was eminently due, given his truly superlative accomplishments over the course of his impactful career and lifelong contributions to Canadian Jewish studies. On behalf of the entire Centre’s faculty and community, I extend my deepest sympathies to Michael’s family and friends…”

Brown was born in 1938 in Scranton, PA. He earned a BA from Harvard College in 1960 and a MA from Columbia University in 1963, later training for the rabbinate and becoming ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1968. Returning to academia shortly thereafter, Brown defended his PhD at the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1976.

During his PhD, Brown was sought out by York University to create the Jewish Studies Program. He went on to hire the vast majority of faculty members who would instruct in the program. At York, Brown established the Silber Family Chair in Modern Jewish History, the J. Richard Shiff Chair for the Study of Canadian Jewry and the Koschtizky Family Chair in Jewish Teacher Education before ultimately founding the Israel & Golda Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Studies, which he directed from 1995 to 2002.

Over his half-century career, Brown published in research areas including history, literature, political science and education and became the first university professor to instruct courses in Canadian Jewish life.

His tenure at York saw him teach more than 20 unique courses to thousands of students in every stage of their education, some of these courses included American and Canadian Jewish Literature and History; Zionism in the English-Speaking World; Modern Israeli Literature and Society; Greek and Biblical Traditions; The Final Solution; and Problems in Judaism: Historical, Literary, and Mythological Uses of Jewish History.

Adapting an earlier speech delivered at a ceremony in honour of Brown, Koffman wrote that Brown’s “published work on Jewish education, including Teaching Teachers (2000), with Alex Pomson and Sydney Eisen; Creating the Jewish Future (1999), with Bernard Lightman; and Approaches to Antisemitism: Context and Curriculum (1994), remain influential.

“His leadership activities included his role as liaison between the Faculty of Education and the Holocaust Remembrance Committee of the Canadian Jewish Congress. He developed the unique Mark and Gail Appel Program in Holocaust and Anti-Racism Education – recently revived for the coming years – as a means to train future formal and informal educators about the Holocaust, antisemitism and racism, and brought together an international group of students in education, journalism and other fields to study Holocaust history, post-war responses in Germany and Poland, and Canadian perspectives on the Holocaust and genocide.”

Outside of York, Brown acted in leadership roles at multiple academic institutions. He was a visiting professor at the Institute of Contemporary Jewry, the Canadian Studies Program at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the University of California at San Diego and at the University of Toronto. He was a Fellow at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs and an editorial advisory board member of the Canadian Jewish News, Koffman wrote.

Among Brown’s noted published books are Not Written in Stone: Jews, Constitutions, and Constitutionalism in Canada (2003); Jew or Juif? Jews, French Canadians, and Anglo-Canadians, 1759-1914 (1986); the resource volumes, Jews and Judaism: A Bibliography of Jewish Canadiana, 1965-2000 (2000); and “A Guide to the Study of Jewish Civilization in Canadian Universities.” With Sara Horowitz, he co-edited Encounter with Aharon Appelfeld (2003), about the famed Israeli author.

“In addition to his books, Professor Brown published some 35 book chapters, including: studies on Jewish summer camping; Jewish women’s history; Jewish teacher education; and Canadian antisemitism, bi-nationalism, multiculturalism, and Zionism. He also published 22 articles in refereed journals, in both English and Hebrew, including works on Rabbi Stuart E. Rosenberg, the rise of reform Judaism in Canada, the Hart affair, aliyah from Canada, the diaspora Hebrew press, and the North American dimensions of key Zionist leaders, including Chaim Nahman Bialik, Vladimir Jabotinsky, and Golda Meir. With over 30 additional publications over and above his books, chapters and peer-reviewed articles, Professor Brown’s output was extraordinary,” the statement from Koffman noted.

No stranger to local synagogue groups, camps and initiatives, Brown also committed his time to Toronto’s Associated Hebrew Schools; TanenbaumCHAT; the United Synagogue Day School; Camp Ramah’s North America wide Mador program for emerging educators; Bet Sefer Le-Dugma in Jerusalem; the National Board of License for Teachers of Hebrew in North America and Academic Advisory Board; and the Moscow Center for University Teaching of Jewish Civilization.

