Ted passed away on Sunday April 30th, 2017 at Sunnybrook Hospital, Toronto, following ALS. Predeceased by his much loved wife, Dawne McCulloch, he leaves behind his beloved stepdaughter, Courtney Crawford, and her husband Jeffrey. He was the proud Poppa to their children Nathan and Hannah. He will be dearly missed by his two sisters, Tanera (Michael) and Vicky (Peter), his brother Tom (Finella), his nieces and nephews and their children, and by his cousins, Colin (Jane), Gisèle, Andy and Bruce Gordon and their families.

He was born and raised in Perth, Scotland, attending Glenalmond College before setting sail to Canada in a Canadian Pacific passenger ship on a wet and windy Scottish day in 1961. He lived in Montreal, Calgary, Regina, Vancouver, Toronto, and Caledon before eventually moving to St. Catharines later in life.

He chose a career in public health because he deeply believed in community health care, and was instrumental in implementing those services in Saskatchewan, British Columbia, and Ontario. He eventually became Director of Administration for Toronto City Health with the Toronto Department of Public Health, where he worked hard to make sure that health care was accessible to all until his early retirement.

While living in Toronto, he joined the Therafields community, a psychotherapeutic commune, where he lived for many years in the 1970s, meeting some of his closest friends, including the love of his life, Dawne. The two had a relationship for a few years in the 1980s, but were not quite ready for each other, and life circumstances pulled them apart. Ted was a perpetual bachelor, but never stopped loving Dawne. Friends and family rejoiced when they rekindled their relationship in the late 1990s, eventually marrying in 2000. They were very different, but balanced and brought out the best in one another, supporting each other's passions and causes. In their brief years together, they travelled extensively, and established a beautiful home and garden. When Dawne was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2003, Ted did all he could to support her with love and compassion through to the end. Their time together was too short, and Dawne’s death in 2005 forever left a hole in Ted’s heart.

After his retirement, Ted put some muscle behind his commitment to social justice by learning how to build houses and volunteering for many years constructing homes with Habitat for Humanity. After supporting his dear friend Gerry Nikel towards the end of this life as he suffered with cancer, Ted was inspired to volunteer as a companion to others in hospice care.

Ted was a cultural omnivore, a huge supporter of the arts, and a lover of cinema and literature. He was a prolific letter writer, and devoted a great deal of time to archiving family letters and genealogical research, much of which he posted on his blog, https://tedtennant.wordpress.com

He also had a deep connection with nature, which he explored through hiking diverse trails around the world and eventually becoming an active board member and treasurer of the Bruce Trail Conservancy. Ted was also instrumental in establishing a bursary, now in its eighth year, at Niagara College to support students in environmental studies. The bursary will now carry his name and be part of his legacy.

Ted was a kind, caring and compassionate man with a wry sense of humour who loved a good chuckle. Through small yet significant acts of compassion and generosity, he fought the good fight and left this world a better place. All of us who knew him are grateful for his presence in our lives.

Happy hiking, Ted!

Please join us for a reception and celebration of Ted's life on:

Sunday, June 11th from 4 to 6pm at:
Pine Hills Funeral Centre
625 Birchmount Rd.
Scarborough, ON
M1K 1R1

Donations in Ted's memory can be made to the Bruce Trail Conservancy (via https://brucetrail.org/donations/donate)