York Cemetery is a

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

located in the

North York North York is one of the six administrative districts of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located directly north of York, Old Toronto and East York, between Etobicoke to the west and Scarborough to the east. As of the 2016 Census, it had a popu ...

area of

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada.

History

The site of York Cemetery was originally a property farmed by Joseph Shepard, who bought the land in 1805. The brick farm house on the property was constructed in 1837 by Joseph's son, Michael. Prior to the 1940s, the land was also used as the short-lived

Willowdale Airfield Willowdale Airfield was located in North York, Toronto, Ontario, Canada near Finch Avenue and Senlac in the Willowdale neighbourhood. Like many of the small aerodromes in Toronto, it disappeared before World War II. The airfield was built on fa ...

. In 1916, the Toronto General Burying Grounds (now the Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries) bought the property but didn't start to convert the 172 acres (70 ha) for cemetery use until 1946, two years before the cemetery officially opened in 1948. The cemetery once fronted on

Yonge Street Yonge Street (; pronounced "young") is a major arterial route in the Canadian province of Ontario connecting the shores of Lake Ontario in Toronto to Lake Simcoe, a gateway to the Upper Great Lakes. Once the southernmost leg of provincial Hi ...

, but in 1966, eighteen and a half acres were sold to the city of

(now part of Toronto). The cemetery has continued to develop, with the addition of a chapel and reception centre, and also the newly built "garden of remembrance". It is unknown to the public if the cemetery will develop the land it controls at the bottom of the ravine and neighbouring Burnett Avenue Park. Cemetery officials have previously indicated an intention to develop these lands at community meetings.

Notable interments

Graves of Tim Horton and Lori Horton in York Cemetery in Toronto

Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia grave photo by Djuradj Vujcic

* Blagoje Bratić (1946–2008), member of the Yugoslav national soccer team; later as Canadian sports director and coach *

Arnold Chan Arnold Chan (June 10, 1967 – September 14, 2017) was a Canadian lawyer and politician, who was elected to represent the riding of Scarborough—Agincourt in the House of Commons of Canada in the 2014 by-election. Chan was a member of the Li ...

(1967–2017), Member of Parliament for Scarborough-Agincourt 2014–2017 and Deputy Government House Leader *

Barbara Frum Barbara Frum, OC (September 8, 1937 – March 26, 1992) was an American-born Canadian radio and television journalist, acclaimed for her interviews for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Personal life Barbara Frum was born Barbara Rosbe ...

(1937–1992), Canadian television news anchor and journalist (CBC) *

Nick Harbaruk Mikołaj Nicholas "Nick" Harbaruk (August 16, 1943March 10, 2011) was a professional ice hockey player. Harbaruk played 364 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) and 181 in the World Hockey Association (WHA). Harbaruk played for the Pittsburgh ...

(1943–2011), Polish-born Canadian WHA and NHL hockey player * Murray Henderson (1921–2013), hockey player *

Tim Horton Miles Gilbert "Tim" Horton (January 12, 1930 – February 21, 1974) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played 24 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, Pittsburg ...

(1930–1974), former

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

player and co-founder of

Tim Hortons Tim Hortons Inc., commonly nicknamed Tim's, or Timmie's is a Canadian multinational coffeehouse and restaurant chain. Based in Toronto, Tim Hortons serves coffee, doughnuts, and other fast-food items. It is Canada's largest quick-service rest ...

* Bob Jarvis (1935–2017), Canadian lawyer and politician * Zoran Kosanović (1956–1998), Serbian-Canadian table tennis player *

Cynthia Lai Cynthia Lai ( ; ; October 19, 1954 – October 21, 2022) was a Canadian politician who represented Ward 23 Scarborough North on the Toronto City Council from 2018 to 2022. Background Lai immigrated from Hong Kong and moved to Canada in 1972. ...

(1954–2022), Politician, represented Ward 23 Scarborough North on the

Toronto City Council Toronto City Council is the governing body of the municipal government of Toronto, Ontario. Meeting at Toronto City Hall, it comprises 25 city councillors and the mayor of Toronto. The current term began on November 15, 2022. Structure The cur ...

* Her Imperial Highness

Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia (russian: О́льга Алекса́ндровна; – 24 November 1960) was the youngest child of Emperor Alexander III of Russia and younger sister of Emperor Nicholas II. Olga was raised at the ...

(1882–1960), along with her husband Captain

Nikolai Kulikovsky Nikolai Alexandrovich Kulikovsky (5 November 1881 – 11 August 1958) was the second husband of Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia, the sister of Tsar Nicholas II and daughter of Tsar Alexander III. He was born into a military landowning f ...

(1881–1958) *

Jesse Nilsson Jesse Allan Nilsson (December 9, 1977 - April 25, 2003) was a Canadian actor who starred in several television programmes, one of his notable and last parts being Gabriel Patterson on '' Adventure Inc.'' Career Nilsson was active in drama and fin ...

(1977–2003), Canadian television actor *

Henry Howey Robson Henry Howey Robson VC (18 February 1894 – 4 March 1964) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Rob ...

(1897–1964), British-born recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

Percy Saltzman Percy Philip Saltzman, (March 15, 1915 – January 15, 2007) was a meteorologist and television personality best remembered for being the first weatherman in English-speaking Canadian television history. As a pioneer in weather forecasting ...

(1915–2007), Canadian meteorologist, first weatherman on Canadian television *

Bruce Smith Bruce Bernard Smith (born June 18, 1963) is an American former football defensive end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 19 seasons, primarily with the Buffalo Bills. He played college football at Virginia Tech, where he was ...

(1949–2013), professional football player

References

External links

York Cemetery
* {{Find a Grave cemetery
Friends of York Cemetery and Burnett Park
Cemeteries in Toronto North York 1948 establishments in Ontario

History

Notable interments

See also

References

External links