Terry Shea

Terry passed away with family at the age of 73 in the intensive care unit of the Ottawa Civic Hospital on November 17 due to complications associated with sudden unexplained severe pancreatitis.

A compassionate loving partner to his wife Margaret for 52 years, and a very proud father of his son Kevin and daughter-in-law Suzanne, Terry will be sorely missed by all his loved ones.

Terry is predeceased by his parents Daniel Shea and Iris Snair, and his sister-in-law Acia Nowicki. He is survived by his wife Margaret, son Kevin, daughter-in-law Suzanne Swaine, sister Judy (Pierre Hamelin), brother Peter (Cynthia), and nephews and nieces Dan and Beth (Mark Wilson), Louise Hamelin (Guy Yavo), and Michel Hamelin (Sabrina).

Terry grew up in Montreal and graduated from Loyola High School and Loyola College. He spent 37 years working various financial roles in the pulp and paper industry, the first 7 of which were in Montreal at the head office of International Paper before moving to their newsprint mill in Gatineau where he spent the remaining 30 years. During his time at the Gatineau mill it went through mergers involving 5 different companies until its closure in 2010, at which time he was the Assistant Manager/Controller of Finance. He often joked that in all his years with the same company he experienced 5 company name changes along with the accompanying swag, and the complete cycle of centralization, decentralization, and re-centralization. After leaving the mill he enjoyed a brief stint working as an Operations Analyst at the Royal Canadian Mint where he could walk to work.

Terry was a member of the Grand Lake Sports Club for 41 years and served as its President and later as the Secretary Treasurer. He enjoyed good and memorable times there with his wife and son during the summer months. He liked to fish, socialize on the dock, assist with various building and landscape projects, and canoe around the lake — often with his wife and their cherished golden retriever on board.

An avid hockey fan and player, Terry played men’s hockey 2 to 3 times a week for more than 30 years with a variety of groups and was still regularly meeting with hockey alumni at Tim Horton’s to catch up and discuss current affairs. Watch parties with his good friend and former neighbor Dany were also regular occurrences, if they weren’t watching the Senators together, they were often on the phone discussing plays and players between periods.

Terry lived in Sandy Hill since he and Margaret moved from Montreal to Ottawa in 1979. He took pleasure and pride in landscaping their property and doing many of his own small home improvements. He could often be seen chatting with neighbors and strangers who stopped to admire his front garden. He will be remembered as a kind and generous neighbor who was always willing to shovel a walkway, share a laugh and lend a hand, a tool, or some advice.

A lifelong animal lover, Terry raised many cats and dogs over the years and was always willing to feed and visit neighbors’ pets when their owners were traveling. He is currently sorely missed by his and Margaret’s 16-year-old cat “Princess” Lucy who he fed every morning at 7:00 am before doing the New York Times Crossword.

Terry will be remembered with gratitude and affection by friends and neighbors, past and present. His family will always cherish the many happy years they had with him and forever hold him in their hearts and prayers.

A celebration of Terry’s life may be held at a later date. As per Terry’s wishes, his final goodbye will be private prior to cremation. In lieu of flowers, a donation to The Ottawa Food Bank , The Ottawa Hospital Foundation, The Farley Foundation, or a charity of your choice in Terry’s memory would be most appreciated.

Finally, Margaret, Kevin and Suzanne would like to thank the many Ottawa Civic nurses, doctors, and staff for their compassionate care and dedication during the four weeks Terry was in their care.