Anton Barichievich (1926 - 2003)
Canadian strongmanAnton Barichievich, 77, an enormous man whose feats of strength earned him two places in the Guinness Book of Records and legendary status in Montreal, died Sept. 7 after suffering a heart attack.
As he walked about Montreal, the 6-foot-4, 500-pound Mr. Barichievich was nearly impossible to miss. His feet were enormous. He could eat four steaks at a sitting. And he had never, apparently, cut his hair, which tumbled around his head but also included a single dreadlock that extended into a bodylength braid, bound its entire length with masking tape.
Many in Montreal could recall the days when Mr. Barichievich would approach a city bus, hook a chain around its bumper, and pull it for blocks.
"The bus driver would plead with him to please not pull the bus, that he was late with his schedule," said Sid Stevens, director of Sun Youth, a community organization helping to plan Mr. Barichievich's funeral. "And he didn't listen."
He also attempted a wrestling career. After achieving some fame as "the Great Antonio" in the 1950s, '60s and '70s, in recent years he had been selling picture postcards of himself.
"In the last 10 years, he kept to himself," Stevens said.
He died penniless and without any known family. People who remember him fondly contributed money to pay for the funeral, including a specially made casket.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer, Sept. 18, 2003.>