Jeffrey Schwartz

Our much-loved, Jeffrey David Schwartz passed away peacefully on August 11. He leaves wonderful memories for his parents, Dave and Trish, brother Berk (Amy), niece Emily, as a loving father to his daughter Maddie, Maddie’s mother, Renee, and many other relatives and friends.

Jeff was predeceased by his grandparents, Helen and Arni Thorlacius and Irma and Joe Schwartz. He loved family and dearly missed all those who passed before him. Jeff had a very special place in his heart for his grandmother, Helen Thorlacius, who nurtured and supported him through thick and thin, his precious niece Beth, his loving uncle Joe Thorlacius, and his uncle Rick Schwartz who encouraged and supported him through a critical period.

Jeff knew no strangers, only friends he hadn’t met yet. Friends and family meant everything to him. He loved them all To be a friend to Jeff was to be his friend forever. He formed many deep, long lasting friendships wherever he went, whatever he did and wherever he worked or lived. He was well-known for his generosity, never hesitant to help friends or even acquaintances in whatever way he could.

You can tell a lot about a person by the way they treat animals. By that measure, Jeff passed with flying colours with all the family pets and his own buddy, Jake the black lab and Zola the cat. But you can tell even more about a person by how they treat others, and the steady stream of tributes to Jeff that have flowed in are testament to his wonderful relationship with his legion of friends. His respect for others, a real sense of integrity and, above all, his kindness and consideration for others have been a common theme.

And of course, there were his stories and sense of humour. Jeff was the consummate story-teller and his stories enhanced the lives of everyone around him. Many are sure to be retold time and time again in conversations beginning with, “Remember when Jeff …” His sense of humour and quick wit were legend among his family and his friends. Laughter followed wherever he went. Fools and foolish beliefs were a favourite target and he had special scorn for those who thought their opinions outweighed those of experts. Even on his last day, visiting friends were kept howling with laughter at his bedside.

Jeff faced daunting life challenges from a very early age with courage and determination, some ingenuity and even humour. Although his quality of life was impaired by a childhood illness he always made the best of what he could do, skiing (effectively on one leg), making rugged career choices in trucking and the oil patch, and participating at and contributing to the Lake of the Woods Gun Club

Simply put, Jeff liked work. His commitment to whatever job he took on was complete whether it was driving long haul semis all over North America, at one point with his own rig, logging trucks out of the Northwestern Ontario bush or big rigs in the Alberta oil patch, often taking on a leadership role. During Jeff’s more recent forays into the retail world, he thrived on working with all his customers and was known for providing great customer service. He was conscientious to a fault and respected by his employers and customers alike, counting many of them as friends.

There were no half measures for Jeff when it came to the fun things in life. Fishing and hunting were favourite pastimes and the associated camaraderie was a big part of that for him. Jeff enjoyed every minute of his moose and goose hunts with friends and family, some organized by Berk in the Ashern area. They were all memorable and laid the foundation for dozens of great stories, but perhaps the most treasured of all were the hunts with his dad and brother. Jeff, Dave and Berk’s moose hunt in the Lynn Lake area was a special favourite with success measured in the number and humour of stories to be told again and again, but less so in terms of number of moose.

Whether listening to his favourite artists, attending concerts or playing his guitar and creating his own tunes, Jeff loved music. A natural comedian himself, kicking back to enjoy the comedy of others brought on gales of laughter and some inspiration as well. An avid Jets fan, Jeff rarely missed a game and attended in person whenever he could. Jeff knew how to enjoy life and did just that in so many different ways. Above all, he loved family events, big and small, and you could always count on him to bring a few good stories along to entertain everyone.

Jeff loved life and wanted very much to continue but in the end that was not to be. There are no words to

describe our loss at losing our precious Jeff. We will love him always, hold him close in our hearts and treasure our memories of life with him.

The past year was a difficult one for Jeff, but the support and love of his family and friends gave him comfort, strength and encouragement. Jeff so appreciated the care and caring he received from his teams at the Kenora and Thunder Bay hospitals. There are dozens of those who played an important part in Jeff’s support group, far too many to list here even though we would like to. Please know that your love and support made a real difference for Jeff and his family, and we thank you.

Good bye son, father, brother, friend, nephew, uncle, cousin …… May you never miss a shift or have to chain up on that truck ride in the sky. May the moose always come to your call, the fish to your lure and may the geese be flying low. Rest in peace, Jeff.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the Lake of the Woods District Hospital or the Terry Fox Foundation in Jeff’s memory would be appreciated.

Condolences may be expressed at www.dignitymemorial.com .

A Celebration of Jeff’s life will be held in the future when conditions permit.