November 24, 1942 - April 24, 1990.

Survived by his wife Catherine Udvarhelyi married August 17, 1968; daughter Genevieve Langelier born March 4, 1974; grandson Matthew Iapalucci born July 13, 2006 (looks like Andre).

Andre Langelier was born in Hull, Quebec, on November 24, 1942.

He began his Karate training in 1957 under Ary Anastasiadis and later received his shodan from the Father of Canadian Karate, Masami Tsuroka. His certificate was signed in 1967 by the founder of Chito Ryu Karate, Dr. Chitose.

In 1964, he opened the Langelier Karate Dojo on Bronson Street in Ottawa but moved the next year to Rideau Street where his club remained until he quit karate in 1973 and passed it on to his Black Belts.

Andre competed in a few major competitions but what he was known for were his teaching skills. He developed some of Canada’s greatest fighters: Fern Cleroux, Harry Villeneuve, Webb Cockerin, and many more that spread the reputation of the Langelier Karate Dojo.

He eventually received his 5th dan from Sensei Masami Tsuroka before retiring from the martial arts world.

Andre quit karate in 1973 to open a restaurant disco bar but stayed in touch with karate as a promoter running the first national karate championship in Ottawa – The Canadian Karate Championships – that hosted some of the greatest fighters of that time: Walter Slocki, Ted Marton, Bill Wallace, Joe Lewis, Fern Cleroux, George Sylvain, Harry Villeneuve, Morris Guido, Alex Steinberg, Ronald Van Clief and many more.

Andre was very emotional person. A quote from his, wife Catherine Udvarhelyi, “He cried at our wedding and blubbered his vows but could not resist a fight in bars. On one occasion, when he was picked on to fight and the person found out who he was, the stranger backed off and offered to buy him a case of beer. On another occasion, while sitting at the bar a man was bragging he was a good friend of Andre and Andre just let him talk on. That is how popular he was. He was very flamboyant with his yellow corvettes at each club for his black belts to the way he dressed in fur coats, green velvet suits, leather and suede outfits and Kimonos.”

In 1971, he was a co-founder of the Canadian Karate Association with Fern Cleroux and George Sylvain which is still running to date.

In early fall of 1989, after complaining of a persistent cough, he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. In the spring of 1990, he passed away.

He is greatly missed.