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HÉLÈNE COMAY

HÉLÈNE COMAY Obituary

(née du Bouchet). September 18, 1926 (Paris) – August 22, 2025 (Toronto). Hélène died peacefully in her 99th year, after a long, engaged life. She touched the lives of countless children and their families for over 70 years as an early childhood educator in Toronto, first as director of the Jewish Community Centre Nursery School and then at the Hélène Comay Nursery School. Hélène arrived in Massachusetts as a Jewish refugee from occupied France in 1940. Ten years later, she fled the U.S. for Canada to escape persecution under McCarthyism. She was predeceased by her husband, Eli Comay, and will be sorely missed by her daughters, Julie Comay (Dan Rahimi) and Rebecca Comay (Cary Fagan); her grandchildren, Sam (Susana), Hannah (Adam), Elena (Shiv), and Joachim (Nastia); her stepgrandchildren, Rachel (Jordan) and Sophie (Gian); and her great-grandson, Yonah. We are deeply grateful to the staff at Kensington Gardens for their incredible care. A memorial event for Hélène will take place later in the year. We will be holding an informal shiva on Saturday, September 13, between 2:00 and 6:00 at 618 Dovercourt Rd., Toronto. Donations in Hélène's memory can be sent to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund (https://pcrf1.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/pcrf1/campaign.jsp?campaign=2561&fundraiser=1197263&).
Published by The Globe and Mail from Aug. 30 to Sep. 3, 2025.

Memories and Condolences
for HÉLÈNE COMAY

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6 Entries

Abigail Bakan

Earlier today

What an amazing woman, such a sad loss. Sending love to Rebecca, Julie and family.

John Hincks

Yesterday

Sorry that you and Liam have lost such an important person in your lives but grateful for the memories you have.

Karen Swinburne

August 30, 2025

Our three Toronto grandchildren attended Hélène Comay nursery school in the Wychwood Barns during the years 2011 through 2019 and it was our great pleasure to know Helene a little when we would seize the opportunity to drop the children off and pick them up when we were visiting from Ottawa. I had a friend in common with Helene, another Ottawa early childhood educator, who gave me a copy of Helene’s very impressive address about the importance of play, presented when she received her honorary PhD. She was a remarkable, intelligent, intuitive woman who created a nurturing, stimulating preschool (carried on by Soraya) that greatly benefitted our grandchildren. I am most impressed that the family’s charity of choice is for donations honouring Helene is the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund, no doubt reflecting Helene’s values about the worth of every child.
Karen Swinburne

Erica Fischer

August 30, 2025

Helene was a remarkable, tender, sensitive teacher. Our daughters benefited from her tutelage. In my opinion, she was a role model for teachers, parents and students alike.

Rebecca Comau

August 30, 2025

https://www.yorku.ca/yfile/2015/06/23/early-childhood-educator-urges-grads-to-understand-the-importance-of-play/

This captures my mother - some quotations from her speech for her honorary doctorate at York (at age 90)

Elaine Givertz

August 30, 2025

Helene was an important person in the lives of our 4 children, Alisa, Ruth Ellen, Michelle and Adam, who spent their first 2 years at the Y nursery school.
Marv and I appreciated the loving atmosphere she created and how she fostered each child´s individuality. An unforgettable human being.

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