ELIAS, Allen Irving - (July 10, 1937 - April 15, 2020) -
Allen Elias died in hospital while in contact virtually with his daughters on Wednesday April 15, 2020.
Devoted father of Gillian and Clare (Gavin Barber); adoring grandfather of Elyana Catherine; and brother-in-law to Marjorie Elias (Dick, predeceased), Christine Elias (Joey, predeceased), Charles and Brenda McDonald, Joe MacDonald, and Suzanne MacDonald.
Uncle to many beloved nieces and nephews and grand-nieces and nephews; and beloved cousin to many across North America.
Predeceased by his wife, Catherine Elias, his parents, Herbert and Frances Elias and his brothers, Richard, and Joseph.
Allen grew up in Long Island, New York, eldest son to his well-known paediatrician father, whom he resembled closely in both his good looks and excellent manners. A major sports enthusiast, both as a spectator and player, Allen played baseball and soccer as a child and teenager and became a keen skier, tennis player, and swimmer throughout his adult life, swimming regularly up until the recent lockdown due to Covid 19.
Allen’s amiable personality made selling a natural career, especially after he moved to Canada in the 1970s. He shined in selling office equipment in the 1980s and 90s as technology became increasingly important in many businesses, helping them to automate their processes. He sold the latest cutting-edge technology of the time – dictating machines, word processors, optical character recognition software and scanners—but which today, he would joke, were all obsolete with the iPhone. He won many awards throughout his career and was profiled in newspaper articles.
Allen married Catherine in 1972 and he always said how much she supported him in his career. In his retirement, he did not slow down, and became involved in community work, dedicating his time to “fight city hall” as his wife would say. Allen worked tirelessly on a project to ensure proper waste disposal for the city, working with the local members of municipal and provincial government and the Toronto mayor’s office. After seven years, they won the fight and an incinerator was agreed to be installed in the waste treatment plant.
In the last three months of his life, Allen got involved in another project related to organic waste in the community, “fighting city hall” again to ensure a democratic process would be observed for decisions about the safe disposal of organic waste, especially important in this time of viruses with long half-lives. Allen’s family was precious to him. He was always counted on for remembering everyone’s birthday and anniversary as well as other special dates in people’s lives.
He was the first adopter of Skype in the extended family and used it to keep in touch with family and friends across North America, and in the last year, he loved staying up to date with the progress of his granddaughter in New York via FaceTime. Allen was well respected in the community, and his many friends and neighbors were so dear to him. He enjoyed all the conversations he would have with them when they would meet on the street or grocery store or over the backyard fence.
He especially appreciated all their kindness in the last year after the passing of his wife, and during the recent lockdown with neighbors dropping off food at the front door.
We would like to extend our appreciation to the staff at Centenary Hospital, Scarborough for the care Dad received at the end of his life.
Donations can be made to the charities important to Allen, which include: Plan International, Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, Canadian Cancer Society and Food Bank of New York.
Arrangements with Giffen-Mack funeral home, Scarborough.
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