Another year is gone, and as is the case every year, 2025 has seen the passing of Sudburians who have made a mark on the city or on the wider world in their own unique way.
Every year, we also use this list to mark the deaths of one or two people who didn’t live in Sudbury, but nonetheless made valuable contributions to the Nickel City.
Our condolences go out to everyone who has lost a loved one over the past year.
Below is a list of Sudburians who died in 2025.
Dan McCourt
Dan McCourt of Sudbury, a longtime National Hockey League linesman, passed away Jan 20 after a long illness. He was 70 years old. Inducted into the Greater Sudbury Sports Hall of Fame in 2015, McCourt spent 25 years as an NHL linesman, from 1979 to 2004, and then serving as an officiating manager for more than a decade after taking off his skates and striped shirt. McCourt was a talented junior player in his youth, but he didn’t attract the attention of scouts like his brother Dale McCourt did (who played in the NHL for the Detroit Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs between 1977 and 1984) or his uncle, George Armstrong (Hockey Hall of Famer who played 21 seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, was captain for 13 years and won four Stanley Cups). McCourt then spent eight years as a NHL linesman.
Lionel Lalonde
Well-known former area politician Lionel Lalonde passed away March 23 at the age of 89. His obituary said he worked in several fields throughout his life, including electrician, teacher, school trustee, regional councillor, and mayor of the Town of Rayside-Balfour for 12 years, as well as councillor for the City of Greater Sudbury at the time of its creation. The city facility Lionel E. Lalonde Centre in Azilda is named for him.
Lionel Courtemanche
Lionel Courtemanche, a champion of community, died May 11 at the age of 87. “He was surrounded by family and friends at Health Sciences North and passed away peacefully and with unforeseen haste,” his obituary reads. Courtemanche, a man described in his obituary as “devoting his career to public service,” found his way into his chosen profession in an unexpected way: working at the Burwash jail, said his obituary. He then spent 30 years in the Leisure Services department at the City of Sudbury and the Town of Onaping Falls, states his obituary and oversaw many programs and facilities across the City, including Camp Sudaca, Adanac Ski Hill, local playgrounds and museums, as well major events such as the World Junior Track and Field Championships, the Pan Am Games and the Big Nickel Hockey Tournament. He chaired the Accessibility Advisory Panel, supported Better Beginnings Better Futures and was President of the Sudbury Minor Hockey Association.
Ellen Rukholm
Laurentian University has established a memorial fellowship in memory of Ellen Rukholm, the former director of the university’s nursing school, who passed away July 12 at the age of 78. Her obituary said she was “devoted to family and the nursing profession,” starting her career in nursing by completing hospital training at the Vancouver General Hospital in 1968. After travelling the world for three years with husband, Toivo, she returned to school to complete her BScN in Nursing at Laurentian University. She went on to get her Master's Degree in Nursing at the University of Toronto and then her PhD in Nursing at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. Rukholm worked as a professor in the Laurentian University School of Nursing, rising to be the director of the school. Although we wrote a feature about Rukholm following the university’s creation of the memorial fellowship, she is only one of several former Laurentian University professors who died in 2025. Others we made note of include Lloyd Reed, Robert Segsworth and Graeme Mount.
Ivan Wheale
A Manitoulin Island artist who left a mark on the arts in the region and across the country passed away Aug. 9 at the age of 90. Ivan Wheale was born Nov. 9, 1934 in Sunderland, England. “Although Ivan had been fighting a courageous battle with cancer, his laughter and great spirit came through each and every day,” said his obituary, which was published by The Manitoulin Expositor. “He was loved by many and adored by his community for his kindness, humour and mentoring.” In 2014, on the occasion of Wheale being made the first honorary fellow of the Art Gallery of Sudbury for his contributions to the gallery, he spoke to Sudbury.com about how he first became an artist. Wheale told us at the time his contributions to what was to become AGS included fundraising for its initial establishment at the Bell Mansion and donating his own works to its permanent collection. He said he'd always had a penchant for art, but decided to quit his day job and become a professional painter in the 1960s, after seeing an exhibit of Van Gogh's paintings. “My wife was pregnant at the time,” Wheale said.
Elie Martel
Elie Martel was, according to his daughter Shelley, larger than life, a mentor, a fighter, a believer in social and economic justice. “He was such a mentor in terms of his moral compass and his values,” Shelley said. “We benefitted from his support and loved that he was proud of us. We carry all of that with us despite this loss.” A 20-year New Democrat MPP for the now-defunct Sudbury East riding, Elie Martel passed away Aug. 14 at the age of 90. His obituary said he is survived by his wife of 65 years, Gaye, four children, including his daughter Shelley, who succeeded him as an area NDP MPP, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Leo Gerard
“I’ve been to three continents as a United Steelworker, and each time I was reminded that everywhere else, he’s President Gerard,” said Sudbury NDP MPP Jamie West. “But, in Sudbury, we call him ‘Leo’.” “Leo Gerard often stated at Day of Mourning events that we need to ‘mourn the dead, and fight like hell for the living,’” said Steelworkers Local 6500 president Raymond Hammond. “Today we mourn the man who taught and inspired generations of labour activists and leaders all over the world. Those people will continue his fight.” The Sudbury community — along with the worldwide labour community — paid tribute to Sudburian and former United Steelworkers international president Leo Gerard, who died Sept. 21 at the age of 78. Gerard’s obituary said he is deeply missed by his wife of 56 years, Susan Gerard, his two daughters, Kari-Ann Gerard Cusack (husband Shane) and Meaghan Gerard Wennekes (husband Adam) and his grandchildren, Elyssa, Liam and Kinley.
