Jan 18 1939 - March 15th 2022, passed away peacefully at Guelph General Hospital, surrounded by the light and love of his family.
Ted is survived by his wife and soulmate Betty, daughter Jennifer (Matthew) and son Tim. Papa leaves behind his cherished grandchildren Liam, Eric and Hailea. Predeceased by his father Edward, his beloved mother Mary, and brothers Patrick, William (Bill) and John.
You might have known him as Ted, Mr. Garrity, or even Mr. Squirrel (don’t ask, lol). He might have been your uncle, friend, or teacher. For those of us lucky enough, we called him our husband, father, father-in-law or Papa. A gentle man, with sparkly blue eyes and an amazing sense of humour… he always had time to listen to your concerns, write you a card or craft you your very own limerick. He was the epitome of positivity, wrapped in T-shirt’s from the places he’d visited … he was socks and sandals when they’re were not cool. He was very outgoing, chatted it up in grocery store lineups and could never leave a restaurant without talking with several tables on the way out… kind of was the unofficial mayor of Belleville, his former hometown. He loved us. Ted was a teacher by profession. He loved the kids he taught, he loved his friends and he loved his family. He also loved golf, pool, any card game, classical music, travelling, and desserts…. He really loved desserts, in fact, one of his final meals was an eclair, and it was very appropriate.
Betty and Ted faced his disease of Parkinson’s, head on. For over 10 years they both navigated the ups and downs and twists and turns of this insidious ailment. Watching the two of them on this journey was an inspiration to us all. The way they fought this battle was on their terms. He armed his family and friends with a lust for life; a positive attitude, a propensity to strive for the greatness, and a knowledge that we deserve only the best. His legacy lives on in his grandkids, they are kind, compassionate, caring and find joy in life.
Please, wherever you are, toast the people you love and see the goodness and fun in your life; that will be his legacy, and that will bring us all an immense amount of peace and comfort during some really sad days.
A celebration of life will be taking place at a later date. Arrangements entrusted to the WALL-CUSTANCE FUNERAL HOME & CHAPEL 519-822-0051 / www.wallcustance.com.
Donations to be made to the Canadian Parkinson’s Research Foundation.
A tree will be planted in memory of Edward (Ted) J. Garrity in the Wall-Custance Memorial Forest.