Obituary of Stan McLeod

The longest goodbye, but not forever... Following a lengthy illness, it is with profound sadness the family of Stan McLeod announces his passing at the F.J. Davey Home on Thursday, May 13, 2021. Stan was a devoted and loving husband of Heather (nee Scott) for 48 years and will be forever loved by his “best baby girl dog”, Holly Mae, whom he doted on, to the point where he would insist that “she doesn’t know she is a dog”. He was and always will be loved and respected by his two sons, Scott (Sydney) of Edmonton and Christopher (Jessie) of Welland. Stan was a very proud and loving Grandpa to his four grandsons, Liam, Connor and Noah (Welland), Spencer (Edmonton) and we know he is waiting for the arrival of his 5th grandson, Kenneth. Grandpa is also loved by his granddaughter, Tabatha McLeod (Saint John, NB) and is great grandfather of her children, Alex, Megan and Carter Wells. He was special Dad to Sarah Quinlan of Welland, Carrie McIntyre of Chemainus, BC, and Penny McLeod (“F-DIL”) of Sault Ste. Marie. Stan was predeceased by his parents Ivy and Seymour McLeod and by his siblings Keith, Dorothy MacKay, Marjorie McMillan (late Don), Vera Blackburn, Gerald (late Barbara), Ruth McCaig (late Jack) Fred (late Arlene), Glen, Kirk, Gary and Wayne. He is survived by his sister Beverly Hammond (Keith) and his sisters-in-law Dorothy McLeod (Saskatoon), Jean McLeod (Sault Ste. Marie) and Gail McLeod (Thessalon). Stan also leaves to mourn his mother-in-law Esther Scott, whom he loved dearly, (predeceased by his father-in-law Wilfred), brother-in-law Bill Scott (Lily), and sisters-in-law Holly Berthelot (Andre), Patsy Jourdin (Brad), Nancy Corran (late Greg) and Maryann Scott (Pat Bruni), and his many nieces and nephews. On June 1, 1993, Stan retired from Algoma Steel’s Security Department however retirement was short-lived, when he returned to the workforce as a Manager of Safety on a variety of construction projects in Sault Ste. Marie and the surrounding area. He always managed to keep himself busy, whether it was lending a helping hand to family members, friends and neighbours on construction projects or volunteering. He was a proud board member of the Ken Brown Recovery home for more than 38 years. On two occasions, he was recipient of the “Volunteer of the Year Award” for his dedication and commitment to this organization. He also was a member of Willowgrove United Church’s Worship, Finance, Property and Ministry and Personnel Committees. Stan was born on Cockburn Island and for many years, he would return to Cockburn for the annual deer hunt with his buddies, Ron Forbes, and the late Bob Black, Jim McIntyre and Bob Wansborough. I am sure there were lots of stories told over the occasional rum and coke. He also enjoyed boating and fishing trips to Quinn Lake and St. Joe Island. Our family would like to thank the Davey Home Driftwood 2 for their love, patience, and support provided to Stan during his stay, especially under the COVID restrictions imposed. We will be forever grateful to Dave, Zak, Stephanie, Tracey, Jane, Mary Jane, Glenna, Lyndsay, Brittany, Farrah, Julia, Bridgette, Dennis, Lise, Sandra, Sarah and Joanne, to name just a few of the angels that I met who helped Stan on his journey. Also a thank you to Alfredo, a fellow resident, for his friendship and support over the last few months. Arrangements entrusted to Northwood Funeral Home Cremation and Reception Centre (942 Great Northern Rd, 705-945-7758). In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to the Davey Home Activities Department, Ken Brown Recovery Home or Willowgrove United Church would be greatly appreciated by the family. When it is safe to do so, a celebration of the life of Stan will be held so that family and friends may gather to honour this gentleman. The Dash I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of a friend. He referred to the dates on the tombstone from the beginning…to the end. He noted that first came the date of birth and spoke of the following date with tears, but he said what mattered most of all was the dash between those years. For that dash represents all the time that they spent alive on earth. And now only those who knew and loved him know what that little line is worth. For it matters not, how much we own, the cars…the house…the cash. What matters is how we live and love and how we spend our dash. So, think about this long and hard. Are there things you’d like to change? For you never know how much time is left that can still be rearranged. If we could just slow down enough to consider what’s true and real and always try to understand the way other people feel. And be less quick to anger and show appreciation more and love the people in our lives like we’ve never loved before. If we treat each other with respect and more often wear a smile, remembering that this special dash might only last a little while. So, when your eulogy is being read, with your life’s actions to rehash …would you be proud of the things they say about how you spent YOUR dash?