I've narrowed this post down to a few photos of my grandfather Malcolm Grant S. that I really like.
When Malcolm Grant S. (my maternal grandfather) was born on January 22, 1924, in Montreal, Quebec, his father, John, was 28 and his mother, Edith, was 26. He was baptized at the American Presbyterian Church on May 11, 1924.
When Malcolm was two years old a younger brother, William David, was born however he died on March 30, 1926. This was the second loss of a child for his parents - his older sister, Marjorie Elizabeth had been born on March 13, 1921 but had only lived a few months before dying on June 7 that same year.
His parents had immigrated from Scotland to Canada in 1906 (John) and 1913 (Edith) and travelled back and forth to "the old country" a few times with Malcolm and his older brother "Jack" (John Carter, 1922-2001). Malcolm recalled that on one of the trips, when he was about 4 or 5, he got out on the dance floor and did a jig for everyone.
He remembered that when he was 5 his maternal grandfather, William Carter, used to do was take them to the fields and show them how you got the wheat and peeled it in your hands and rubbed it and blew on it until you could eat the wheat kernels. In those days the Germans had a lot of bands and they had sort of a bandshell and he remembered them "cavorting about and whatnot."
I see so much love in this picture. Happy little Malcolm being loved on by his mom Edith.
The fact that he has a toy cornet in his hand turns out to be foreshadowing of the future!
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| Edith (nee Carter) & Malcolm S. |
This photo was taken in front of the house my grandfather was born in. The house was 695 Egan Avenue in Verdun, Quebec. When it sold it was split into two lots, so that gives you an idea of the size of the side yard we had. It was a semi-detached and had two floors. Upstairs were four bedrooms, the one at the front being the smallest but having a little balcony.
Malcolm's father John bought the house in 1922 and my parents eventually bought the house and we lived in it briefly before it was sold and we settled in Ontario.
When asked who he was named after Malcolm said: "As I recall it, my mother was really a prophetess. She was able to predict great things happening. For that reason I have every reason to believe that when she selected the name Malcolm it was with the fact in mind that one of the greatest of all Scottish kings was named Malcolm. And other than that, I couldn't really say. The next name of course is Malcolm Grant. Grant was derived from my grandmother's ancestry. Very important people, very talented people. Not very tall… as a matter of fact, rather short. At the same time, very healthy, understanding that genetically one is predisposed to take after one's ancestors who have healthy genes, I'm just hoping that I fulfill that particular record." [1]
Malcolm said that his father had told him that there was a Grant ancestor who was a rum runner in one respect, with his headquarters in Nassau (Bahamas). When Malcolm and Mary visited Nassau they went to Grantsville, possibly named after Malcolm's great-great-great-grandfather [David Grant's father]. Malcolm joked that they were "very surprised as a matter of fact at the number of red haired children cavorting about in that particular spot." Pretty sure he was pulling my leg with this story!
His nickname was "Mac," which he explained was "bestowed upon anyone in those days who had any kind of MacPhersons or MacKevers or whatever the greatest Macs were, even partly Irish. Although that wasn't pronounced Mac, it was pronounce Mc." Even his father called him "Mac."
Childhood [1]
Malcolm tells: "I was fairly fast on my feet and was always a pretty good faker, so as a result I was in the forward position because of my ability for what is known as "to dribble the ball". This was soccer. I was very adept - good at it too! I was in grade 8 I guess, I played for the intermediate or senior team, I don't recall which. In any event, one great impression that stuck with me for years, part of our league, if you want to call it that was high schools like Montreal West, also included a private school that was called Upper Canada College. We played against Upper Canada College and it so happens in one game I was the only one that scored one goal. What happened was this, the ball was passed around from one place to another and it hit me in the knee and went into the net. So I emerged the hero of the game. A lucky bounce off my knee. In any event though, what really impressed me was not the score but, for instance, the boots that I wore were old skate boots and some sort of knobs stuck onto the bottom side of them and that was the closest thing to a soccer school shoes.
