Dr. Denis Cyr

What I remember most about Denis is that life affirming smile of his and his complete love of every single member of his family of whom he always spoke so proudly. Thanks to Denis I was also the lucky recipient of chiropractic sessions at his clinic and benefitted greatly from that. I also remember his vitality, intelligence, his great sense of humor and fun and his hospitality and kindness towards others. The planet definitely needs more people like Denis on it. He will be sorely missed by all of us but at least we have happy memories of time spent with him.

We knew Denis to be a special and kind person. We will miss him.
Our condolences to Halina and family.

Sharing this time with you. Denis was a wonderful friend, like family and will be dearly missed.

To the Cyr family I wish you all faith and strength! Thank you for letting me be part of the ceremony!

Denis: Independent and compassionate. A man of soulful genuineness and good humour; with smiling eyes that run from Sky to Sky. Halina, you were Denis' cresting ocean wave; unfolding generously with faith and fate. You were the one that parachuted his Phoenix force. You Halina, were the spring bud of the bud of the season. And the rhyme of his very reason. You Halina, Liana, Nicholas, Phillipe, [Rong], and extended family, the very pearl of Denis' world. Now forever composing in Denis' heavenly spirit.

September 25, 2021

Reverend Father,
Dear Halina, Lianna, Phillipe and Nicholas,
Dear Sisters and Brothers of Denis,
Dear Family,
Dear Friend’s of Denis,

Many of you knew Denis a lot longer than I, but we clicked in our own special way.

My first encounter with Denis was on a nice, warm Sunday in 1982 on Marlborough when I was blindsided after giving Marysia, (that’s Halina, Yoy and Basia’s cousin who was living with them at the time) a lift home after church. I was invited into the garden where, unbeknownst to me, the usual Sunday gathering of the whole JG clan was taking place. After I recovered from that initial shock, I almost immediately noticed this guy standing by the barbeque with a huge grin from ear to ear. Yup, it was Denis and he never lost that great big smile.

Shortly after that mindboggling day and much to the chagrin of JG, I discovered Basia and eventually got invited, or more precisely expected, to attend the Sunday dues. Denis and I were put in charge of the grill and that was our first project together. Over the years we somewhat branched out.

Once Basia and I got married, I was BIL #3. Denis was BIL #2 and Rudi was BIL #1. BIL, that’s brother-in-law. And those two would joke that I was still on probation until I got JG’s final checkmark.

I remember getting a kick out of Denis’ Honda Civic because it was so tiny that when he and Halina headed back home, they’d almost have to strap Mom’s doggy-bags on the roof. But Denis loved that car and it got them where they needed to go. Compare that to the monster wheels he bought later. 
And Denis was right there getting indoctrinated into Polak customs and traditions. Right into the Christmas Eve (Wigilia) dinner, which he and Halina so fabulously hosted many a time. And the names-days and the anniversaries and the birthday parties, not just for the kids’ but us older folks as well, and all had to be to JG’s standard, which he always met.

Denis was truly proud of his French-Canadian heritage and even traced his roots back to the 1600’s in France, but he was keen to learn the Polish ways. He managed to get through the pickled herring OK but his toughest lesson was JG’s teaching that you couldn’t have just one Vodka shot because you’d be off balance so you’d have to one for each leg and sometimes even a third for true stability.

And Denis could sing “Sto lat”, that’s a Polish song wishing 100 years of health, a heck of a lot better than my version of “Bonne fête”, so he became fondly know as Dr. Cyrski. That he liked but he wasn’t too impressed with the “Dr. Bones” licence plates I got him for his 65th birthday.

We got a lot closer after the family moved to Orleans and Denis set up his practice in Blackburn Hamlet. He used to joke that it was my fault he left the solitude and peace of Smith’s Falls because I introduced him to my GP Dr. Sharma, who was opening a medical clinic in Blackburn and that’s where Denis set up his first shop.

After that, we would regularly get into trouble.

One of our more memorable exploits was at the Heart Institute after Denis’ bypass surgery. He couldn’t figure out how I managed to get into ICU and take a picture of him. But I’d visit and we’d chat for hours because the guy in the bed next to him was a real moaner and Denis couldn’t sleep. So we’d wander the halls or go down for a Tim’s or watch some TV in the common room. One evening the surgeon came by and told Denis that his test results were really good, so I piped up and jokingly asked when he could have a beer. Well the Doc said a beer wasn’t too good because Denis would probably have to get up at night to go to the washroom but red wine was OK. That’s all I needed to hear and I was out the door to the closest LCBO. We sat around until 2 am drinking red wine and that night Denis slept well. We didn’t have a chance to repeat the sleeplessness cure because Denis got discharged early.
 
Another occasion was when Denis was at the General for his leukemia treatments. We could only chat over the phone because personal visits weren’t permitted due to the pandemic restrictions. I knew he was bored so I asked if I could somehow send him something. Denis said that I could leave stuff for him at the hospital entrance and it would be delivered to his room. That was my cue and off to Tim’s I went. We usually got apple fritters, crullers and Boston creams, but now they looked so unspectacular that I stuck a can of beer in the box and dropped it off. To my surprise and delight, Denis called the next day to confirm the contents had arrived in tact. So the process was repeated successfully a few more time. The last phone call I got from Denis was the day before he died. In a concerned tone he said, “Hey Bud, we’re busted! There’s a new nurse on the floor and she thought the box was too heavy and opened it”. We laughed.

But my fondest memories with Denis were our Saturday rituals. I curl during the winter months so I would save up all my aches and pains for treatments the rest of the year. Saturday mornings were Tim’s donuts and coffee - Denis was 2 creams and 1 sugar. I’d sit in his office and we’d chat between patients and discuss world events and important issues, like our wives. When the patients were all done, it was my turn and he’d electrocute me and creak and crack my bones and I felt great!! Then Denis would call home to get the OK from Halina and we’d head off somewhere for lunch and a beer. Then we’d repeat the same routine the following week. And since the ladies in the office were always watching their figures, Nicholas would reap the benefits of any remaining donuts.

But the lunches were all contingent on what projects Denis had on the go and everyone knows how Denis loved projects: the lower deck, the upper deck, the basement, new staircase, upgrading the office, and so on. But his most pleasurable project was working with Phillipe and Rong on their new home. That was his pride and joy!

I will always remember Denis’ huge smile and his dedication and concern for his patients’ welfare, all of whom he knew on a first name basis, but the ladies were all addressed as “My Dear” and the gents as “Hey Bud”.

I miss you Bros. Hope you’ve got a Tim’s up there. I brought some donuts for Nich in any case.

Thanks for your attention.

Dear Halina and family,
It was with great sadness that we read of Denis’ sudden passing. Just today we were driving and we passed the street that he loved on when we knew him at university. We then thought that we should try to look him up to see what he was doing these days. We are truly sorry for your loss.
We remember Denis very fondly. We were actually at your wedding in Ottawa!
With heartfelt sympathy,
Helene and Sheldon

To the Cyr family,
My deepest condolences for your loss. I was privileged to have been a patient of Dr. Cyr over the years. He was such a professional when it came to his profession and possessed a wonderful sense of humor, which he displayed on every visit.
I will always cherish his memory and was honored to have known him.
Kindest regards,
Chris Dumont