Passed away on August 4, 2026, in Mississauga, Ontario, at the age of 85, from dementia.
Joe leaves behind his loving wife of 61 years, Monika, his sons Joseph (Beth) and David (Sheila), and grandchildren Andrew (Suzie), Laura (Mattheu), and Sophie. He has always been very proud of his family and was thrilled to find out he was to be a great-grandpa in September.
Joe was born on January 18, 1941, in Budapest, Hungary. As a son of Hungarian ice dance champions, he perpetuated the family skating legacy by pursuing speed skating as a child in Hungary. Joe, with his parents and brother, George, escaped the Hungarian Revolution in 1956 and after a short time in England, they immigrated to Canada, ending up in Toronto.
Joe earned his Bachelor, Master, and PhD degrees from the University of Toronto, an institution that remained central to his life for many years.
During the end of his studies, he became an entrepreneur, founding Dataline, one of the first computer services companies at the time. The growth of Dataline tracked an industry that had a profound impact on most Canadian businesses and his ability to evolve with the changes kept Dataline growing and successful.
After selling the company, Joe returned to the University of Toronto as a professor focused on entrepreneurship and data envelopment analysis (DEA). He had a love of teaching so that he could pass along his experiences to the next generation of engineers and entrepreneurs. His teaching, mentoring, and public speaking had an impact on thousands of students and faculty over the years. Joe founded the Centre for Management of Technology and Entrepreneurship (CMTE), which has continued to provide the foundation for University of Toronto engineers to learn critical business skills for their future. He was honoured as a Professor Emeritus in 2006 and inducted into the Engineering Alumni Hall of Distinction in 2010.
Outside his professional life, Joe had a true passion for collecting corkscrews and was one of the top collectors in the world, serving in multiple leadership roles at the International Correspondence of Corkscrew Addicts (ICCA). He was also a 50-year member of the Mississaugua Golf and Country Club, where he enjoyed decades of playing golf. Joe coached minor hockey for many years in Mississauga and had a number of players go on to play in the National Hockey League and be part of Stanley Cup winning teams. Those players continued to stay in touch with him as a sign of his impact on them.
The family want to thank the team at Amica Credit Mills including Dr. Guirguis, the team at Nurse Next Door, Dr. Bibic and her assistant Teresa, Mercy Imafidon, and Dr. Hayworth from Trillium Health Partners: Credit Valley Hospital for their care and support.
Friends may call at the Turner & Porter Peel “Chapel”, 2180 Hurontario St., (N. of QEW), Mississauga, on Friday, August 14 from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm, and on Saturday August 15 from 9:30 to 10:30 am followed by a Sharing of Memories in the Chapel at 10:30 am. A Reception and time to share memories will follow. After the reception, an interment is scheduled at Mt. Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto, scheduled for 2:30 pm (directions will be available).
If you wish to give a donation to honour Joe’s life, the family suggests the Salvation Army, a charity that was important throughout Joe’s life as it was the charity that helped his family when they came to Canada.
Events
Visitation
Friday, August 14, 2026
5:00PM – 8:00PM
Peel Chapel
2180 Hurontario Street
Mississauga, ON L5B 1M8
Visitation
Saturday, August 15, 2026
9:30AM – 10:30AM
Peel Chapel
2180 Hurontario Street
Mississauga, ON L5B 1M8
Funeral Service
Saturday, August 15, 2026
10:30AM
Peel Chapel
2180 Hurontario Street
Mississauga, ON L5B 1M8
Final Resting Place
Mount Pleasant Cemetery
375 Mt Pleasant Rd
Toronto, ON M4T 2V8
