Theodore (John) Sheehy, born in Coldwater, Michigan to Bertha and Leon Sheehy on March 28 1931, passed away in McKenzie Health Centre in Richmond Hill, Ontario on Monday December 6th 2021 after a short hospitalization. His younger sister Betty (Elizabeth) died when she was eight years old.

He leaves bereaved his life partner of almost 50 years and best friend, Sheila Hathorn; his children Elizabeth (Dean), Valerie (Kevin), and Matthew; and his grandchildren, Connor, Corinne (Gabriel) and Fregine (Hector).

John, as he preferred to be called, played for a minor league baseball team—the Macon Peaches—in Georgia, and was known as the “headless pitcher” for his silhouette on the mound as he wound up. He served in the US Air Force and then graduated in Engineering in Michigan. He immigrated to Canada in 1961 with Peabody Engineering, and acted as President of its Canadian branch.

Always the entrepreneur, John founded many ventures over the years, but Interface Financial was his brainchild. He personally helped set up his franchisees and mentored them over 30 years, across Canada and the US and around the world, as far flung as Australia, Ireland and New Zealand. He never left for a US trip without his son and co-pilot, Matthew. He “retired” repeatedly, but so enjoyed his work and his people that it took several attempts to make it stick. He finally “wound down” at 85.

While baseball was his lifelong passion, he also played golf and tennis and learned to ski in his mid-forties. He enjoyed music and embraced technology, transferring his favorite vinyl to CDs and learning to use computers and his cell phone. He loved watching his athletic grandchildren play hockey, baseball, soccer and basketball. Although he had a limited palate, he relished Mexican and Indian food, but always with a cold beer.

His hobbies included meticulous stamp identification and collection, painting his favorite cartoon figures, and model building. His daughter Elizabeth misunderstood the nature of his interest in model building (airplanes) and gave him a massive, detailed kit for the USS Constitution (a ship). He was initially intimidated by the task, but quickly rose to the occasion, studying videos, consulting others who had built the model, learning how to laminate the planks of the ship, sew and hoist the sails, and tie all the knots for the rigging. He went on to build another four ships and many airplanes, all constructed to perfection.

John travelled with Sheila and Matthew every year he could back to Coldwater for the 4th of July and to Ann Arbor for US Thanksgiving to see his beloved aunts (Joan and Margaret) and cousins (Lynn, Laura and her family, and Roberta). He was hoping for one more trip to Florida for spring training with Valerie and Kevin.

His family has yet to absorb the shock of his unexpected death. He was physically and mentally healthy until the very end and gave us no clue that he was about to exit from our lives. Sheila will struggle to go forward without her best friend and confidante. Elizabeth will miss travelling with her dad on so many worldwide trips, most recently St Lucia, seconds before covid immobilized us all, and jousting over politics. Valerie will miss his quiet, unwavering support, and Matthew will miss being teased and spoiled by John (he never called him Dad). Grandad passed along his passion for baseball and golf to Connor, helping kick-start a life-long relationship centered around the highs and lows of watching their beloved Blue Jays, and demonstrating the proper etiquette when shanking your ball off the 1st tee. Corinne will miss sharing a box of donuts with her grandfather. Fregine is very grateful to her grandad for introducing her to tennis, a gift that fills her life with happiness to this day.

Cremation will be taking place, with interment and a celebration of John’s life planned for spring.