An Ending and a Beginning

Thili, Ralph John December 21, 1927 – January 28, 2015 passed away peacefully at Wentworth Lodge with family by his side on Wednesday, January 28th, 2015 in his 88th year.  Loving husband and best friend of Audrey (nee Glass).  Cherished father of Louise (Ron) Rodgers of Dundas, Dianna (Terry) Dunnigan of Woodstock, Brian (Eleanor) Thili of Angus, Cheryl of Dundas and predeceased by Michael. Survived by his sisters Josephine (Elliot) Firth-Eagland of Burlington and Mary Louise (John) Ross of Coquitlam,BC. Proud grandfather of 11 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.

Ralph was a veteran of the Royal Canadian Navy. He owned and operated Blue Arrow TV in Dundas for over 35 years and was well known for his friendly manner, honesty and integrity. He was passionate about playing both golf and curling. Ralph was a longstanding member of the Royal Canadian Legion (Dundas Branch). A special thank you to Dr. Scott Nash and the staff of Maple Lane at Wentworth Lodge for their dedicated and compassionate care for the past three years.  Friends and family will be received at the Cattel, Eaton & Chambers Funeral Home, 53 Main Street, Dundas on Friday, January 30th, 2015 from 7:00pm-9:00pm. A graveside service for Ralph will be held on Monday, February 2nd at 10:00 am at Grove Cemetery in Dundas.  In lieu of flowers, donations to the Heart & Stroke Foundation or a charity of your choice would be appreciated by the family.

Enjoy your  unlimited tee times and a hole in one in every shot!

An Ending and a Beginning....

My older brother Ralph passed away on January 28, 2015. My niece asked me to write down some things that I remembered about him as she wanted to read them at the visitation evening at the funeral home.  So this is what I remember about Ralph. 

He was the one who named me LOUISE - but he always called me Mania - which is Mary in Polish.  He always called me his little sister even though I am not so little!  I was jealous of his curly blonde hair - mine was straight as a poker.  He gave me a silver heart-shaped locket for my eighth birthday.  He sent it from Vancouver BC while he was recovering from burns suffered from an explosion on the boat while in the Navy and I still have it as a charm on my bracelet.  

He drove me to the church for my wedding - fifty years ago.  He taught me the principle of condensation - after that I loved Science.  He belonged to a Polish/Czech dance group. He was the one that all the girls wanted to dance with because he was such a great dancer.  Now you can dance with all the angels who have gone before you.  He was so delighted when I called from Vancouver on his birthday or other special occasions.  

He was happy  to be able to visit our cousins in Poland together . It was a trip of a lifetime!

We have very fond memories of his visit to BC with Audrey and then later accompanied by Louise and Cheryl.

Most of all, I will always remember his smiling face and twinkling eyes.  As I write this, tears are streaming down my face! 

Your little sister Mania

And so, I was inspired to write a biography on my life and relate some of my family's history while I am still able, so that my children and grandchildren can read this someday. Dave told Sam that grandma's brother just died and he said "Who was he; we don't know much about him, do we?"

Well, I guess grandma better start writing!

So I dedicate this to my children  ~  David, Glenn, Christine, and Jennifer.  My grandchildren ~  Alex, Sam, Julia, Hannah, Jacob, Weijin, and Jian.  Ralph and Josie's children...and my many, many cousins in Canada, Europe, and Australia