Automobile dealer.
Born at Winnipeg on 13 September 1929, son of Simon Jack “Si” Haddad (1898-1977) and Vera Irene Carey (1907-1990), his childhood was spent in California.
His automotive career began in 1959 at Consolidated Motors and Haddad’s Auto Mart, the latter of which became a used car dealership called “The Mad Arab.” He then partnered with Robert Chipman to open Birchwood Motors and finally on his own the Holiday Chevrolet Oldsmobile dealership on Portage Avenue in Winnipeg. Through the 1960s and 1970s, he made numerous memorable television commercials to promote his dealership.
He co-founded the Variety Club for Children in Winnipeg, along with Monty Hall and Peter Liba. He moved to Vancouver, British Columbia in 1983 where he purchased a Chevrolet Oldsmobile dealership, also owning franchises for Datsun, Mazda, Jeep Chrysler, Mitsubishi, Kia, and Nissan. An avid car racer, he drove at Keystone Dragways, Bison Dragways, and Vancouver tracks.
In recognition of his community service, in Manitoba and British Columbia, he received the Good Citizen of the Year (2000), Businessman of the Year (2001), Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal (2002), BC Community Achievement Award (2004), and Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012). He was married three times, first in 1950 to Pearl Evelyn Rose Henry (1930-2022) with whom he had five children, second to Susan Donegani, and third to Marina Delaney.
He died at Vancouver, British Columbia on 27 March 2020.
Marriage registration, Manitoba Vital Statistics.
Obituary [Simon Jack Haddad], Winnipeg Free Press, 6 June 1977, page 24.
Obituary [Vera Irene Haddad], Winnipeg Free Press, 7 January 1990, page 26.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 4 April 2020.
Obituary [Pearl Evelyn Rose Haddad], Winnipeg Free Press, 29 January 2022.
Obituaries and burial transcriptions, Manitoba Genealogical Society.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 23 August 2023
Memorable Manitobans
This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations.
Search the collection by word or phrase, name, place, occupation or other text:
Custom SearchBrowse surnames beginning with:
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y | ZBrowse deaths occurring in:
1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024
Send corrections and additions to this page
to the Memorable Manitobans Administrator at biographies@mhs.mb.caCriteria for Memorable Manitobans | Suggest a Memorable Manitoban | Firsts | Acknowledgements
Help us keep
history alive!