Vincenzo “Vip” Palladino
One of the big names in Greater Sudbury’s automotive sector, Vincenzo “Vip” Palladino, died Sept. 23. He was 95. On the Palladino Auto Group website’s “Our Story” page, the dealership shares the story of how Palladino opened his first dealership in the 1970s and spun it out in a successful group of dealerships. “Vip Palladino, our visionary founder, started his automotive career as a young man. He established three thriving used vehicle locations in Sudbury, Ontario, collectively named ‘Vip's Car Land’,” the page reads. “The turning point came in the early 1970s with the success of the Honda Civic. After a transformative five-minute test drive, Vip embraced the import market, leading to the opening of our flagship location: Palladino Honda (formerly Palladino Motors).” A story on the Palladino patriarch’s passing on CanadianAutoDealer.ca highlights how Palladino’s son, Vince, joined the business, becoming general manager in 1998 and dealer principal in 2000.
Jane Goodall
Jane Goodall, the world-renowned conservationist who made several visits to Greater Sudbury in recent years, died Oct. 1 at the age of 91. The primatologist, who was a United Nations messenger of peace and founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, died in California while on a speaking tour. Goodall had a special relationship with Greater Sudbury, centred around the city’s decades-long regreening efforts, efforts she celebrated repeatedly in public. In fact, Goodall's most recent visit to Sudbury, in May 2023, was to take part in the launch of a new IMAX film at Science North titled “Jane Goodall - Reasons For Hope”, which was produced for Science North by Sudbury filmmaker David Lickley.
Ronald Bradley
One of Chelmsford’s leading community stewards died this year. Perhaps best known as councillor in both Rayside-Balfour and the then-freshly amalgamated City of Greater Sudbury until 2006, Ronald Bradley died on Nov. 3 at 90 years of age. “The best way I could describe it is, he was like a little pit bull,” nephew Claude Gravelle told Sudbury.com. “When he got onto a subject or matter, he wouldn't let go until it was resolved. He would keep going, keep going, keep going until it was resolved to his satisfaction." After having served as a council member and deputy mayor for Rayside-Balfour, Bradley’s last stint as a politician stretched from the 2003-06 civic term, when he was elected as one of two ward council members in what was then Ward 2 in the City of Greater Sudbury. Reconfigured under the present-day 12-ward system in 2006, Bradley ran in Ward 4 and lost to Evelyn Dutrisac, but still managed to secure a second-place 22.9-per-cent of the vote. Bradley was a founding member of the USW Local 6500, ending his career as a shift boss for INCO, and also helped found the Senior Craft Shop in Chelmsford, which is still in operation.
Bernard Bouffard
Bernie Bouffard, founder of beloved Sudbury used bookstore Bay Used Books, passed away Nov. 16 at the age of 86. He is survived by his wife, Françoise, four children and eight grandchildren. Born in Verner to Albert Bouffard and Emma (née Beauparlant), Bouffard lost both his parents at a young age, a loss that shaped his determination and perseverance throughout his life, said his obituary. In 1960, he married his high school sweetheart, Fran, and together they celebrated 65 years of marriage this past September. After a brief period working underground at Inco in the early 1960s, Bouffard moved his young family to North Bay to begin his professional journey as a bookkeeper-controller at Firestone, his obituary said. He continued to grow his accounting expertise with other employers until he was ready to pursue his dream of owning his own business. That dream took shape when Bernie and Fran moved their family back to Sudbury in 1975 to open Bay Confectionary on Lasalle Boulevard. From the beginning, his goal was to convert the store into a used bookstore — a vision they realized over time by steadily replacing groceries with an ever-increasing number of books, said Bouffard’s obituary. Eventually, they renamed the business Bay Used Books, which he and Fran operated together for 30 years.
Maria Zografopolous
Maria Zografopolous, a member of Sudbury’s Deluxe Hamburgers dynasty, passed away Nov. 17 at the age of 88. She was born in Dragasia, Greece, and came to Copper Cliff in 1957 and together with her four sisters, began working at Lolas Confectionary, where she eventually became an owner. In 1959, her beloved Eftimios (Tim) joined her in Canada, and they began their journey together, her obituary states. After her career at Lolas, she joined her husband at Deluxe Hamburgers on Regent, which is also owned by the Zografopolous family, “and continued to serve the community with her contagious smile for 25-plus years.” “Maria could often be seen at her favourite table at Deluxe enjoying her chicken on a bun and we would like to thank our staff (past and present) for always being attentive to her and to all her friends that stopped by for a chat,” said her obituary. “We are also grateful for the support and kindness to the health team that responded to her needs.”
Heidi Ulrichsen is Sudbury.com’s assistant editor.