Obituary of Antonius Jacobus VanderSchot

Antonius, Jacobus VanderSchot April 29, 1938 - May 28 2021“You can do nothing about avoiding death, but you can do something about living well.” With broken hearts we announce that Tony has passed away peacefully on Friday, May 28 at the age of 83 with his family by his side. Left to mourn are Monique, his wife of 54 years, children Rick and Phyllis, Fran and Wilner, Mark and Camillia, Karen and Jim, as well as his grandchildren Allie and Josh, Kurt, Olivia, Liam, Wensley, Morgan, Reese and Maia. He was born in Diemen, The Netherlands, son of Catherina and Ernestus. He is survived by his siblings Henk, Ali, Bets, Ernie, and Frans. Tony was a man of few words, but many deeds. Volunteering was in his blood. In 1963 he went to Labrador for a year to build a school in the community of Davis Inlet. He fell in love with Canada and after their wedding in 1967 Tony and Monique decided to build their future here, where Tony could become the builder he always wanted to be.He became involved with the Hope for Haiti volunteers through his good friend Murray Mitchell, and for years went with them to Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Malawi. He was declared Citizen of the year in 2015 in St. Marys for all his selfless work in the community. In 1992 Tony was diagnosed with a rare form of Leukemia which could not be cured but could be treated. He was in remission until this past winter when it came back with a vengeance. Tony would say that he lived on ‘borrowed time’ for 30 years, and if he needed to go, he was ready. On May 28 we lost a beautiful man with a big heart and a great sense of humour, who never lost focus of the important things in life. When he answered the phone, instead of ‘hello’, he would say: ‘What can I do for you’ and before hanging up: ‘keep smiling’. We express sincere gratitude to the many specialists, doctors, nurses, and other caregivers in London and Stratford, who looked after Tony over the years. We are forever grateful for the care he received in his last few weeks in St. Marys Memorial Hospital. Tony wanted to die at home, where he passed away peacefully.Cremation has taken place. A private farewell will be held at a later date at the chapel at the cemetery in St. Marys. To keep Tony’s legacy alive: give your time to volunteer where it is most needed. “KEEP SMILING” (Tony)