Allen Edward Agar.Courtesy of family
Allen Edward Agar
Family Man. Teacher. Traveller. Collector.
Born April 2, 1940, in Niagara Falls, Ont.; died Feb. 3, 2026, in St. Catharines, Ont., of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis; aged 85.
Big Al Agar, the very definition of “larger than life,” began his academic and athletic career – which included football, hockey, baseball and golf – at Stamford Collegiate in Niagara Falls, Ont. He loved that he and his younger brother, Chuck, had the opportunity to play several years of high-school football together before graduating. Typical of his loyalty, he remained connected to his alma mater, becoming head of the high school’s alumni group “The Stamford Old Guys.”
Al went east for university and to reconnect with his father’s family in Nova Scotia. He played on both Dalhousie University’s university hockey and football teams. His varsity football career was so impressive that it led to an invitation to try out for the Montreal Alouettes.
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While at Dal earning his Bachelor of Science, he made another decision emblematic of his character. Unhappy with the exclusive nature of other fraternities who had approached him, Al, a practising Roman Catholic, chose to join a Jewish fraternity because he found it the most friendly and welcoming. Throughout his life, Al would remain traditional in the quiet practice of his faith, while at the same time unafraid to challenge that with which he did not agree.
He returned to Niagara Falls to begin a teaching career and to be close to his parents, Miles and Katie Agar. Shortly after his return, his father died and Al then helped support his mother.
Al helped young people thrive in the classroom and athletic arena, earning the prestigious Pete Beach Award for coaching. He taught physical education and developed a wrestling program that produced an impressive number of SOSSA and OFSAA athletes, with several citing Al as the biggest influence on their lives.
Al met his soulmate, Marg Schwanz, at 31. He was in New York on St. Patrick’s Day waiting to embark on a cruise. So was Marg. They got to know each other well on board and during ports of call throughout the Caribbean. By the time they disembarked, Al and Marg’s love story had begun.
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After the couple married in 1974, they celebrated each anniversary with green beer and would spend much of the rest of their lives travelling the world, including visits to Morocco, Italy, Panama, Greece, Turkey, Spain, South Africa, Portugal and their most recent adventure, Ireland, in 2024. Both often said they were happiest when travelling together.
Al was a man who always remained calm. This eluded him only once, in 1980, immediately following the birth of their son. The doctor informed the couple that there was another child on the way. Marg responded by fainting and Al by repeating, “We only have one crib.” Their twin children, Miles and Cara, loved to hear this story, often while making Al his favourite drink, a rum and Coke.
His serenity came in handy on a family road trip, too. When Al realized he had missed the correct exit outside of Chicago, he calmly reversed back up the on-ramp, explaining to Marg that it was safer than carrying on to the next exit.
Al had a passion for collecting that at times frustrated Marg – invaluable baseball cards, coins, high-school lockers, old school desks, scrap metal – all of which prevented the family cars from being parked in the garage and made journeys up to the attic for seasonal decorations a harrowing experience.
As a 50-year member of Bridgewater Country Club, Al always had a spring in his step when walking toward the first tee. He loved telling the story of how he once fell into what his foursome would always call “Agar’s Creek,” while collecting lost balls.
But Al took most pride in collecting friends, stories, mementos and memories.
Al’s family embraces the knowledge that loss is felt most deeply when a great impact has been made. Al Agar made an enduring impact on everyone he met, and possessed the compassion and empathy to be impacted by all whom he encountered.
Cara Stewart is Al’s daughter and Eric Stewart is his son-in-law.
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