Joseph “Tony” Vasey
1941 – 2026
Surrounded by the love of his family, we are saddened to announce the peaceful passing of Tony on Tuesday April 28th, 2026 at the age of 85 years.
In his younger years, Tony enjoyed spending time with horses, rainbow trout and playing card games with his family. Tripoley, cribbage and poker were some of his favourites. Actually, anything that involved the opportunity to collect some quick cash were all his favourites!
As he aged, he became a lover of Bridge, Euchre, the stock market and cheering on the Blue Jays. He would begin each Euchre game counting the money placed into the pot and, if needed, would shout, “hey, who didn’t put in their loonie into the pot?” He never lost his interest in quick cash.
More affectionately known as Pa by his grandchildren, he never missed an opportunity to tell a stranger how proud he was of his family. “We have three generations of nurses”, or “we have a long line of school teachers” were frequent introductory statements.
He loved his wife of 65 years, who we lovingly call Ginny. Pa loved education, and wanted everyone to have an opportunity to pursue higher learning if they desired. He also had a clever sense of humour, which made everyone around him smile. When faced with the finality of his declining health, he continued to maintain that same sense of humour. When doctors would ask him how he was feeling, he would respond with “Cinderella, it’s 12 o’clock” or “the party’s over”.
When his grandkids, and their cousins, were in high school, he made it his mission to be their sports driver. He drove them to cross-country practice at 6am, and after-school softball games. Their softball team even ordered him a jersey because he truly was part of the team. You’d always find him behind centre field, lying on his side, with a long piece of grass in his mouth. On hot days, he’d show up with Gatorade or freezies to distribute among the players.
Pa lived a simple life, which made it insanely difficult to buy him a gift. His daily attire included a white or black T-shirt and his Michigan fleece. He felt no need to make his clothing selections any more difficult than that.
Pa never graduated high school, but was one of the smartest people out there. His values boil down to this: live simply, be kind, cherish family. It doesn’t have to be more complicated than that.
We were all extremely grateful for having a Pa that was so invested in our lives. We will miss you!
At Tony’s request, there will be no funeral or memorial service and cremation has taken place.
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