In any event, the other team was very nicely outfitted, they had their shorts and their made to measure shoes with built in … whatnot… but I was impressed by the kindliness of these folks because at half time, when we all gathered around, they passed out lemons. A quarter section of a lemon. I had never tasted a lemon so sweet. It was fantastic, this lemon was so good. They treated us well, notwithstanding the goal scored against them. That was it. I was on class hockey. We used to go every Saturday, always open air of course, everything was open in those days. The temperature in those days was very cold, so what we complain about these days is really nothing."
Music [1]
Malcolm played a reasonable tune on the mouth organ. He started to play the piano when he was about 6 or 7 but only took lessons for about 6 months before refusing to use any of his summertime for practicing purposes. He was so good that his music teacher offered to teach him for nothing if he would stay with her but he didn't. Subsequent to that he would come home at noon hour and there was a fellow by the name of Charlie Coons, who was a very very good pianist and he had a specific style, and it was a style that attracted Malcolm. So at noon hour when he came home for lunch he would listen to him and try to copy his style.
When he was 11 or 12 years old Malcolm was in the senior band at the Pentecostal church in Montreal. He started playing the cornet simply because someone thought he should learn an instrument.
At first it was decided that he should learn the xylophone. The problem was that they had to put a box for him to stand on so he could reach the notes, and he would periodically step off of the box! The next thing instrument he tried was the euphonium. A euphonium if it's laid on the floor goes up maybe about 30 inches or so. They early found out that if Malcolm could get the thing on his knee he didn't have any energy left to play the instrument. So it was decided that the euphonium was really too big for him.
Next came the cornet, made in Czechoslovakia and costing $15, and within 3 months he was playing in the band. He started with 3rd cornet around age 10. He was in the senior band when he was 11 and was pretty good. The bandmaster saw that there was a soprano cornet available for $20 and the band paid half of it so that Malcolm could play it. He used to play with Johnny Holmes, Lawson Carter, all these fellows. Johnny Holmes had his own band in later years and played in Westmount.
Malcolm played his first solo when he was about 10 or 11 years of age in Evangel Tabernacle in Montreal. He played "Abide with Me" and in the end took it an octave higher than anybody else - a real showman! Due to his height, Malcolm played his first major solo standing on a chair!
Military
When Malcolm was 18 he was in the Navy band. An education officer in Manning Depot in Toronto told him that they could train anybody basically to do certain things in the Air Force, they could train them without background or anything else. The only trade where they couldn't do that was the instrument, because it had to be born from within. If it wasn't there you could practice 'till the cows came home and never get anywhere. Malcolm was in the Navy band for about a year and a half and decided there was no point in improving his playing abilities because he would never use them - so he went into the Air Force. Malcolm enlisted in Royal Canadian Air Force on October 12, 1943 and served in Canada until March 11, 1946 when he was honourably released and transferred to the general section of reserve, class "E." He achieved the rank of LAC and was awarded a C.V.S.M. medal. The Canadian Volunteer Service Medal is granted to persons of any rank in the Naval, Military or Air Forces of Canada who voluntarily served on Active Service from September 3, 1939, to March 1, 1947.
When he enlisted at age 22 he was described as being 5'5", with a medium build, blue eyes, and brown hair.
Marriage
Malcolm met Mary Beaton Cox (daughter of Rowland Cox) at the young people's group at church. One day Mary was visiting a friend who lived just a couple of streets over from where Malcolm stayed so he said he would teach her how to ride a bike. Mary had never ridden a bike so he was holding on to the bike and several times she ran over his foot unfortunately.
They started seeing each other and then they'd walk up from young people's, sometimes because they didn't have the car fare, but mostly it was a nice long walk. He lived in Verdun and Mary lived way up in the north end of Montreal, which is extreme ends. Malcolm joked that when he decided he would walk her home, he didn't realize it would take half the night to do it!
Malcolm joined the service while Mary was working for the Air Force and he was out West in Bella Bella, British Columbia - a wireless station area. They corresponded during his tenure there, though he was so busy in the Air Force that he didn't write back much. He grew a mustache when he was out there, and when he came back home Mary was surprised to see him like that.