For all of these achievements, in addition to the 2022 Louis Rosenberg Award, Brown was also previously honoured with a Medal of Honour by the Adam Mickiewicz University of Poznan, Poland, which specifically recognized his work in Holocaust education as America-Holy Land Fellow at the Hebrew University.

“Professor Brown, as all those who knew him know attest, was a gentleman and a scholar, a friend, an inspiration and a mentch. He will be sorely missed,” Koffman said.

York mourns loss of visionary philanthropist Helen Vari 

The York University community is mourning the loss of Helen Vari whose many contributions to the University had transformational impact. A visionary philanthropist dedicated to supporting students, Helen and her husband George William Vari, PC CM (Aug. 14, 1923 – Dec. 9, 2010) created an outstanding record of philanthropic activity.

Among countless charitable contributions spanning decades, their passion for education and research led them to become patrons of some of Toronto’s greatest institutions.  

Helen Vari and Rhonda Lenton
Helen Vari and York University President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda Lenton

“It is with great sadness that I share the news of the loss of philanthropist Helen Vari,” says York University President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda Lenton. “On behalf of York University, I offer my heartfelt condolences to the many friends, family and supporters of Helen. She was a dear friend and will be greatly missed. 

“Helen and her late husband George were passionate supporters of York and of higher education institutions across Canada. Their contributions have made a profound and lasting impact at York University and have played a significant role in enhancing the learning environment for York’s diverse body of students. They have been pivotal in York’s success as a leading international teaching and research university.” 

Helen helped bring to fruition several building projects – among them Vari Hall, the nucleus of the Keele Campus – to the University. Often referred to as the “front door” of the University, Vari Hall is an iconic building at the heart of Keele Campus. Home to several lecture halls and other spaces, its three-storey rotunda has become the main gathering place on campus, a busy hub bringing community members together.  

Helen received an honorary doctorate from York in 2003 where she gave her perspective as the longest-serving York board member. “I always emphasized, and it is the philosophy of the board, that…in essence, all the intellectual and material riches of York University should serve only one purpose: the interest and well-being of our students, to make their life richer intellectually, and to provide the best possible learning, recreational and living conditions for our students.” 

She was appointed to York’s Board of Governors in 1990 and served until 2002, at which point she was made an honorary governor. She also served on the boards of the Ontario Heritage Foundation, Canada Council, Canadian Scene, The Council for Canadian Unity, Canada House at the Université de Paris, and the World Monuments Fund. A member of the Order of Canada, she received the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2003. 

Dedicated to supporting students, the Varis also established numerous student awards at York, including: the Helen Vari Award in the School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design, given in recognition of outstanding creative or scholarly achievement and overall academic excellence to a third- or fourth-year film and video student; the Helen Vari Award for Excellence and Good Citizenship, recognizing a graduating student in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies for their outstanding academic achievement and community service; and the George and Helen Vari Foundation Entrance Award (Environmental Studies), supporting graduate students entering their first year of the Master in Environmental Studies program at York. 

The York community will be forever grateful to the legacy that Helen and George Vari have left at York. 

Passings: Professor Emerita Evelyn Kallen

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Long-serving faculty member and human rights activist, Professor Emerita Evelyn Kallen, died on Feb. 5 at the age of 93.

Evelyn Kallen
Evelyn Kallen

Kallen served York University for 21 years, first coming to York in 1970 as an assistant professor in the Division of Social Sciences. She gained tenure in 1974 as an associate professor, and from 1984 to 1991 served as full professor in social science and anthropology in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS).

In 1989, she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. She also served as honorary Chair of the Human Rights Research & Education Centre at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Law from 1989 to 1990. In 1991, she retired from York as a Senior Scholar but continued to teach until 1995. In 2012, she was named a Distinguished Professor of Humans Rights at York’s Department of Equity Studies.

Kallen’s teaching, research and expertise in social science and anthropology spanned more than five decades with specific interest in social stratification, social change, social movements, race and ethnic relations, religion and ethnicity, ethnicity and identity, as well as racism, hate propaganda, multiculturalism, ethnic and non-ethnic minorities, human rights legislation, the charter and minority rights, human rights and public policy, and social issues including abortion and euthanasia. She also encouraged York’s foray in community engaged experiential education.

“In my many conversations with Evelyn, over the more than 40 years I was fortunate to have her as my primary mentor, I learned York University, in many ways, was home to Evelyn Kallen even after her retirement. I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have been mentored by the likes of Evelyn Kallen,” says LA&PS Professor Peter Dawson.

