Passed away peacefully at the Royal Victorian Regional Health Centre on Friday October 30, 2020 at the age of 75. Cherished husband for over 31 years of Sterling Monster (née Bailey). Loving father of Kevin, Darren (ValeriyaYsepenko), and adopted daughter Elma Soriano. Adored Grandad to Emalyn. Brother of Yvonne Beffort (Barry). Son-in-law to Nicole Loiseau Bailey DiBonaventura, brother in law to Cheryl Carter (Terry DeYoung), Gordon Bailey, Cary Bailey, Christine Bailey Harris (Richard ), Charlene Bailey Di Danieli (Rob), Cory Bailey (Dana) and his many nephews and nieces. Rod is predeceased by his parents Beppe (Betsy) Monster (née Peeters) and Jacob (Jack) Monster. Due to the Covid19 pandemic a celebration of life will be held in the summer of 2021 at their home in Honey Harbour and at their winter home in Delray Beach, Florida.
Rod was born in The Hague, The Netherlands on February 24, 1945 during the last few months of Nazi German occupation before the end of WWII on the dining room table with his father who had been hiding under the floor of their home all the while during the occupation assisting in his birth using a bicycle pump to generate light. Young Rodion came to Canada at the age of 4 with his parents and older sister Yvonne on a flight from Holland to Toronto to start a anew along with a plane full of other Dutch immigrants seeking a new life free from the starvation and wreckage of the war. Rod’s father Jack who was an engineer brought the first plastics molding machine to Canada from Europe in 1949 and thereafter built a successful plastic machinery & materials distribution business (Wilmod Manufacturing) until his untimely death at age 43 in 1963. Rod’s father is considered by many to have been a Canadian plastics pioneer. The plastics industry was deeply rooted in Rod’s DNA from a very young age helping his father after school and while earning a business degree from Ryerson Polytech (the film apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz was highly influential). Rod began his professional career at Greenline Plastics, then on to becoming the founder, President and CEO of the Canadian division of a German multinational plastics corporation compounding facility, Albis Canada Inc. for over 19 years, making it one of the largest state-of-the-art plastics compounding & distribution facility in Canada if not North America.
With a desire to leave the legal corporate world and manufacturing in 1990 Rod & his lawyer wife Sterling started Monster Polymers Inc with just a typewriter and a telephone and an entrepreneurial drive and over the next 30 years built it up into a well respected and successful international trading & distribution company which will carry on with his wife and partner Sterling Monster’s guidance along with the support and dedication of the entire Monster Polymers Team to continue the value added, integrity & quality based, outstanding customer service that has been the hallmark of Monster Polymers Inc since its inception by Rod & Sterling since 1990.
Pisces was Rod’s horoscope sign and he was born to water, it was in every fibre of his being. He was the most happiest either on the water or immersed in it. Rod & Sterling and their family lived in Leaskdale Ontario and in 2002 built a beautiful summer home on the shores of Georgian Bay in Honey Harbour becoming their permanent home for themselves and their business in 2009. Pets were another one of their passions, namely horses, dogs and parrots. Their homes and property were forever occupied over the years by a menagerie of Dutch & German warmblood horses, Golden Retrievers, Shih Tzu’s, Yorkies, Maltese, and Cockatoo parrots.. “Cookie” his Moluccan Cockatoo, his two Maltese “ Kaya& Keely”, his two yorkies “Kyler & Kinsley” and his 5 month old Maremma puppy “Cara Mia” all miss their Dad.
Rod & Sterling together with their family were avid sailing enthusiasts throughout their lives together. As members of the Royal Canadian Yacht Club they proudly flew the club burgee on their 55’ sailing ketch “Cookie Monster IV” throughout Europe, the Caribbean, North & South America and beyond and in the last several years on their 43’ Tiara Sovran from their home base in Florida. Rod & Sterling along with family and friends competed in the Lake Ontario Racing Council (LORC) one design class finishing their last years competing on their C&C 34 as LORC & RCYC Club Champions. Rod was also a passionate International Star Class sailor, competing on his boats all named “Nanook” that he shipped to wherever in the world a racing series was to be challenged. Rod also served as chair of the Canadian Olympic Star Class Fleet for several years promoting the Class throughout Canada, and was dedicated to seeing a Canadian Star Sailing Team win the Olympics by personally sponsoring several teams in various Olympic efforts. In 2016 as in previous years Rod & Sterling were also generous sponsors towards the R.C.Y.C.’s Canada Cup Team Championship Challenges.
Rod & Sterling believed in the spirit of giving back to their community and to helping others. They were generous benefactors to many organizations over the years such as Toronto Brigantine Inc., Canadian Youth Sailing Program, Broadreach Foundation, Princess Margaret Foundation, Uxbridge Cottage Hospital Foundation, Canadian Cancer Society, Canadian Kidney Foundation, Mercy Ships Canada, Georgian Bay General Hospital Foundation, Royal Victoria Regional Health Center Foundation, Canadian Cancer Society, Honey Harbour Volunteer Firefighters Association, the Honey Harbour Association and so many more organizations and charities.
To have known Rod Monster was to have loved him. He was bigger than life and hard to forget......and all those who came to know him...never will! Rod was truly one of a kind!
In lieu of flowers donations to the Canadian Kidney Foundation or the Canadian Cancer Society would be appreciated.