Obituary of Adolph Rolin

Passed away peacefully at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto on Friday, February 18, 2011 at 2:50 p.m. at the age of 88. Born on June 23, 1922 in Nove Mesto nad Vahom, a town in the Trencin Region of then Czecholovakia. Ady graduated in 1946 with a Masters in Business and Management from the Institute of Economics at the Czech Technical University in Prague. On June 2, 1969 Ady received The Netherlands Laureate of Labour (NLA) Dipl. Ing. Econ. A courageous Holocaust survivor and anti-Communist freedom fighter, Ady immigrated to Canada on The Empress of France landing in Montreal on October 4, 1949 with his beloved parents Berthold and Irene Reiss. Devoted husband to the late Lilly Kertes Rolin for 50 years, devoted father to Sonya Rolin Donald and Pierre Norman Rolin. Proud grandfather to Jonathan Sebastian Reiss Donald, Audrey Tatiana Kohn Donald, Charles Nicholas Kertes Donald, Pablos Reiss Rolin Riquelme and Lukas Caesar Rolin Riquelme. Adolph O. Rolin was Founder and President of Toronto based Rolin Realty Limited since 1952, a Canadian real estate brokerage, and management service firm. Ady remained active in advising and managing prominent overseas investors in the Canadian real estate industry, and in charge of all of his acumen until his passing. Ady was one of the longest living members of the Toronto Real Estate Board. Later in life Ady became active in many important Canadian and overseas philanthropic causes. His most cherished project was establishing the Lilly Kertes Rolin Centre for Vocal Studies at the Telus Centre for Performance and Learning. Ady also established the Lilly Kertes Rolin International Prize in Vocal Studies at The Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. Fluent in 5 languages, Ady was an avid historian, art collector and passionate globe trotter. He will be missed greatly by everyone he touched. Ady was a proud man with a sharp mind, was very logical, always optimistic, positive and ethical. Ady was a businessman from "the old school." Ady accepted things he could not change, had courage to change the things he could and had the wisdom to know the difference. He always said "tomorrow is another day and the sun will rise again." A funeral service will be held in the HUMPHREY FUNERAL HOME - A.W. MILES CHAPEL, 1403 Bayview Avenue (south of Davisville Avenue) on Tuesday, March 1 at 1:00 p.m. A reception will follow at the family home in Toronto.