Kallen was the author of nine books, including her first work The Anatomy of Racism: Canadian Dimensions (with D. R. Hughes in 1974) and her recent work Social Inequality and Social Injustice: a human rights perspective (2004), as well as several articles, book chapters and papers.

Kallen’s humanitarian legacy will continue to have a profound impact through her visionary support of the Evelyn Kallen Distinguished Scholars in International Human Rights.

York University campus flags will be lowered to half staff in honour of Kallen on March 21, to coincide with the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

Cremation has taken place and a celebration of life gathering will be planned at York University on a future date. To make a gift in her memory at York, visit https://giving.yorku.ca/EvelynKallen or call 416-650-8210. 

Passings: Vito Mariani

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Vito Mariani died on Oct. 19, 2022 at the age of 79. Mariani was a long-serving employee of York University and worked in both Transportation and Facilities Services.

Vito Rocco Mariani
Vito Rocco Mariani

In 1985, Mariani began his career at York University. He retired in 2005 after 20 years of service to the University. He started in the Grounds Department in Facilities Services doing various duties before moving to the Transportation Department, where he worked as a bus driver. 

During his time working at York University, Mariani volunteered his time to serve as a union steward with CUPE 1356. He had a deep commitment to the welfare of others.

Colleagues recalled his love of physical fitness, noting that Mariani would take every opportunity to work out, and in his spare time he was often seen going to the gym to use the treadmill or other machines.

His retirement years were spent with his adored family and enjoying the warm weather with his wife each winter in Florida. He leaves his wife, Antonia “Nietta,” and his children Tom (Krista) and Lucy (Joe). He was the very proud Nonno to his granddaughters, Antonella and Giuseppina.

Passings: Professor Emerita Carla Lipsig-Mummé

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Department of Social Science Professor Emerita Carla Lipsig-Mummé died peacefully on Friday, Jan. 20 with her daughter, Claire, by her side.

Carla Lipsig-Mummé
Carla Lipsig-Mummé

Lipsig-Mummé retired in June 2022 after 32 years at York University. During her tenure, she made many enduring contributions to the Department of Social Science, helping to shape the Work & Labour Studies program and the Global Labour Research Centre. She was also the founding director of York’s Centre for Research on Work & Society, where she brought together trade unionists and academics to conduct ground-breaking research on work and workers’ justice.

Born into a union family, she began her career as a union organizer for garment workers in New York and San Francisco, for farmers with Cesar Chavez’ United Farmworkers Organizing Committee, and then as a researcher for Québec’s Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ).

She received her PhD in sociology at the Université de Montreal and her master of sociology at Boston University. Her foremost concerns in research and activism included labour and organizing, climate change and work, young workers, and the social impact of global warming.

Her pioneering work on climate change grew during her appointment as Research Chair in Social and Political Inquiry at Monash University in Australia. Upon her return to York, she formed a team to address the pressing question, “how can workplaces help slow the threat of global warming?”

As the principal investigator of the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) project “Adapting Canadian Work and Workplaces to Respond to Climate Change: Canada in International Perspective,” Lipsig-Mummé gained international recognition and praise from prestigious organizations like the International Labour Organization and the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

In addition to her impressive body of research, she led Work and Climate Change (WCC), an international community-university research partnership, which she helped grow from five partners and eight researchers from its inception to 52 partners over the past two decades. Over the course of her career, Lipsig-Mummé was principal investigator on 46 grants, 28 of which were funded by SSHRC, totalling approximately $10 million in funding.

In March 2018, she received the prestigious Sefton-Williams Award for her contributions to the field of labour relations and human rights.

Lipsig-Mummé will be remembered for her scholarship and passion for social justice, climate change and labour rights. She leaves behind an impressive legacy and a lasting impact on the Department of Social Science, the Faculty and the University.

Her daughter is planning a memorial service in the future. Additional details once they become available will be provided.

Passings: Amy Rossiter

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York University Professor Emeritus Amy Rossiter, with the School of Social Work in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS), died suddenly on Jan. 17.

