Grenada-born community stalwart dies in Toronto at 85

Albert Frederick

Grenada-born community stalwart Albert Frederick, a longtime volunteer with the annual Toronto Caribbean carnival, died at  Mount Sinai hospital in Toronto on February 17 last. He was 85.

Shennel Frederick, his granddaughter, said he had been ailing with heart problems for several years and had spent about a month in hospital.

Frederick worked as a plumber in Trinidad for many years before he migrated to Canada in 1964.

Soon after he came to Canada, he was hired as a pipefitter/plumber with CN Rail with whom he was employed for more than 30 years.

Friends of Frederick described him as a community stalwart who devoted a great deal of his free time to various tasks at the Toronto Caribbean carnival.

Wallace Dear who for many years was comptroller of the Caribana organization which ran the Toronto Caribbean carnival, recalled that Frederick worked closely with him during the annual festival.

“Frederick wanted to see the carnival managed properly and assisted me in the operation of beer tents and  other tasks,” he told the Caribbean Camera.

“Albert believed passionately in Caribana,” Dear added.

Frederick  leaves his  partner, Diane, and their son Jonell, his ex wife, Lucielle and their children, Rhonda, Johnny, Joy, Helen, Florence, June, Julia, and Albert Junior, 37 grandchildren, and 28 great grandchildren.

A funeral service for the late Albert Frederick will be held at Ogden Funeral Home, 4164 Sheppard Avenue East in Scarborough on Saturday February 29.