SCOPICK, Daniel Scopick

Passed away peacefully on December 24th 2025 at Mackenzie Health Centre in Richmond Hill, at the age of 81. He will no longer be forced to eat hospital food (I’m looking at you, ‘pureed beef stroganoff’) or endure the frantic screams of his hospital roommate, Greg, whose vocabulary had shocked Dan to his core in recent weeks.

He lived a full and vibrant life. Daniel “Scoop Chick” Scopick was born on February 2nd 1944. He grew up in Canora, Saskatchewan with his father (John Scopick), mother (Helen Scopick – nee: LeLacheur), older brother (Jack) and younger brother (David).

Editor’s note: His friends awarded him the nickname “Scoop Chick” (likely a play on “Scopick”, and a reference to the ease at which he “picked up chicks”, so to speak). This is purely speculative, since asking him directly about the origins of said nickname led to Daniel giggling quietly to himself.

Of all the things Daniel was known for, his most prominent quality was the ability to tell incredibly long and detailed stories – usually autobiographical in nature. These stories included his legendary encounters with some of music’s most storied artists and were always a great conversation starter: Most notably, his brief role as a substitute drummer for British rock band The Kinks, as they played their way through Western Canada.

Other stories Dan had included being in a music competition with Joni Mitchell (Big Yellow Taxi), a chance encounter and short friendship with Cass Elliot (California Dreaming) while she was in Toronto working with the CBC, partying at Crystal Lake, SK with Randy Bachman (Takin’ Care of Business), and a private guitar clinic with Carlos Santana on a balcony at a mutual friend’s party.

He attended The University of Saskatoon for a degree in Fine Art, where he discovered he was colourblind! The news was so shocking, he drove through all the red lights on the way home. He had long wanted an adventure, and decided to leave school and drive across the country, to Toronto.

After moving to Toronto (to the only slum apartment in Forest Hill, as he would say), he became a fortune teller, reading palms for a living. His fortune would soon improve, when he “Scoopchicked” an unsuspecting lady named Nadya Hope Tokarsky, while she was trying to do her job as a cocktail waitress. After a brief courtship, which included Nadya purchasing cigarettes for Daniel, they married on August 25th 1972. Shortly thereafter, they, along with Dan’s nephew Ken, saw a UFO. This was confirmed by neighbours and made it into the local newspaper.

And yes, I know you cannot believe we are moving on from this story and want more detail. Life can be frustrating like that.

Having no more use for scooping chicks, Daniel became a world class father of three boys (Matthew, Andrew, Patrick). He supported the endless needs of these spoiled children by working for Hertz, and then becoming a “Zone Manager” at Avis, developing a new system to customize and convert high mileage rental cars into highly sought after vehicles for sale. Suffice to say, his driveway was the envy of all who knew him.

As his career progressed, he became a pioneer in the new field of creditor insurance for the automotive industry, opening S.I.G. in 1988 (which stood for ‘Scopick Insurance Group’). Later, the name was changed to ‘S.I.G. Insurance Group’ (which stood for ‘Scopick Insurance Group Insurance Group’). He never once felt shame for the later name change or the confusion it undoubtedly caused.

His resilience in business allowed him to shift his focus on serving dealerships in Central and Northern Ontario. He spent most winters careening wildly across ice and snow covered Northern Ontario roads. He enjoyed the long drives, but always managed to get home for his family so he could spend weekends camping or going to a Jays game.

He would often bring his children to Toronto Maple leafs games, which he supported with 4 seasons tickets since the early 1980s. Being a lifelong Montreal Canadiens fan, watching these games was used as punishment for the children. It was a harsh form of discipline by today’s standards, but allowed them to learn and grow.

But he wasn’t always so harsh, and on occasion, would travel with his boys to The Montreal Forum and The Bell Centre to watch an actual hockey game and eat Montreal bagels.

As the years went on by, Daniel planned yearly summer pilgrimages by car out West to see family and explore the mountains. These trips combined his three passions: Long scenic drives, endless musical playlists (The Moody Blues, Lighthouse, Eric Burden & The Animals), and coughing on sunflower seeds and burning his mouth with hot coffee to dislodge the stuck pieces.

As his children moved away and got married, he would still set up weekly dinners at whatever new restaurant he had discovered. He would be a regular at these mostly mom and pop style establishments, and always insisted on paying. It was seen as a form of entertainment for his grown children, to watch their elderly father eat them under the table and still ask for dessert.

Dan was an eclectic man, with so many stories it could fill a library. But he was also quite possibly one of the worst dressers in the history of men’s fashion. He blamed this feature on his colour blindness, but that would simply fall short of explaining his use of jean shorts with extra pockets, or always having a protruding sunglass case bulging out of his jacket breast pocket. There were moments of brilliance (such as his all white anniversary wardrobe), but they were outnumbered to be sure.

Needless to say, his wardrobe will be donated to whichever country can handle its safe and timely disposal.

Daniel leaves behind an impressive collection of Montreal Canadiens memorabilia and a sizable portion of Alastair Maclean novels. These cherished but bulky and difficult to store items will quickly replace some of the warm memories of Daniel with a mix of frustration and bitterness as a portion of his legacy.

He is survived by his wife Nadya Hope Scopick (nee: Tokarsky), three sons Matthew (Marianne), Andrew (Limor), and Patrick (Sarah), as well as Nephews Ken, Charlie, Chris, and Nieces Connie and Jody (Rich).

His current grandchildren roster consists of Cainan, Owen, Nekoda, Luke, Elianna, Sonia, Aliya and a yet to be named baby (currently named “cutest baby of the year 2026”). Predeceased by siblings Jack (Pauline), and David Scopick (whose wardrobe was immaculate).

His favourite hat will be laid to rest, along with Daniel, on Monday December 29 2025, at 11am at Morningside Cemetery in Palgrave, Ontario (326 Pine Ave, Kleinberg, Ontario). Afterward, there will be lunch hosted at a secret location nearby, where we can discuss Dan’s hat collection, and show outward displays of grief for various prizes (Alistair Maclean novels and Montreal Canadiens memorabilia).

All funeral arrangements are entrusted to Rod Abrams Funeral Home, Tottenham 905-936-3477. Online memories and condolences can be left for the family at www.RodAbramsFuneralHome.com.

Service