'Don't know how we're going to fill his shoes': Cape Breton's 'Men of the Deeps' honour Yogi Muise
Cape Breton's 'Men of the Deeps' are mourning the loss of one of their strongest voices.
Yogi Muise, who was 85, was a member of the singing miners' choir for more than 50 years.
He's also being remembered as a teacher, a volunteer, a gentle giant, and a community icon in New Waterford.
Stephen Muise is Yogi Muise's youngest son. He is also the business manager for the singing miners- a role passed down by his dad.
He says Yogi first joined the men of the deeps in 1969 and was an active member right up until his death from melanoma on Thursday.
He attended his last practice with the group on July 13.
"Yogi's a great loss to our family…our extended family … and of course, the Men of the Deeps," says Stephen Muise.
"Everybody remembers Yogi as a gentle teddy bear. He had a loving punch. He'd throw one at your shoulder and it would knock you over but he'd pick you up at the same time."
Fellow choir member Nipper MacLeod says his friend was a gentle giant.
"Well, Yogi was a big presence wherever he went," says Macleod.
"Although powerful, he was gentle, and he had the proper name – Yogi, named after a bear. He was a teddy bear, but he was also a grizzly bear and when he was defending the Men of the Deeps, he was a grizzly bear."
While his time with the Men of the Deeps took him all over the world, Yogi was a community icon in his home of New Waterford.
He was an original board member for the famed Coal Bowl basketball tournament and served for years as the event's media director.
He was also a teacher in his hometown for more than 30 years.
Mickey MacIntyre of the Men of the Deeps, remembers Yogi as an infectious personality who brought people together.
"A brother… a pioneer… a great friend," says MacIntyre
"Anytime (there was) somebody new on the bus, Yogi would be down teaching them how to play Tarabish, we even had Rita MacNeil in the game."
With the group set to get back into swing post-pandemic, they say not having Yogi around will be a big loss.
"It's going to be tough to look around and not have that big, bass voice and his big presence," says MacLeod.
"Don't know how we're going to fill his shoes, but he would want his legacies to continue. So when we talk about the Men of the Deeps, we're ready to go for another 50 years," says Muise.
The family says Yogi Muise's funeral will be livestreamed online on Monday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire' are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Two killed after collision with truck on Hwy. 417 near Limoges, Ont.
Ontario Provincial Police say two people were killed after a car and a transport truck collided in the westbound lanes of Highway 417 near Limoges, Ont. on Tuesday afternoon.
‘We made them safer and more fun’: Here’s what’s new about e-scooters
Electric scooters (e-scooters) have been gaining popularity in the capital and this season comes with some changes and updates.
Houston braces for flooding to worsen in wake of storms
High waters flooded neighborhoods around Houston on Saturday following heavy rains that have already resulted in crews rescuing hundreds of people from homes, rooftops and roads engulfed in murky water.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Canadian Auger-Aliassime reaches first Masters final in Madrid with another walkover
Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime has advanced to his first ATP Masters final, and he hasn't had to play all that much tennis to do it.
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Golf season a summer tourism driver in Canada
Golf is a sign of spring and summer and a major driver for seasonal tourism, experts say.