A Database of the Dead

We called her “Mamika,” my grandmother, my daughters' great-grandmother, my mother’s sweet mother. She was born in the town of Andód (today Slovakia) and died in 1976 in Nyíregyháza (today Hungary).

Mamika is the widow of Ferenc Kucsera, a loving husband who died in the First World War.

She raised 5 children alone, she lovingly took care of them. Mamika cultivated her land, but after it was taken away she washed the clothes of others so that she could feed her children. She was hurt a lot, she was sad a lot, she worked a lot, she did what she had to do.

My step grandfather, though I never thought of him that way. He was always zaida to me. He survived Auschwitz and organized textile unions in Toronto. They say he was an expert at sewing pockets onto garments. He spoke a number of languages, and would give me spelling tests from words he took arbitrarily from the newspaper. They were presumably words he thought I ought to know. (I wonder some days if I still know them.) He bought me my first notebook and encouraged me to be a writer. He taught me how to cook scrambled eggs, take the bus, and address an envelope. He was kind, and patient, and smart, and deep. He liked Murphy Brown and runway fashion shows. He always saved the comics section of the newspaper for me, and he helped me to become a great dominoes player.

A 46-year-old native of Houston, Texas, brutally murdered by police officer Derek Chauvin. George attended Yates High School as a multi-sport athlete and graduated in 1993. He was a rapper associated with the Houston-based hip hop group Screwed Up Click and freestyled under the alias "Big Floyd" on mixtapes released by DJ Screw. He was the father of two daughters, aged 6 and 22. May his death not be for naught, and may the anger and resistance incited by his murder change our world for the better, and put an end to racism and police brutality forevermore.

Son, Husband, Father, Grandfather. Loved deeply by all. Missed everyday. Great stories, great laughs, wonderful hugs. Steadfast, dependable, loyal.

You left behind the most beautiful little boy the world has ever seen, and we are all doing everything in our power to raise him right in your honour. He is funny and charming and intense, and he has a great memory for people's names, even long ones. He looks like you in the eyes, and he has a great sense of humour. You would be very proud. We're going to help him become a strong and loving man. We promise.

Father, husband, brother.

An absolute legend who loved beer, the blues, and travelling the world. Though I was too young to remember him his spirit and legacy continue to inform my life.

Rick was known for making a lot of inappropriate jokes and listening to his music very loud in the early hours of the morning while his whole family was trying to sleep. He had a very big heart and saw the glimmer of magic in nature.

Professor of English at Innis College, University of Toronto and foremost authority on the works of Samuel Becket. Patricia was also an avid and talented watercolour painter.

Mother of Moira and Brenda. Born in Marseilles, supposedly, lived in Alexandria, Egypt from 1923 to 1946. Moved to Canada in 1947, died in 2001.

Sybil Goldstein was a painter, a mother and an art teacher. She was an influential member of the Toronto arts community beginning in the 1980's, was a co-founder of Chromazone artists collective.

Rae Johnson was a Toronto painter, a teacher at OCADU and an influential force in the Toronto Arts Community. A founder of Chromazone artists collective, exhibited by Carmen Lamana and recently by Christopher Cutts Gallery. She currently has an exhibition on at Christopher Cutts, now open for socially distancing viewing.