Desmond Mark Pervais, age 56, passed away on Tuesday, August 22, 2017 at his home in Toronto, Ontario. Desmond was an amazing son, father, brother, uncle and friend who will be greatly missed. Words are not enough to share how much he meant to his family and friends.
Desmond was born on January 7, 1961 in Port Arthur, Ontario and a member of the Fort William First Nation. He was one of seven children of Mel Pervais and the late Patricia Pervais. He attended Abington Senior High School in Abington, PA and studied Chemistry at Arizona State University and subsequently lived in many places including British Columbia, Upstate New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Utah, Montana and most recently Toronto.
Desmond was passionate about tennis throughout his life. He started hitting a tennis ball against a high brick wall at a local church when he was a young teenager and eventually made the Varsity Boys Tennis team at Abington Senior High School. One of his proudest accomplishments came in the summer of 1980 when he was invited to participate in the US Open practice court sessions where he got to meet and play with top players such as John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg.
Desmond was an avid skier who enjoyed descending a black diamond run and aerial moves in moguls in Vermont and heli-skiing in Colorado but most of all he cherished these family ski trips. Some of his favorite music artists included Phil Collins, Super Tramp and Pink Floyd. He will be remembered for his generous spirit, sense of humor and his funny tagline “Gimme a jingle”.
He is survived by his daughter, Hailey of Fort William First Nation, ON; father, Mel Pervais of Ellijay, Georgia; four siblings – Lydia Kuchefski (Ken) of Danville, IL; Craig Pervais (Paula) of Draper, UT; Colette van Breems (Martin) of Redding, CT; Claudette Lebowitz (Arthur) of Cheshire, CT; and six nieces and nephews – Jennifer, Brittany, Melvin, Mazie, Jacob and Jazmin. He is predeceased by his mother, Patricia and youngest brother, Brian.
Funeral services will be held at the Mount McKay Pow Wow Grounds on Fort William First Nation on Friday, September 1, 2017 at 11:30 A.M. by Rev. Larry Kroker sj. Interment will follow at Immaculate Conception Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Desmond’s name to: St. Paul’s L’Amoreaux Centre, 3333 Finch Avenue East, Toronto, ON M1W 2R9 / www.splc.ca