Amy Rossiter
Amy Rossiter

Rossiter was a long-serving faculty member at York University since the early ’90s, working also in the Graduate Program in Social Work as well as the Graduate Program in Women’s Studies. Her research and teaching was dedicated to exploring critical perspectives in social work, ethics and applications of feminist postmodernism to social work. Her work aimed to strengthen the relationship between social work and social justice.

“Amy will be remembered for her keen intellect, warmth and generosity. She left an indelible mark on her students and colleagues, where her work in social justice, ethics and feminism crossed disciplines,” said LA&PS Dean J.J. McMurtry. “Her scholarship on equity, inclusion and postmodern feminism in the practice of social work was groundbreaking and internationally recognized. Her passion for promoting community engagement was evident in her research interests and led to an important community-University research partnership with PEACH (Promoting Economic Action and Community Health).”

Rossiter was author of From private to public: A feminist exploration of early mothering (Toronto: The Women’s Press) and co-author of Practice and research in social work: Postmodern feminist perspectives (London: Routledge). She contributed her work and research with chapters in several books, and published more than 30 journal articles.

“Amy made a lasting impact on those around her. Valued by her students, admired by her colleagues and respected by her academic peers, Amy’s legacy extends beyond her scholarship,” said McMurtry.

She leaves behind her children Ben and Kate, and her extended family, friends, and colleagues.

A memorial service will be held in Toronto at Timothy Eaton Memorial Church at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 4. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Toronto Rehab’s Specialised Dementia Unit, at UHN Foundation would
be appreciated by the family. For condolences, visit UHNfoundation.ca/tribute or call 416-603-5300.

Passings: William Dimma

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A long-standing advocate and changemaker at York University, Professor Emeritus William (Bill) Dimma, died quietly in his sleep on Thursday, Dec. 22 in Toronto. Dimma served the University for several decades as a professor, dean, member and Chair of the Board of Governors.

William (Bill) Dimma
William (Bill) Dimma

Born on Aug. 13, 1928, in Montreal, Que., Dimma received a bachelor of applied science degree from the University of Toronto in 1948, a master of business administration degree from York University in 1969 and a doctor of business administration from Harvard University in 1973.

From 1974-76, he was a professor and dean of the (former) Faculty of Administrative Studies at York University.

Described as “one of York’s greatest enthusiasts,” Dimma was awarded a doctor of laws (honoris causa) in 1998 by York in recognition of his multifaceted association with the University as a student, faculty member, dean and his role in governance. Dimma was a member of the Board of Governors of York University from 1976 to 1997 and was the Board of Governors Chair from 1992-97. During this time, he devoted, on average, a full 20 per cent of his long work week to the betterment of York University. In this period, he also served the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children for 15 years, somehow finding time to Chair the investment committee and to sit on many other task forces and committees.

He was also a driving force and a key donor in the creation of the Jarislowsky-Dimma-Mooney Chair in Corporate Governance, established jointly at the Schulich School of Business and Osgoode Hall Law School in 2006.

From 1987 and into the early 1990s, Dimma spoke and wrote extensively on business ethics and became a highly respected leader within the corporate community for his advocacy of a greater sense of ethical awareness and of higher ethical standards. He is the author of Excellence in the Boardroom: Best Practices in Corporate Directorship. For his work in this field, St. Mary’s University awarded him an honorary degree in 1992. He is remembered as a keeper of corporate consciences, a reputation for excellence that earned him a place on 90 corporate boards, invitations to speak in many academic and business fora, and a well-deserved role in public and community affairs.

Dimma was awarded the Gold Medal in the Doctoral Program, Graduate School of Business, Harvard University. His other awards include the York University Business School Alumni Award for Outstanding Corporate Leadership, 1992, and the Order of Canada, 1996. In 1999, he was made a Fellow of the Institute of Corporate Directors. In 2000, he was made a member of the Order of Ontario.

In addition to his many professional accomplishments, Dimma was a talented swimmer and cross-country skier. He played water polo and squash while he was a student at the University of Toronto, and he garnered multiple master points in Bridge. He also loved travelling with his wife, and with his family.

He was married for 61 years, and he leaves his wife Louise (Ash), daughters Katherine and Suzanne, and son-in-law, Arriz Hassam.

Cremation has taken place, and a private family interment will take place in Mount Pleasant Cemetery in the spring. Donations in Dimma’s memory can be made to York University here. Visit Schulich’s memorial tribute page here.