CALLAN, Henry James (aka Jim, Jimmy)

We lost Dad on July 27 ^th , 2017. He passed away peacefully after a lengthy battle with congestive heart failure.  Predeceased (1998) by the woman he loved and respected more than life itself, Florence Ivy May (Maisy) Enright. Cherished father to daughters Tina (Mike Feeney), and Lori (Gerry Bennink). Beloved Papa of his six grandchildren, David, Michelle, Brandon, Alex, Tess and Emma-Grace. Uncle Jim to many nieces and nephews. Predeceased by his father Hugh Vernon Callan (1973) and mother Beatrice (James) 1983. Dad was predeceased by his 3 siblings; brother Alexander , brother, Earl and sister Ruth.

Dad was born Sept 11th, 1930 in Bothwell, Ontario, and raised in Toronto, where his father Hugh Vernon "aka Oscar" (a WWI veteran) travelled to find work in tile laying. Dad was too young to take an active part in WWII, so he joined the Queen's Own Rifles as a teen, and spoke of his "military" experience in the "Battle of Camp Niagara" – sometimes wistfully, and sometimes with his signature wry smile. Dad's dream was to become an aeronautical engineer, as he loved everything having to do with aircraft, and flight, however the Great Depression years and a difficult family life prohibited him from attending university. Instead, he built a career around selling electronic components (sometimes for the very aeronautical machines he had hoped to design).

Dad married Maisy in Toronto on July 16 ^th , 1949, and they remained married until April 22, 1998 when Maisy succumbed to breast cancer. Though Dad lived as a single man for the remaining almost 20 years of his life, he always marked July 16 ^th as his "anniversary", and continued to love and respect Maisy to his final day. No one on earth received from Jim the same level of honouring as did Maisy.

Jim and Maisy lived in Scarborough, Ont., where together they adopted two baby girls, and became one of the earlier families to experience life with two parents working outside of the home. Because Maisy was busy with her own work life, they decided to install a pool in the backyard rather than travel to and from a cottage on their weekends. Jim maintained the pool for the girls and for the neighbourhood children in the same meticulous way he cared for everyone and everything around him. Summers were filled with raucous pool parties, games of water polo and volleyball, and 32 Cavehill Cres. became a revolving door for friends and families toting along their swimwear.

When Dad lost Mum in 1998, he was heartbroken. However, he realized that at 68 years, he needed to build for himself a new life. He did that at Lake Sunova, Lakeside, Ontario. There he met new friends, and grew to love his place, installed on his glassed-in balcony, seated in his swivel rocker overlooking the lake. One of his latest antics was raising his hand every time a car would pass by, as though he was preparing to wave, and in the final moment when he realized he might not recognize the occupants in the car, pretending he was merely straightening his hair. He became a Scrabble aficionado in later years, always adding fun and frolic to the neighbourhood game.

We, his family and friends will love him and miss him forever .

Visitation will be held on Saturday, July 29 ^th from 2-4 p.m. at the Kopriva Taylor Funeral Home, 64 Lakeshore Rd. W., Oakville with a celebration of life on Sunday, July 30 ^th at 1:00 p.m. A reception will follow after the service.

Donations to the Princess Margaret Hospital (favoured by Dad on behalf of Maisy) would be greatly appreciated.