When he returned to Quebec he proposed on one of their walks home. They picked the engagement ring out together at a Mappins, which was cheaper than Birks. There was a 10% luxury tax on it and it cost $126 (about $1,733 in 2019).
He and Mary married on September 7, 1946, in their hometown of Montreal. At that time they were going to church in a small little church on the corner of Mayer and Bleury Street. It was so small that you'd be down to the front of the church before they played 3 bars of music so they found a bigger church to get married in. Pastor Evans and Pastor Noot, two Welsh pastors, conducted the ceremony.
They went to Vancouver and Victoria for their honeymoon. Because Malcolm was an employee on leave from Canadian National Railways he asked for a pass to Vancouver and they went for free. On the way out Malcolm almost missed the train because he was buying a card and the train started to move without him. He caught the last coach!
They went out first class, came back tourist. They decided to return in tourist because the sleeping accommodations were pretty much the same but you could use your own food in the tourist. So every time they'd stop at a place that sold fruit they'd buy it and that's what we lived on.
On the boat going from Vancouver to Victoria there was a couple Malcolm perceived to be "ancient" at the time, they were probably in their 40s, who decided that they would like to stay overnight and asked if Malcolm and Mary would be so kind as to relieve them of their return tickets. They gave them their cabin, right in the middle of the ship, very nice. They visited Butchart Gardens in Victoria.
The honeymoon was one week. It took 108 hours in one direction and 112 on the way back and they spent 3 days in Vancouver.
Early Years
After they got married Malcolm took his compensation from the government out in education, rather than taking a lump sum of cash, in order to complete his university education.
They lived in the dormitory or living quarters of McGill University and part of it was out at St-Jean, Quebec at that point. Dawson College (the official name), also known as "the Air Force base," was opened in 1945 to accommodate the greatly increased enrolment due to the return of students from the armed services and was housed at the R.C.A.F. base at St-Jean, Quebec. All first year science and engineering students were transferred there. The number of students enrolled, mainly veterans, reached a peak of 1687 in January 1947. The College was closed in 1950.
They stayed at what had been known as the officer's quarters in the Air Force and had a room that they called home. They were in temporary quarters all the time and had continuous water fights with the fellows from the southern part of the States and elsewhere. They did their laundry down the hallway, everybody at the same time at the sink.
While they were there Mary worked for the Singer sewing machine company and on paydays they went to store and treated themselves to Ritz biscuits and Velveeta cheese, which was what their budget could take care of at the time. Velveeta held a special place even for the grandchildren many years later. Meals were provided by the university, but sometimes it was fried bananas or steamed toast.
There were intramural teams and, as all the guys were in the armed forces, they knew how to throw a hit. Malcolm was the secretary-treasurer of the co-eds corner, where the married students. He did most of the organizing of the events in those days and part of his duties was to ensure peace between the various people who were in that area. He was also the communicating link between this group of people and the principal, who happened to be Dr A.H. Gilson.
Malcolm gave classes in physics, gave tutorials in mechanics and chemistry, and started his own company called "Spankie Radio Sales and Service." In addition to these jobs he was taking an extra mathematics course because he didn't have it the first term. They invested in a typewriter and Mary typed out the various essays at 10 cents a word. The typewriter was very good except every time she pushed down one number it didn't show up, so she was constantly erasing. In spite of having a one of the best natures in the world, Mary did become frustrated with the machine and hit and break down in tears.
They lived there until Malcolm got transferred to McGill in Montreal. They moved to Plage Laval, now Laval West, and Malcolm commuted back and forward by train. It was a little bungalow type of thing, very crowded quarters, with very small rooms. Malcolm had two kinds of jobs, he was going to work and then he would go on to school so he certainly didn't have much time at home at that point.
Malcolm majored in physics and got a Bachelor of Engineering, completing 3 years of studies in 2 years. He took all kinds of courses at Sir George Williams and Concordia university, including courses in corporate finance and real estate. He was accredited with the Montreal real estate board. His favourite subject in school was physics. He believed physics explains a lot of things in terms of scientific results and, inevitably, in physics you can see what you're doing - there are observable results. He disliked descriptive geometry. His average in his electronics class was 93%, the highest in the class.
