Charlie Abel
Toronto, November 27, 2014. Thanks to PHSC member George Dunbar who spotted this obituary for a local legend. Charles Abel owned a Toronto photo finishing company when I was a kid. His trademark was a horse race with a “photo finish”. His service was widely used in Ontario.
The Chas Abel billboard on the Gardener was seen daily by thousands and thousands of people. His son was a member of our society some years back. Following is the Obituary which appeared in the Toronto Star on November 27, 2014.
Chas Abel Photo Finish
CHARLES (CHARLIE) ABEL May 7, 1926 – November 24, 2014. Charlie was a dynamic businessman and president of Chas Abel Photo Service for almost forty years. The “Photo Finish” sign was a landmark for countless drivers on the Gardiner Expressway for decades. Charlie was a loving husband and father, a proud and generous grandfather and great-grandfather and always a devoted and loyal friend. He loved his place on the lake, fishing, boating, good wine, Stan Freeberg, big band jazz, boggie-woogie piano and, above all, the singing of Frank Sinatra. We will all sorely miss his warmth, his stories, his strong opinions, his sharp sense of humour, his good advice, his unwavering support – but most of all, just him. Visitation Sunday, November 30th from 3 to 7 p.m. and memorial service Monday, December 1st at 3 p.m. at the Turner & Porter “Peel” Chapel, 2180 Hurontario Street, Mississauga. Reception after the service at 5 p.m. at Delta Meadowvale, 6750 Mississauga Road North (Mississauga and Argentia). In lieu of flowers, donations to the Credit Valley Hospital Foundation would be warmly received. – See more at: www.legacy.com
