Morden Yolles (1925 – 2024) passed away peacefully at his home, surrounded by family, on Monday, January 22, 2024, in his 99th year of life. Mordy was the son of Leon and Dora; the devoted husband of Edie; and the loving father of Eric and Dylan. He was the youngest brother of Burle, Ruby, Sylvia and David; and had a special bond with his sisters-in-law, Louise Yolles and Gerry Wasserman. He was the beloved uncle of Catherine, Ian, Joanne, Vanessa, Jeffrey, Hal, Aaron and Michael, and their partners and children. – Published by The Globe and Mail from Jan. 25 to Jan. 31, 2024. Read the full obituary HERE.
Huge Supporter
Morden Yolles was a huge supporter of my artistic career. I met Mordy in 1996. A temp agency sent me to his office for a job interview. Mordy needed a new secretary who could write shorthand. I noticed a photo of a public artwork by Tadashi Kawamata on his wall, which showed that his office had provided structural engineering for the project. We talked about art for an hour. At the end, he asked me if I knew shorthand, and I said, “No, but I can write really fast.” Mordy hired me.
Personal assistant
I was his personal assistant on a part-time basis while I pursued my artistic career. Not only was he wonderful to work for, but he also unknowingly became my second father. My own Dad died the week before I started working for Mordy. The job gave me the support I needed to rent a studio and continue painting.
Culture Vultures
After working for Mordy for 14 years, I was able to pursue my art career full-time. Our friendship turned into being “culture vultures” together. He was gleefully curious about so many things. Whether watching a puppet show, exploring an eccentric sculpture park, photographing graffiti, or trying a new restaurant, his mind was open, and he was ready for adventure. He always had one word for these joyful encounters: INCREDIBLE.
In Conversation
Morden Yolles interviewed me in 2020 about my painting series, Blueprint. We also discussed my large-scale public art commission for Great Gulf’s residential building at 25 Richmond Street East in Toronto.
In Memoriam
Beth Kapusta wrote an article about Morden posthumously, which appears in the Canadian Architect magazine. You can read the full article
HERE.
Jigsaw puzzles
Every August, we would go on a road trip to visit his land in Tweed. When getting in and out of the Skootamatta River became more challenging, our “canoe trips” became an exploration of fine dining and antique shops in nearby Prince Edward County. When Mordy became more housebound in the past year, Beth Kapusta and I visited him every week, bringing dinner and working on a jigsaw puzzle while we chatted. On the first puzzle, he said, “I’ll be dead before you finish that.” Beth and I were working on our seventh puzzle when Mordy passed away peacefully in his beloved art-filled living room, surrounded by his family. We will all miss him dearly. But he would make a pun about that.