Obituary of Agnes Marie Viola

VIOLA, Agnes Marie (nee Visheau) It is with great sadness that we announce the peaceful passing of Hamilton’s First Lady of the Accordion, Agnes Viola, at the age of 94 on Wednesday, December 7, 2016 at Clarion Nursing Home. She is predeceased by her husband Elio and her brothers Joseph, Jack and Bert. She is survived by her son Charles (Jess) and several nephews and nieces, Bert (Gail), Jeff (Debby), Marianne, Ted (Marie), Tony (Janet), Rosemary, Victor (Irene), Paul (Ana) and David. Agnes Viola was a lady of firsts. As a teenager, she was the first person in Canada to import and breed angelfish. During WWII, as a granddaughter of the celebrated feminist Dorothy Edwards, she insisted on doing and receiving and did and received men’s work for men’s pay, swinging a sledge hammer at a factory in Hamilton. In 1946, she and Elio founded the Viola Music Centre, a music business originally centred around the accordion. She started a weekly radio show on CHML that aired after the Sunday noon news. The show featured music students and was the forerunner of TV shows like “Tiny Talent Time”. In 1952, she led 5 busloads of students from Hamilton to Cincinnati and proved that Canadians can win the American Accordion Band Championship. In the 1960’s, her approval of the ad on CKOC, “is your G-string hanging?” started the current trend of music sound identification ads. From 1946 until just before her 90th birthday, Agnes Viola was a music teacher to many. She taught accordion, piano, organ, keyboard and theory. Some of Agnes and Elio’s students went on to found their own music schools in Canada and USA. Her long-term interests in gardening and health led to side careers in professional gardening (1980’s) and health promotion (1990’s). In the 2000’s she was a regular attendee at the Hamilton Accordion Club, during its early years. Agnes Viola was a mentor to all who asked. Her vitality, nobleness, humility and mental strength made her a natural leader. “Mom was a Grand Matriarch to all who adopted her for that role. Remembrance of her wisdom is a delightful and dutiful honour”. Friends will be received at the Donald V. Brown Funeral Home, 36 Lake Avenue Drive, Stoney Creek on Monday, December 12, 2016 from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Following her wishes, Agnes will be cremated. A private family interment will occur at a later date.