Contact Staff
News of the passing of Raymond Tony Teemal spread across our community like a wildfire on the hills of the northern range in Trinidad and Tobago and ignited bursts of sadness and mourning.
Tony Tiger as he’s known to some or Tony d’ Doubles-man he is known to others was a community favorite in the truest sense of the term.
He died on Saturday, February 15 after an extended struggle with cardio-vascular issues.
Originally from Morvant, a little bedroom community on the outskirts of Port of Spain, Trinidad, where his family owned the “little shop” on the corner. Tony was known and loved by all.
He moved to Canada in the 1970s and was in Toronto for a while before settling in Montreal.
Here he worked for more than two decades at the Jewish Hospital of Hope, where he met his wife Doreta Hewitt before retiring a few years ago.
Much of Tony’s popularity hinged on the informal business he built selling “doubles”, a Trini favorite delicacy, around community events throughout the 1990s and the early 2000s.
Such was his impact and the quality of his offerings. Many say that there’ll never be another “Doubleman” in Montreal.
Also, as a member of the various “All-Fours” clubs (popular card game) in Montreal and a supporter of almost every Trinidad Tobago and community event as well as groups such as Carifiesta and Lodge Brothers, his presence was a source of laughter and joy to an entire generation of Montrealers.
But above all Tony was a strong and dedicated family man, unwavering in his commitment to his wife Doreta (who died in 2018), his children Roxanne, Allan, Anwar and his grandkids: Nicole, Marcus, Keira, Alexia Esperanza, Aida, Pablo, Alani, Azari
And to the end he remained a loyal and dedicated friend to many around Montreal.
Tony was 73 years-old.
Funeral services will be at St. Paul’s Anglican Church, 3970 Chemin de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine, Montréal, QC H3T 1E3 on February 29. Time will be determined at a later date.
A celebration of his life will be held at the same venue.
