Obituary of Maurice (Moe) Pearson

PEARSON Maurice Joseph Albert (Moe), long-time advertising executive with The Windsor Star, died December 19, 2023, five days shy of his 90th birthday. He is survived by his daughter Kathleen Mennega, her husband Colin, their children Hannah, Jack, Samuel and Asher and by his son Daniel Pearson, Dan’s wife Denise and their children Aden and Cole. Also surviving are his sisters Colette Riml and Marilyn Kisser. He was predeceased by his wife Anne and by his parents Marguerite and Roy. In his younger days, Moe was a talented musician and for three years in the late 1950s was a featured tenor on the Lawrence Welk television show. That relationship ended when, famously, Moe got into a spat with Welk. The television host wanted Moe to stand behind the curtain while being introduced. Moe wanted to stand in front of the curtain. He and Welk went nose to nose and when Welk refused to rescind the order, Moe quit. Welk apparently said no one quit on him and he fired him. Moe returned to Canada and became involved in the newspaper business and was for many years the advertising director of The Windsor Star. He later became marketing director of The Hamilton Spectator. A shuffle of managers led to Moe’s dismissal. Moe refused to leave. Though his office was emptied, except for desk and chair, Moe came to the office every day for weeks. Finally he was called to head office in Toronto. Moe may have mentioned the possibility of a wrongful-dismissal law suit. After a brief meeting he left head office with a nice cheque in hand and called it a day, retiring to Windsor where he spent the rest of his days. Moe was a die-hard Montreal Canadiens fan, loved the Olympics, was a proud Canadian and, as those who knew him will tell you, a memorable character.

Arrangements entrusted to SIMPLE CHOICE (Dougall) 519-254-2585.  Online condolences and cherished memories may be shared with the family at www.simplechoicecremation.ca