Chester Waxman (Entrepreneur, 1926—2008)

Chester Waxman was known as a scrapper in all walks of life. The scrap metal tycoon was a scrappy fundraiser and an all-out fighter against his mesothelioma diagnosis, outliving the doctors’ prognoses time and time again. However, in December of 2008 Waxman passed away, devastating the town of Hamilton, Ontario.

Waxman’s father, a Polish Jew, was a shoemaker and moved to Hamilton in 1911. After he was fired from his job as a shoemaker for refusing to work on the Sabbath, he got a horse and carriage and began gathering scraps to sell. He then brought the rest of his family to Canada.

After dropping out of high school at 15 to work as a jeweler’s assistant and then in a factory during World War II, Waxman joined his brother Morris and their father in the scrap business. Chester and Morris worked together for nearly 30 years, creating one of the most successful scrap metal businesses in all of Ontario.

In his later life, Chester became a great philanthropist for the city of Hamilton. Waxman orchestrated auctions for the Hamilton Opera, Orchestra and Theater; he raised $16 million for local hospitals; and he saved the Hamilton hockey team. Waxman’s list of honors is also extensive, including Hamilton Man of the Year, Jewish Man of the Year, an honorary doctor of law from McMaster University and many other achievements.

Personally, Chester was known for his love of horses and harness racing; he also began a charity called “Hoofbeats for Heartbeats” which raised money for local hospitals through horse racing. He is also remembered for his love of baseball, a sport he continued to play well into his seventies.

Chester was taken from his family and the community of Hamilton at the age of 82 after a 32 month battle with the disease of mesothelioma. He is survived by his wife Bailey, three sons, a daughter and fifteen grandchildren.