Obituary of Graeme Decarie
Malcolm Graeme Decarie
August 27, 1933-November 27, 2022
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Malcolm Graeme Decarie, 89, of Montreal, Quebec, on November 27, 2022, in Kingston, Ontario.
Born in Montreal to Malcolm Stanley and Jessie Decarie on August 27, 1933, Graeme studied Canadian history at Sir George Williams, Acadia, and Queen’s. After teaching briefly at UPEI, he returned to Montreal and enjoyed a long career as an enormously popular professor and chair of the history department at Concordia. He was a prolific speaker in the Montreal community, regular commentator for the CBC and CJAD, and consultant and narrator for the NFB. He also wrote for Reader’s Digest, The Montreal Gazette, and more. Graeme was active in the NDP, Alliance Quebec, the 78th Fraser Highlanders Regiment, and Sherlock Holmes society The Bimetallic Question. He enjoyed sailing, family history, and travelling.
Graeme dearly loved his children Catherine, Christina, Alexander, Nicholas, and Margaret, and was a proud grandfather to Evi, Mei Mei, Oona, and Leo. He was also devoted to his sister, Winnifred Stewart, and his nephews and niece, Ian, Andy, Doug, Owen, and Donna. The family is grateful to the staff at the Rosewood Retirement Residence for their compassion and care during the last year of Graeme’s life.
A Service of Remembrance will be held in Montreal on Saturday, April 22, 2023, 2 pm, at Mount Royal United Church,1800 Graham Blvd and via Zoom. Memorial donations to the YMCA can be made by visiting ymcaquebec.org
1933 2022
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Graeme
Decarie 1933 2022..
Death notice for the town of: Kingston, Province: Ontario
In the late 1950’s, ie 1957,58 & 59 Mr. Decarie was one of our teachers at Parkdale Elementary, St. Laurent. Later he was on the staff of Malcolm Campbell High School. I remember him well as he was a good teacher, disciplined and very good looking too, for a young girl. He later was featured on CJAD and was the one who mentioned that Lord Dorchester would have turned in his grave, at the thought of his street being renamed René Levesque. May he rest in peace. PS I have a picture of him at our graduation in 1959.
I was a history major at Concordia University from the mid to late 1970s. I was fortunate that the history department at that time was a team of professors who were knowledgeable about their subject and excellent communicators. My first Canadian history course was taught by Graeme Decarie. He was a storyteller and not a lecturer and was obviously passionate about the subject. After that first course, I enrolled in every course I could that he taught. In addition to full-time studies, I also worked at the university, so I spent a lot of time on the Loyola Campus. Graeme Decarie was friendly and approachable in both casual encounters on campus and in the classroom. And of course I enjoyed his regular participation on CJAD. My condolences to his family. Many current and former Montrealers and Concordia history students are thinking about Graeme Decarie today and the impact he had regarding their knowledge of Canadian history.
I worked with Graeme on a local history project for English-language elementary schools across the province when I worked and he volunteered at Alliance Quebec in the mid-80s.. He was wonderful, approachable, down to earth, a stand up guy! And he always had a good story or two to share.
I was saddened to learn of Grame’s passing. When I returned to Canada in 1981, to complete my Masters Degree in History, after spending a year teaching in Jamaica, I became Graeme’s teaching assistant. We became friends and I soon came to admire his sincerity and his unpretentious nature. Perhaps Graeme’s greatest attribute, as an academic and historian, was that he was the very antithesis of the ivory tower intellectual. Au contraire, he felt completely at home in the company of the average person and eschewed the trendiness which is so commonly found in the halls of academia. Best of all, Graeme’s many achievements in life owed to his intellect, his people skills, and his love of history, and he could never be accused of “kissing up and kicking down.”
During the early nineteen – nineties Graeme encouraged me to get involved with Elderhostel Canada, whose regional headquarters were located at Concordia. I learned a lot about lecturing to seniors from watching and listening to Graeme and my involvement with Elderhostel/Routes Adventures continues until this day.
I would like to extend my condolences to Graeme’s family during this difficult time. Treasure your memories.
My sympathies to the family of Graeme Decarie.
I took many history courses from him during my time at Loyola-Concordia (1971-76). Ended up teaching Canadian History for many years at St. Mark High School in Manotick Ont.-and often thought of what a great influence he had on me.