Skutezky, Ernie & Phoebe (Evans)

Ernest Skutezky 1918 - 2011 and Phoebe Maye (Evans) Skutezky – 1921 - 2008

Ernest Skutezky was born in Opava, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, now the eastern part of the Czech Republic, on 1st day of September, 1918, the son of Hans and Lily Skutezky. In the mid-1930s he attended Dundee Tech in Scotland to learn about the textile trade which was his father’s business in central Europe. In 1938, his father advised Ernest that he was moving the family to North America - the United States or Canada - to get away from the oppression being invoked by Nazi Germany. Apparently, he said if the destination for the family was Canada, he would come.
Ernest was accepted in the Commerce program at McGill University and enrolled in the ROTC program. World War 2 began, but his father would not permit him to “join up” until he had completed his degree. He graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce Degree at McGill University in 1942, before joining the Canadian Army. After undergoing officer training at Brockville and Petawawa, he was posted to England.
Ernest was commissioned as Lieutenant and was first in the artillery and then was seconded into intelligence. Two weeks after D-Day he landed at Juno Beach and his duties were to set up prisoner cages to interrogate prisoners. He also would travel by motorcycle to German holdout positions to encourage them to surrender using a megaphone in his German mother tongue. The holdouts were not always cooperative and answered with machine gun fire. He travelled with the Canadian advance all the way to Holland.

Phoebe Maye Evans was born on the 12th May, 1921, in Montreal, Quebec. Her father was Trevor Ainslie Evans (born 1879) and her mother was Dorothy Gwendolyn Esther Rhodes who was born in 1892. The families of both Phoebe’s parents were summer residents of Tadoussac and both her parents served their country during the Great War. Phoebe was the eldest of four children which included Dorothy Ainslie Stephen, Trevor Armitage Evans and Rhodes Bethune (Tim) Evans.
After the cessation of hostilities in Europe, Ernest was introduced to Tadoussac by his bride to be, Phoebe. Apparently, Phoebe indicated that he would have to like Tadoussac if they were to be married. He very sensibly did, and in August of 1945, Ernie married Phoebe at St. Matthias’ Church in Westmount, Quebec, where Phoebe had been baptised.

Ernest became a fixture in Tadoussac and all it had to offer including tennis, golf and his Shark sail boat, Nirvana. Tadoussac reminded him of St. Gilgen, Austria on the Wolfgangsee where the family had a villa which was seized by the Nazis and sold to a German. The villa was later recovered.
At home in Montreal, Phoebe was an enthusiastic member of the Montreal General Hospital auxiliary working in the Hospitality Shop, always making time to listen to those that needed that kindness. Her participation at the Atwater Club spanned half a century playing badminton and tennis well into her eighties. In the 1970s, Phoebe was crew to sailor husband Ernest, sailing in 420 regattas off Dorval Naval Base and upriver. Phoebe was always involved in her children’s activities either on the sidelines watching as a hockey Mom, choir mother, Tawny Owl or coaching Ringette. She was one of the 'pioneers' of Ringette, co-coaching a Canadian Championship Team. She was also a proud member of the 78th Fraser Highlanders.
A lover of family, nature, and all its creatures great and small, Phoebe enjoyed being 'out in it' whether it was from 'le Petit Train de Nord' in the Laurentian mountains as a teenager and young adult, in the Morgan Arboretum well past middle age, or as a summer resident of Tadoussac, from the age of 3 months. She enjoyed the view and activity of the St. Lawrence and Saguenay Rivers and environs from her front verandah in her later years. She served on the Executive of the Tennis Club and the Tadoussac Protestant Chapel taking her turn arranging flowers and cleaning the Church for Sunday service.
In the mid-seventies, Ernest commissioned Gaeten Hovington, a local wood sculptor, to carve a “Minke Trophy” to be awarded to the winners of an annual round-robin mixed doubles tennis tournament in the month of July to promote community participation, good sportsmanship and competitive play in tennis. The tournament continues to be played in July of every summer.

Ernie and Phoebe’s legacy lives on in their 3 children: Michael (Judy Shirriff), Victoria, BC; Trevor (Gail Goodfellow), Montreal; Gwen (the late Alan Sawers), West Vancouver. He was the proud grandfather of Trevor, (Ben Fischer), West Vancouver; James, (Silje Albrigsten, Tromso, Norway) great granddaughter, Viktoria, great grandson William), Pemberton, BC; Ruth, (Jesse Wheeler, great grandsons Thomas and Max), North Vancouver, BC; Dorothy (Montreal), Charles (Brittany Cairns) and great grandson Harrison, Montreal and Evelyn (Michael Price), and great granddaughter Lilly Belle, Montreal; Christopher Sawers (Lace Kessler) and great granddaughters Stella, Charleigh and Isla and Gordon Sawers (Sarah Rush), great-granddaughter Avery and great-grandson Hudson), North Vancouver BC.

Phoebe died in Tadoussac, Quebec on the 4th July, 2008, and Ernest died in Montreal on December 18, 2011. Ernest and Phoebe are interred together in the Memorial Garden on the grounds of the Tadoussac Protestant Chapel.