Obituary of Mr. Arthur Blakeley
To hundreds, he was known as “The Scarborough Santa”
To us, he was “dad”
Arthur Robert Blakeley passed away peacefully, in his sleep, on Tuesday, October 8, 2024.
He was in his 91st year.
Pre-deceased by his parents, Art and Sarah, his brothers, Bill and Len, and his sister Jean.
Art’s love of his family was immeasurable.
He celebrated our successes and shared in our disappointments.
He taught us how to hold a hockey stick, swing a bat, hit a golf ball, and throw a football.
He spent many winter nights ‘flooding’ makeshift ice rinks in our backyard.
Art showed us how to use tools to create masterpieces from wood. (We also learned a few choice words to utter when things didn’t go quite right, or the hammer missed a nail and struck a thumb!)
His creative side was at its very best every Christmas when he would decorate the lawn of every house on Reddins Road with a handmade display. Some small, some large, some exceptionally large. People came from all over to see them.
In recent years, he included a hot chocolate stand in his driveway which became a gathering spot for people to share the warmth and music of the season.
Art will be deeply missed by his neighbourhood community, and by his large family.
He is survived by Helen, his wife of 69 years. And by his sons Dan (Jackie), Dean (Nancy) and Darryl (Joan), and daughter Jill (Rob), and a collection of grandchildren and great-grandchildren who filled his heart with joy.
A celebration of dad’s life will be held soon.
In lieu of flowers, donations to the Christmas charity of your choice would help to honour his love of the Christmas season.
We send our sincere appreciation to the compassionate health care workers of the Amica Swan Lake Retirement Community, Markham-
Thank you to everyone for your support and heartfelt messages; they have been very comforting and appreciated during this challenging time.
