Obituary of Mr. Terrence Lahey
Terrence Lahey passed away peacefully on Friday, October 15, 2021 at Scarborough Birchmount Hospital in the loving presence of his devoted wife, Jacquie. Terry was deeply loved by his wife Jacquie Georges, and cherished by his children Jennifer, Steven (Nikki), Emanuel and Monique and grandchildren Noah, Brianna and Paiten.
In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Terry can be made to his favourite charities, Sick Kids Hospital and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
We welcome you to read Terry’s life story and to leave your expressions of sympathy.
Terry Lahey Life Story
Terry may have developed his wonderful sense of humour and his outspoken nature as the youngest of eleven brothers and sisters. He was born in Madoc Ontario to Thomas and Adelaide (Brochu) and was the beloved brother of Geraldine (Harry) Courneyea, Pauline (Jack) Dudgeon, Marguerite (Michael) Quinn, Rita Lahey, Amelia (Milton) Campbell, James (Catherine) Lahey, Thomas Lahey, Evelyn (Ron) Fulton, Patricia (John) Carman, Gerard (Zoila) Lahey.
Terry had a happy childhood in this big, wonderful, faith-loving family that grew to include 23 nieces and nephews. From a very young age he was rooted in the values of faith, family and community. Growing up on a farm, Terry quickly learned to find the perfect balance of hard work and fun.
Terry attended High School at St Patrick College in Ottawa. After graduating, he joined the Canadian Navy where discipline was paramount. Here he developed an interest in boxing, the martial arts and a fine taste for rum and coke!
Terry's working career started in the computer industry at ESB Canada. He later joined Litton's systems, where he worked for 18 years until his retirement in 1997.
In his own words, Terry was “tickety-boo”. He embraced life with a happy disposition and a great sense of humour. He was very social and enjoyed being with people. His outgoing personality and quick wit endeared him to so many. Whenever there was a family gathering, he was often right in the middle of it! Above all, Terry loved his family deeply and supported their dreams.
Terry was a man of faith who was active in his parish. He was a life time member of the Knights of Columbus and supported their fundraising efforts with zeal, always wanting you to buy their raffle tickets. Terry also assisted the late Rev. Fr. Joseph Fenech, the original pastor of St. Aidan parish, in the building of his parish church.
Terry was very generous with his time and was always willing to help others. He was gifted with many talents, and was confident in building or fixing anything. He could be counted on to help out whenever and wherever.
Terry enjoyed many hobbies and interests. He loved the movies. For several years, he and his friend Todd (whom he called “Big T”) had a date every Tuesday night to see Action movies followed by his favourite Greek food at Hunters Restaurant. He had a pet name for everyone.
Terry loved a good meal and his favourite restaurant was The Keg. He was a regular and a perfect meal would include filet mignon, prime rib and his drink of choice, a black Russian.
He was a fan of Abba music. He read every Stephen King novel, and waited for the movies to follow.
Terry loved fast cars, and was the proud owner of a Dodge Challenger, and his 1986 Mustang. He was happy to know that his granddaughter Brie is currently enjoying driving his Mustang.
The greatest love of his life was his wife Jacquie Georges. They were married in June of 1988 and together they developed a beautiful and loyal partnership. They were completely devoted to each other and created cherished memories in a home built of love, faith and fun.
In 2010 Terry developed symptoms of double vision and dizziness. It was not until 2015 that he was diagnosed with a very rare disease called PSP - Progressive Supranuclear Palsy. Despite its progressive nature, Terry never lost his sense of humour and positive outlook, and was always good company. He often commented how thankful he was to God that his illness caused him no pain.
Jacquie, together with the entire Lahey family would like to extend their thanks to those who provided medical care and support to Terry, especially
to his neurologists who cared for him over the years of his illness. Dr Anthony Lang,
Dr Carmela Tartaglia and Dr. Mario Masellis who all took a very keen interest in Terry's medical needs.
A BIG THANK YOU personally from Terry and Jacquie to his amazing PSWs Elvic Dagaas and Jose Diaz who both assisted in his care, and have grown to become family friends.
With grateful hearts, we thank the staff of Scarborough Birchmount Hospital, especially Dr. Sailaja Nallapaneni his surgeon, Dr. Sandy Finkelstein (ICU Doctor) and the many nurses and professionals who took care in providing for his needs.
Terry was a role model for so many and we thank him for this. He loved life and shared his time and talents and treasures so freely. He was devoted to his family and will be missed dearly by all who knew and loved him.
May he always Rest in Peace.
