Rufiange, Emile
Rufiange, Emile
August 25, 1940 - May 13, 2022Emile's spirit left his body on May 13, 2022, in St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him. The colours, composition, and light in his oil paintings are treasured by everyone fortunate enough to own one.
Emile Albert Rufiange was born in Montréal on August 25th, 1940. His father, Léo Rufiange, was an electrician; his mother, Marie-Rose Derochers, helped support their children by sewing. Emile's older sister, Thérèse, married François Gauthier, who became a beloved older brother to Emile. The children of that union are Emile's nephews Robert and Michel, and his niece Nicole. Emile and Thérèse had a younger brother, André, with whom they later lost contact. In 1962 Emile married Marielle Lasante. They had a daughter, France, but later divorced. France married Stephen Hayes; Emile's two grandchildren are Alexandra and Sophie Hayes. With her husband Gabriel, Sophie has given Emile a great-grandson, Raphael Chayer, and she looks forward to the birth of her second son, Léo.
Emile showed early artistic talent and enrolled in a school of commercial art, but then chose to follow his father's trade. In 1964 he moved to Ontario, because of lack of work in his home province. He worked for a while in the steel mills of Hamilton, then settled in Toronto, a city he always considered dull in comparison to Montreal. Always thrifty, he purchased a small house in Mississauga, which he sold after improving it, then did the same again. He sold his third house in 2009, bought a red Mustang, and moved into the home of his common-law spouse, Polly Winsor, in downtown Toronto.
Polly was a professor in the University of Toronto, and although they seemed an odd couple, for Emile's schooling had ended when he was 16, once they hooked up, they were inseparable. In 1993 they celebrated their common birthday with a backyard party with a country music theme, complete with pony rides. Emile bought a 30-foot steel sloop called Stromer in 2000, after which he took sailing lessons, a testiment to his courage since he could barely swim. That first sailboat was replaced a few years later with The Big Easy, a Grampian 30. He and Polly sailed the north shore of Lake Ontario, getting as far east as Rockport in the Thousand Islands. In the winters they explored the Yucatan and other parts of Mexico.
Emile was a man of upright character, honest and loyal, indignant at injustice. His curiosity about the universe, geology, and archaeology made him a rewarding companion. He loved old country music and conviviality, and his warm laughter lingers. The quality of his art work is immortal.
