MYRHOROD, NICHOLAS LEONID Nicholas Leonid Myrhorod, 79, of Toronto, passed away August 14, 2018 in Orillia, Ontario after a fall at his Lake Simcoe cottage resulted in a severe brain hemorrhage. He passed away peacefully supported by his family and the compassionate care of Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital medical staff. A loyal friend, “Nick” possessed a generous and jovial spirit.
He loved a good book and a good dog. He was born on September 12, 1938 in Kowel, Ukraine to a talented family of artists and musicians. His family escaped to Austria during World War II where his sister Alla Regina was born. Life continued in a displaced persons camp for the next few years until Australia welcomed them. A variety of jobs, including playing his piano accordion with the family band, softened the edges of life in a refugee Quonset hut. They settled in Geelong for several years. Eventually they moved to Canada in 1957, having found long lost relatives in Welland, Ontario through the Mennonite Church. En route, the family delighted in an extended layover in Hawaii and this glimpse of paradise led Nick to a lifelong love of its culture and music. The family settled in Toronto and like most immigrants, he pursued jobs that would allow them to improve their lifestyle including a stint akin to an “ice road trucker.” Nick worked in a variety of hotels, eventually spending over 10 years at the Royal York Hotel where he transitioned the accounting system from paper to computer, a complicated endeavour during the infancy of the IT world. In 1975 he joined the Ontario Residential Premises Rent Review Board to become an adjudicator under that act, holding large and small hearings and very proud that his decisions were not overturned on appeal.
He served as a board member for the new College of Teachers and later on the Discipline Committee of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. Nick was most recently a member of The Rotary Club and Power Squadron. Longtime snowbirds, he and his wife would decamp to Longboat Key, Florida at first snowfall where Nick enjoyed many a sunset among the palm trees while listening to Hawaiian music. Nicholas was predeceased by his parents Helena (Isaak) and Leonid Myrhorod and his younger sister Alla Szummer. He will be fondly remembered by his wife of 44 years, Virginia Holmes and all his family and friends. A Celebration of Nicholas’ Life will be held next month for close family and friends. Those who so desire may make a donation in memory of him as follows:
For their beautiful music and the life sparkle this group has brought over the years to its church: St. John’s York Mills Handbell Choir, 19 Don Ridge Drive, Toronto, ON M2P 1H3, Tel. 416-225-6611 or an earmarked online donation at https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/12964. To thank Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital for their kind and compassionate care when they have rescued Nick and his family over the years: Orillia Soldiers Memorial Hospital, 146 Mississaga Street West, Orillia, ON L3V 3B3, Tel. 705-325-6464 http://osmhfoundation.ca/in-memory-honour-or-thanks/.