Sylvia Murphy 1931-2021

Sylvia Murphy 1931-2021

Promotional photo for her first radio show

There is also a full page obituary in the Toronto Globe and Mail and Toronto Star Obituary. See also the memorial page.

Sylvia Murphy, (our mother) also known as Sylvia Simon, Sylvia Templeton and Sylvia Tate through three marriages, died Feb 24. Her long life included a meteoric rise to be one of Canada's top radio and TV singing performers in the 1950s and early sixties as well as a mother to five and grandmother to ten, with whom she was in constant virtual contact during her long hospitalization for hip surgery where she acquired Covid-19.

She was born to Celia Zoddickson, whose family had left the Jewish city of Vitebsk (in what is now Belarus) for Liverpool in the 1890s, and John Murphy, a son of the Irish community in Liverpool who served in the Canadian merchant marine. Both came to Montreal, where they met and married and had Sylvia and her two brothers in severe poverty at the start of the Great Depression. John Murphy's sailing career left him mostly absent, and he died in 1940 from, in sad parallel, a hospital-acquired infection after being wounded in a German attack on his ship. Sylvia’s mother did the impossible task of raising three children alone in those trying, war-torn times.

The family was so poor, the children were actually placed in an orphanage for a short period. Even though the nuns disapproved, that didn’t deter the young Sylvia Murphy from her love of music, and after being nudged out of Catholic school for being unlikely to “be a good Catholic,” her singing talent was quickly discovered by Montreal nightclub operators -- including some shady mobsters -- though she was too young to legally be in the clubs. She was a hit and it wasn’t long before she got the opportunity to join with Jazz bandleader Billy O'Connor to sing on the Coca-Cola sponsored show "Refreshment Time'' on CBC radio and later Club O'Connor on CBC TV. It was Billy who dubbed her “Our Doll from Montreal”.

Though the commute from Montreal was a challenge, she got her next break as an emergency fill-in on the popular CBC TV show "Cross Canada Hit Parade." This caught the attention of Jack Kane, a renowned bandleader, and she became the ‘girl singer’ on a series of weekly broadcasts with his orchestra including The Jack Kane show, Music Makers 58 and 59 and Music 60. She also was a regular singing performer on Canada's most popular comedy show, the Wayne and Shuster Hour and made numerous guest appearances on other variety shows and specials She was named “Best New Performer” and later “Best Female Singer” at the Liberty All Canada TV Awards (predecessor of the ACTRA and subsequent Gemini awards) in 1958, 59 and 61.

In spite of this success, she was devoted to family. Her first marriage to Mark Simon of Montreal was short but produced two children. She accomplished most of her success while a single mother. After moving to Toronto, In 1959 she was cast as the female lead in the CBC movie "A Face To Remember" opposite Charles Templeton, a former preacher turned TV newsman. The script called for romance between their characters, but they also dated off-screen, sharing their first kiss in a rehearsal that turned into more than rehearsal. They were married 6 months later, and had two children.

With four children and a stable home, her career waned. When she and her new husband married, she was the wealthier self-made woman, a rarity in the fifties. With those young children though, she refused to tour, limiting her options in the recording industry, and so she moved to focus on family, devoting herself mostly to the children while her husband pursued careers in all forms of news (editing the Toronto star and Macleans, running CTV News, and the popular syndicated radio show Dialogue) as well as politics, writing novels and inventing. They divorced in 1976 and she then married William C. Tate, who built and ran Canadian operations of US Aerospace company Garrett Manufacturing (now part of Honeywell.) This brought a stepson into her family to whom she showed the same devotion she had for her other children.

Through it all, she was the consummate homemaker. She built cabinetry and upholstered furniture. She tackled electrics and plumbing. A home handiework TV show was created partly based on her, but she was not cast as the host since she was "too good looking to be believable as a carpenter." She made clothes and endless halloween costumes for her grandchildren especially. 

She participated in multiple Bridge groups, was part of a French club and a Book club, although she didn’t always like the selections. She could do the Globe and Mail Cryptic Crossword in jig time and only tackled Sudoku if it was the hard ones. There are several generations of friends who can attest to her love of words and grammar, and she schooled many friends of her children and grandchildren in the correct way to speak. She was fully prepared to carry on with her great-grandchildren. And she was always ready with a song.

She remained active and alert for all of her 89 years until felled by an accident and the virus. 

As a multi-faceted woman of many interests, she spawned a diverse tribe.

She leaves behind Deborah Burgess (A TV producer/director/performer responsible for shows such as Mantracker, Great Canadian Rivers, and Great Canadian Parks as well as broadcasting for Global News) Michael Templeton (a recently retired law partner at McMillan LLP) who has appeared twice before the Supreme Court of Canada and wife Nancy, Brad Templeton (Technologist and founder of the world's first internet dot-com company, civil rights advocate, self-driving car developer) and partner Kathryn Myronuk, Ty Templeton (award winning comic book artist known for writing and drawing both major titles like Superman/Batman/Spiderman and his own creations) and partner Keiren Smith, as well as Bruce Tate (whose career includes leadership roles promoting social justice and most recently helping to advance diversity and inclusion across the Federal Government,) and wife Kim Meimaroglou.

Also left behind are her brother Harry Murphy and ten grandchildren including Jesse Burgess, Curtis, Cale and Jordan Templeton, Kellam, Taylor, Sian and Charlie Templeton-Smith and Will and Marika Tate, along with two great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her brother Joseph Murphy.

Due to Covid restrictions, memorial services will be limited to family. An online virtual memorial will be held for friends and old fans, and announced here in March.

Donations in her name may be made to the Hospital for Sick Children, whose work she always appreciated or Doctors without Borders.

The End

Above is the story of her life. The story of her end is a different one including:

  • The difference between Canadian and US health care, and how the Canadian system failed her.
  • The challenges of Covid on people in health care and their families, including dealing with closed borders, quarantines, severe hospital visition rights, deathbed visits and funerals.
  • How I set up computers to assure she was virtually with family 12 hours/day during her hospitalization -- something every patient should have but which has come to few.

But right now, it is her story which is being told, not this one.

You can leave rememberances on this memorial page.