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| 1950 McGill Grad Malcolm S. |
This is Malcolm's graduation day from McGill University when he earned his degree as an Engineer. His wife Mary (nee Cox) is to his right, and to his left are his paternal grandmother Susan (nee Grant) and his mother Edith (nee Carter).
Bell's Palsy
In 1952 Malcolm suffered a partial facial paralysis from Bell’s Palsy. They didn't know why it happened and there was no real cure. He was the first one and the only cure was to make sure the muscles didn't die. He would go twice a week to the Children's Hospital in Montreal and they would put a plate on his stomach and use a probe on the muscles and make them twitch. Malcolm said "it was the most rudiment thing you ever saw, just a copper plate." He felt he never fully recovered and it weakened one side of his lips so that he found it very difficult to play the cornet again.
Family
Malcolm and Mary had five daughters, including my mother. My poor grandfather was surrounded by women as even his mother-in-law lived with the family. The solution was to buy a male dog and name him Laddie!
Malcolm and his family probably experienced the economic impact of the construction of the Trans-Canada Highway while living in Montreal in 1963. When it was completed in 1971, the Trans-Canada Highway connected 15 major cities from Victoria to St. John’s.
Around 1979 Malcolm and Mary relocated to Willowdale, Ontario.
His mother Edith Emily passed away from a heart condition on July 3, 1982, in North York, Ontario, at the age of 84.
His father John passed away from cancer on July 19, 1985, in Toronto, Ontario, at the age of 90. Malcolm had been with him and had read Psalm 23 to him.
His brother John Carter (Jack) died in 2001 in Vancouver, British Columbia, at age 79.
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| Malcolm & grand-daughter Kristina |
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| Malcolm and great-grand-daughter Mary |
In 2006 Malcolm and Mary moved to Mississauga, Ontario so they would be closer to the four daughters living in general area - another daughter remained in Quebec.
Lewy Body Dementia
Malcolm was diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia (LBD) and went into a special care facility in January 2010. LBD is a multi-system disease affecting cognition, movement and emotions differently in each person. It affects an estimated 1.4 million individuals and their families in the U.S.
Eulogy [2]
Malcolm died on April 26, 2015, in Oakville, Ontario, at the age of 91.
This was my eulogy at his funeral:
My grandfather was a brilliant, powerful man with a great sense of humour.
There was one thing I could always be sure of when I worked hard or accomplished something – Papa would be proud of me. Whether it was the completion of a Masters degree, an award of achievement in highschool, or a well done grade-school project, Papa was proud of me. He taught me the importance of hard work and being proud of each others' accomplishments.
Papa worked hard and accomplished much, and he used these accomplishments to bless others.
Matthew 25:34-40 (NKJV) says:
Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
“Then PAPA will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did I see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did I see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did I see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to PAPA, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
I was so very privileged to be able to be with Papa at the end of his journey. As I spent time with him overnight from Saturday into Sunday I spoke to him and thanked him for giving me a lifetime of being a wonderful grandfather, for demonstrating that a continent apart was not too far away to visit your grandchildren. Most importantly, for blessing me and my children with a rich inheritance of faith.
At 2:02 on Sunday morning I was holding Papa’s warm hand when he tightened it around mine. He opened his eyes and looked up and he was finally free of all suffering. The song playing on the CD was "Give Thanks,” which includes the words “and now, let the weak say I am strong!" I am so thankful that Papa can finally say this again.
Most will be familiar with the “love passage” in 1st Corinthians 13, which describes many attributes of love. It ends with “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (NKJV) Through these past five years especially, I have witnessed the steadfastness of love between Nanny and Papa. Nanny continued to “bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, and endure all things.” Thank you Nanny for showing us how to live this verse.
Before I would leave Papa after a visit I would leave him with the blessing from Numbers 6:24-26 and that is what I want to bless you with today:
“The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.”’
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Sources:
1. Interview with Malcolm S. conducted by his granddaughter Kristina M. in 1996.
2. With God's Help: Eulogy for Papa, April 30, 2015
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