ANTHONY "TONY" WOODS

With deep sadness we announce that Tony (Anthony) Woods passed away peacefully on Friday June 26, 2020 at the age of 76 years.

He is survived by the love of his life, Sharon Thiessen-Woods, his sons Colin (Melissa) and Darren (Sarah), his stepsons Paul Reder and Eric Reder, his grandchildren Ally (Seb), Josh (Liv), Emily, Jordan and North and his great-granddaughter Chelsea. Also surviving him are his brothers Dennis (Delia) and Norman and his sister Beverley, nieces and nephews Deb, Keith, Kevin, Scott, Kim, Nathan, Kris, Kara, Brian and Megan, and his sister-in-law Barbara, along with many extended family members and friends. He was predeceased by his father, Ernest, his mother, Iris, his father-in-law, John, and his mother-in-law, Rosanne and his brother-in-law Kerry.

Tony was born in Redhill, Surrey on March 5, 1944 (he was very proud to be from the UK) and emigrated to Canada in 1946 with his mother and older brother. They settled on the south shore of Montreal where Tony grew up playing hockey, going to Scouts and being an active part of his church. He enjoyed going to camp in upper state New York during the summer and visiting his grandparents in Richmond, Quebec. At an early age he had a paper route, which set him on his path working in the newspaper business in later years. At 19 he moved to Toronto where he met and married Marlene. They welcomed 2 sons into their lives and were actively involved in water skiing, kite flying, golfing and community activities. In the early 1980’s Tony relocated to Winnipeg to work with the Winnipeg Sun. There he met Sharon and they were married on July 21, 1990.

Tony’s life revolved around his family. He was so proud of his sons and stepsons and their accomplishments. When he became a grandfather, he became Papa T. He loved to spend time with the grandchildren and ensured that when he did, they were his focus. Since four of them lived at a distance he worked hard to be a part of their lives and when he visited them he was sure to make the time special – overnight visits in the hotel – parents not allowed, mini-golfing, shopping trips, and daytime outings just to spend time with them. The first time he saw Ally he melted and she held his heart forever. He was so excited that she got to be at his wedding to Sharon. He was thrilled when he got to see Josh play in a hockey tournament. He loved to go places with Emily as she was always so open to new ideas. And he was beside himself when she went fishing with Uncle Paul and caught a Master Angler catfish. Jordan was his youngest sweetheart and he loved to take her on adventures. When North came along, he lived close by and Grandpa Tony took him for his first ice cream cone, spent many an afternoon mini-golfing and playing video games at the Golf Dome, and was at many of his soccer and hockey games. He particularly loved paying Sorry with North and lived for the nights that North would sleep over in “North’s” room. When his great-granddaughter Chelsea was born you thought his heart would burst with love. He was excited to be at her second birthday party and spoiled her.

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Tony kept in close contact with his siblings and his nieces and nephews and extended family. That connection was so important to him. Weekly and daily phone calls, birthday phone calls and just because phone calls were just part of his routine.

While he did not have a lot of hobbies, he did enjoy woodworking and spent many hours working on his cottage in Ontario, a cradle for Ally when she was born, a toy box for North to keep all his construction trucks in, and furniture for Sharon.

Travelling was important to Sharon and they travelled together to many places across Canada, the United States, and Europe. They camped in a van that they converted to sleep in and travelled across Canada in it. He bought a bus converted to a motorhome and drove it across Canada and south to the US border. The Loon Bus saw many miles as they visited new places. They spent winter vacations in Mexico, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Texas and Florida. They cruised and visited family in Wales where Tony’s mom was born. In 2018 they completed their cross Canada tour by spending time in the Maritimes. In Prince Edward Island he acceded to Sharon and went to an all-day cooking class with her where he learned to make pasta from scratch. He was so proud of that day because now he was cooking. There were lots of weekend trips to many places, especially Kenora on the Lake of the Woods. Tony loved the water and he absolutely loved that place in Ontario.

Tony had a strong work ethic and was fiercely loyal to his employers. When he started work as a salesman, he found his true calling and spent many years travelling Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Ontario selling. He had an ability to talk to anyone and made friends instantly. When he discovered Facebook...well it was tailor-made for him to keep in contact with all those people he had met. When he had to stop working because of the pandemic he was lost for a few weeks.

One of his main topics of conversation was Sharon. He was so proud and supportive of her and her accomplishments and told everyone about her. His love was evident to all and many remarked on it. He spent many an hour in a curling venue as he supported her volunteer work with curling. This led him to his own love of watching curling and following the competitions of the Manitoba teams that he so enjoyed and eventually to learning to curl himself. When Sharon was diagnosed with breast cancer, he was by her side cheering her on in her fight. When she was declared in remission, he planned celebrations, particularly a hot air balloon ride that he knew she desired. When she joined the dragon boat team of Chemo Savvy Inc. he was right there at every race and every festival cheering her on. And, of course, he made friends with all the team members he came in contact with.

Beneath his often-crusty exterior was a sensitive, warm, loving man. If you managed to get under that crust you were bathed in that love.

At Tony’s request cremation has taken place and there will be no service. Should you wish to make a donation in Tony’s memory please consider the CIBC Run for the Cure in Winnipeg (donation under the Chemo Savvy Inc. team name) or the Manitoba Curling Hall of Fame and Museum Endowment Fund through The Winnipeg Foundation.

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ETHICAL DEATH CARE

Cremation & Life Celebrations

530 St. Mary Avenue - Winnipeg

204-421-5501 - www.ethicaldeathcare.com

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