COLE JACOB KAY-MELTZER
1995 – 2021

Our wonderful, son, brother, grandson, nephew, cousin and friend died on Saturday, November 13, 2021 of an undetermined cause. Cole’s parents, Katherine Kay and Michael Meltzer, his twin sister Alannah Kay-Meltzer, his girlfriend Mia Martinovic, our beloved Cita, his grandparents Jack and Pat Kay and Shirley Meltzer, his aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends are all so devastated, yet are filled with love and gratitude for having had Cole in our lives. Cole’s late grandparents, Thelma Kay and Ben Meltzer, are also in our hearts.
Cole and Alannah were born on August 8, 1995 in Toronto. Inseparable from birth, they happily shared a crib to start and then a bedroom for 10 years, and after we moved (with interruptions during their university years and Cole’s world travels), lived across the hall from each other in our family home until Cole’s death. We had exciting adventures as a family, with trips that included Jack, Pat and Uncle Josh to Israel, Africa, South America, Tahiti and Bora Bora, and regular vacations in Florida and the Laurentians with Cole’s grandparents Shirley and Ben.
Cole grew up in North Toronto, with a crew that included his sister, of course, and friends from John Wanless, Glenview, Lawrence Park Collegiate, NT hockey and beyond. He graduated from Queen’s University in 2018 with a philosophy degree. On Canada Day 2018, Cole met his girlfriend Mia and they quickly became inseparable, with Cole travelling to join Mia as she completed her business degree in England and Korea, and later as she began her career in Sweden and Poland. While living abroad, Cole and Mia travelled to dozens of countries. Committed to taking a less-travelled path, Cole did some writing, investing, and working on germinating business ventures, and spent quality time with video games and various streaming services.
Cole was so loved by family and friends - their reminiscences unfailingly refer to Cole as kind, generous, soulful, insightful, intelligent, funny, caring and truly interested in and committed to making the person he was speaking with feel special. Cole looked for the good in people and accepted them as they are. His life was shorter than we all expected, but he lived it very well and he lived it on his own terms. Cole and Mia experienced more love and adventure in their few years together than most do over a much longer life.
“The business of life is the acquisition of memories. In the end, that’s all there is.” We are blessed with wonderful memories of Cole: his smile that would light up a room, his sparkling eyes, and his Coley-Boy hugs that made us feel like all was right in the world.
Cole’s funeral will be on Sunday, November 21, 2021 at 2 pm at the Mount Pleasant Funeral Centre. The funeral will be a fully vaccinated event and all attendees will be masked at all times. The service will also be webcast (link will be provided through the Mount Pleasant website on Sunday shortly before the service). Please arrive well in advance for Covid passport checks and understand that space is limited.
If you wish to make a donation in Cole's memory, our chosen charities are the Terry Fox Foundation at http://www.terryfox.ca/inmemoryofCole and CAMH.
Shiva/visitation at 5 Eastview Crescent, North York, M5M 2W4 on Monday and Tuesday, November 22 and 23 from 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 pm, and on Wednesday, November 24 from 7 to 9 pm.