Obituary of Mr. Leroy Niles
Leroy Granville Francis Niles, beloved husband to Sharon, cherished father to Gershon (deceased), Nadia (Jason), and Nicholas (Natasha), adored grandfather to Joshua and Leah, loyal brother to Glen, David, Brenda, and Yvonne, loving uncle to many nieces and nephews, and trusted confidante to countless friends.
Born December 12th 1944 to James and Edna Niles, Leroy grew up in Techier Village, Trinidad and Tobago. He diligently obtained his high school education through correspondence courses through the government of England, and subsequently worked as a pupil teacher for several years. He moved to Montreal, Canada in January 1971, joining his brother David, where he developed what would become a lifelong love of the Montreal Canadiens hockey team. Relocating less than a year later to Toronto, he began working various jobs to put himself through school at University of Toronto, which included working as an orderly, delivery person, cab driver, and CN Rail dock worker.
At his orderly job at Mt. Sinai Hospital, he met his beautiful wife Sharon, whom he married in 1976; they enjoyed 48 years of marriage. This marriage produced three children; Gershon, Nadia, and Nicholas. Leroy was a strict but loving father who always did the best he could for his children. In 2007, Leroy lost eldest child Gershon to muscular dystrophy, but remained utterly devoted to him; he visited Gershon’s grave several times a week for the remainder of his life.
For the past 16 years his pride and joy were his grandchildren, Joshua and Leah, who he doted on and adored. He loved babysitting them, playing every kind of game imaginable with them, and pranking them whenever possible.
Leroy enjoyed a long career at IBM, where he worked for 30+ years and developed many friendships which endured to his last day.
Faith was central to Leroy’s life. He was a dedicated member of St Stephen-in-the-Fields Church, where he served as church warden, and his long service to his Christian faith was ultimately recognized in 2017 when he was honoured with the Anglican Order of the Diocese of Toronto, the highest civilian honour bestowed by the Anglican Church.
We will always fondly recall his love of the Blue Jays, of long walks and exploring nature, of peaceful visits to his sister-in-law Jean’s cottage, his profound enjoyment of tennis which he played till the age of 75, his love of diverse genres of music, his skillful cooking of Caribbean dishes, his unique sense of humour, his pride in maintaining his lawn, and his enjoyment of the shared routines of retired life with his wife Sharon.
We will never forget his willingness to lend a helping hand to absolutely anyone in need, his inspiring example of living out his faith, and the love for his family, friends, and fellow human beings, that defined his days.
Leroy died in hospital on April 18th 2024 surrounded by his family. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada or Canadian Blood Services, or one of Leroy’s favourite charities, such as St Stephen-in-the-Fields Anglican Church, Muscular Dystrophy Canada or World Vision Canada.
