Obituary of Mr. Emile Tisseverasinghe

Celebrating the life of Emile Aloysius Tisseverasinghe

It is with immense sadness and heavy hearts that we announce the death of our beloved father (Dadda), husband, uncle, grandfather, and friend, Emile Aloysius Tisseverasinghe.

Emile was born in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, on Dec 11, 1939 to Thomas Allen and Elizabeth Tisseverasinghe (Nee Sellathambu).  Along with his late twin brother Austin, he was the eldest of 8 children (one of whom died at birth), followed by sister Selvarani and brothers Michael, Anton, Douglas, and Eymard.  Even as a child, Emile was always calm, organized, and very mature, taking care of everyone around him.  At a young age, he demonstrated a love for all things mechanical.  Both Emile and Austin were well-known for their knack for fixing and building things, including cars and houses. 

Emile attended St. Anthony’s College in Wattala, after which he was accepted into the Mechanical Engineering Program at the prestigious British System Technical College Maradana with hands-on training at the Government Factory (an advanced Mechanical Engineering Department) in Colombo.  He thoroughly enjoyed his work and often helped out his classmates with their work whenever he could.  His skills earned him a position as Regional Mechanical Engineer (chief) for the North Western Province (NWP) in Anurajapura.  His work took him all over the country.  In his early 30s, he sustained a crush injury to his right arm due to a jeep accident during one of his many travels for work.  Despite this injury (elbow contracture), he continued to work and also offer his assistance freely to any neighbours or friends who needed help with mechanical, electrical, or automotive work.  He later worked with the Department of Health, based at the Welisera Hospital, where he was in charge of repairs and maintenance to all hospital vehicles such as ambulances.  He also worked for the Department of Labour. 

As a young man, Emile enjoyed hanging out with his friends and also showed enormous devotion and responsibility to his parents and siblings.  There were many dinners and get-togethers at his childhood home, especially during Christmas.  When his mother suffered a stroke, Emile took on the responsibility of taking her to regular physiotherapy sessions.  Both Emile and Austin organized the building of a new house in Wattala after their father’s retirement, providing a home for their family, who had lived in a rental property untill then.    

Emile married Lalitha Mary Johnpulle on Sep 6, 1975 at All Saints Church in Colombo, Sri Lanka.  He was a doting husband, steadfast provider, and wonderful father to his daughters Marieliese, Annaliese, and Therese.  He was very diligent and spared no expense looking after Marieliese, who suffered from many medical ailments.  He was very good at teaching his daughters mathematics and hands-on mechanical work in a very patient and thoughtful manner. 

His calm presence and devotion helped his family overcome many hardships.  The family home in Colombo was destroyed during the 1983 riots and Emile sustained multiple injuries, including a skull fracture.  He was fortunately nursed back to health by nuns and re-united with his wife and children, who had been relocated to Jaffna as refugees from the civil war.  They moved into an old house, which Emile eventually fully renovated to include a new bathroom and a play/study area complete with folding tables for his daughters.  When it was too dangerous to live in Jaffna due to constant air raids and army check-points, Emile had the foresight to get his family out of Sri Lanka.  As a devoted son-in-law, he also ensured that Bridget also safely made it to India and later to Canada. 

Upon arriving in Canada, Emile first went to Montreal, where he took French Language courses, but eventually moved to Toronto for better chance of finding employment.  While working in various temporary jobs to support his family, he studied and passed his Canadian Engineering exams with ease and was hired as the Maintenance Engineer for the Toronto District School Board (TDSB).  He worked at R. H. King Academy for over 20 years until his retirement at age 65 years.  He never missed a day of work and often worked weekends and evenings when called upon.  He was well respected by his colleagues and was the first to be called whenever there was a crisis at his workplace.  He received an award for his courageous spirit and quick thinking during a building fire at work. 

After his retirement, Emile spent the better part of his days keeping busy with home renovations and freely helping neighbours and friends with their household repairs.  As he was very organized, methodical, and mathematically-skilled, he also often helped his neighbours and friends for free with their taxes.  He had a keen interest in history and politics, and enjoyed watching films and documentaries about the world wars.  He also loved everything about trains and automotives in general.  Discussions with Emile were always interesting as he had a wide breadth of knowledge.  He was also very humble and unassuming.

Emile died peacefully with family by his side on May 15, 2024 at 3 PM at the Michael Garron Hospital (MGH) in Toronto, where he received exceptional care.  Emile is preceded in death by his daughter Marieliese, brother Austin, brother-in-law Dr. Ranjit Johnpulle, and nephew Rukshi.  Emile is dearly missed by his wife of almost 50 years, Mary; daughters Annaliese (Michael) and Therese (David); grandchildren Elizabeth, Erik, and Cedrick; siblings Selvarani (Kingsley), Michael (Rohini), Anton (Sharmini), Douglas (Virgini), and Eymard (Shireen); sister-in-laws Lilani and Angela; brother-in-law Nihal; nieces and nephews Radikah, Devika, Ashani, Nishan, Romesh, Steven, Amanda, Danisius, Needra, Naresh, and Anushka.

Please join us in celebrating Emile’s life:

Friday, May 17th, 2024

• Viewing at Ogden Funeral Homes 5 8 PM, 4164 Sheppard Ave E, Scarborough

Saturday, May 18, 2024

• Catholic Mass, 10 – 11 AM, St. Boniface Catholic Church, 21 Markanna Dr, Toronto, ON
• Interment, 11 AM – 12 PM, Pine Hills Cemetery and Funeral Centre, 625 Birchmount Rd, Toronto

Celebration of Life, 12 – 3 PM, JC's Banquet & Convention Centre, 1686 Ellesmere Rd, Scarborough