Stewart Aziz
April 27, 1958 – December 20, 2018
Born in Toronto, Stew navigated his life with devotion to family and friends, well-honed professional skill, eclectic interests, love of food and good conversation and a keen sense of humour. He attended King City Secondary School and went on to complete the Creative Cinematography program at Humber College graduating with Honours. During the third year of the program, Stew was recognized with the Humber Cinematography Award in 1983.
By his mid-twenties he had discovered the two passions that would frame the rest of his life – one professional and one personal. His professional work with the film and television industries, first as a cameraman and then on the business side of the industry in motion picture camera rentals with Panavision, Clairmont Camera Toronto and finally with Keslow Camera were a perfect fit for Stew. His keen eye and focus made him both technically proficient and highly skilled as a cameraman and his gregarious and principled personality and in-depth knowledge of his industry made him an invaluable asset in the corporate setting. He also served on the Executive Board and as a Trustee on the I.A.T.S.E. Local 667/669 Health & Welfare Fund. Stew worked as a camera assistant on over 40 Film and Television productions including: Stepping Out – Feature, Paramount Pictures; Deceived – Feature, Touchstone Pictures; Millennium – Feature, 20th Century Fox; Power Pack – Feature, Marvel Ent.; Road to Avonlea – Series, Disney Channel, and Wind at My Back – Series, CBC.
His twenties brought into his life, his beloved Elaine, the woman who would be his heart and soul. Anyone who witnessed their relationship saw the immense respect, devotion, love and friendship they had for each other and Stew knew exactly what he had found in Elaine. And together, they found a third passion. They took their love of family and created an exemplary one of their own with their children Neale and Grace. Stew loved being a father. He skillfully guided his son and daughter through their childhoods and their progressive steps toward adulthood, understanding his role as their father to bolster and support them always, while encouraging and allowing them to make their own decisions for the lives they fashioned for themselves. His pride in them was palpable and their love of him abiding and strong. He lives on in them and in his granddaughter.
Beloved son of the late Bill and Sophie Aziz, and son-in-law of the late John Upton, Stew is survived by his adoring wife and soul mate of 33 years, Elaine, his devoted children, Neale (Haeleigh) and Grace, and his cherished granddaughter, Frances. He will be greatly missed by his loving sisters Kathy Aziz, Debra England (Les) and Cindy Aziz (Craig Walker), his wife’s family, mother-in-law Sally Upton, and Karla Stout, Craig Stout (Suzy), Peter Upton (Jo-Anne) and Lucy Sanford (Norman), his nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews, friends and colleagues too numerous to count and the family dog, Wylee.
