“We both went to ODCVI, and a chap called Terry Whelan, who has a beautiful Irish voice, he and Gordy sang together. Orillia resident Peggy Little came out to pay her respects to Lightfoot, as she went to school with him once upon a time. Others had more humourous memories of the late folk legend. “He was very persistent, very strong, never gives up.” “Gord’s music is fantastic, and when you have stayed some five, six weeks together in the bush alone, you know, you get talking with him and you have a fantastic exchange,” he said. When you spend weeks together in nature, Schoppel said, you get to know someone fairly well. “(There were) some very long trips, longest one I did with Gord was 1,000 kilometres long.” ![]() I did a bunch of trips with him up north and (in the) Northwest Territories,” Schoppel said. “We have a canoe group out of Cambridge, all kinds of prominent people – prime ministers, and so forth – have been part of it, and he was very enthusiastic. When not involved in music, Lightfoot would often take to adventure, and his old friend Ingo Schoppel spoke of numerous canoe trips the two had been on over the years. “Our mom used to … bring Gordon and the guys brownies, and he called our mom ‘Mom,’ and he's known our family through Fred for all these years,” added Lisa. Through their friendship, Lightfoot penned the foreword to Fred’s book, Standing in the Wings, and became a family friend, as well. “The guy is a legendary performer and probably the best songwriter that I've ever had … Lightfoot outclassed them all, as far as I’m concerned.” He sold out shows, and I stayed in the business,” he said. “He was the first artist that I ever promoted as live entertainment. Siblings Fred and Lisa Krohn travelled all the way from Minneapolis to pay their respects.įred said Lightfoot was a key part of building his career as a music promoter in Minneapolis. Just as the church impacted Lightfoot’s life, so, too, did he impact the hundreds of people who showed up for the public visitation. “It's a good reminder that as a community, that's what we need to be doing.” “He walked through that door a lot, and it made an impact on his life, so it's, it's very touching to be reminded how much of a difference that makes when we welcome people and we encourage their gifts, and we celebrate who they are,” she said. “It just warms people's hearts, that this meant so much to him, and I think we begin to see the difference we can make as a community, both the church community and the Orillia community. “The whole idea of him choosing to come home to here for his visitation means a lot,” she said. Paul’s in the choir, Hilfman-Millson said it means a lot to know how much the church meant to him, and she said it signifies the impact the church can have on people. Recalling how Lightfoot began his musical career at St. He was a very shy person he was a very humble person, but he was very committed to his craft and his musical lyrical poetry.” ![]() “I really loved how authentic he was and how real he was,” she said. “He didn't want to be a superstar – he wasn't particularly interested in that. She said she loved how authentic and humble he was. Paul’s minister for 17 years, had the opportunity to interview Lightfoot on numerous occasions. “To have the opportunity, to think about who he's been in my life and in the life of Canada and the life of Orillia, it means a lot. ![]() “It feels like such a blessing because I have this deep sadness, and almost like a wound at his death,” she told OrilliaMatters. ![]() Paul’s minister and long-time friend of Lightfoot’s, has been chosen as the officiant of his upcoming funeral, a private function for family and close friends. By three in the afternoon, more than 1,000 people had already paid their respects to Lightfoot, who died May 1. Orillia residents, Canadians from far and wide, and travellers from the United States came to bid the folk music legend a final farewell during a public visitation that ran from 1 p.m. Paul’s Centre in Orillia on Sunday to pay tribute to Orillia-born folk music legend Gordon Lightfoot, countless memories of friendship and fandom emerged. As hundreds of friends and fans made a pilgrimage to St.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |