Anna Mae Pardo

Anna Mae Pardo (nee Antaya) passed away on November 3rd , 2023, at Riverview Gardens, Chatham, Ontario, at the age of 86. She was surrounded by her loving husband and her 6 children and their spouses.

Born in Chatham Ontario on May 1st , 1937, Anna Mae lived in Jeanette’s Creek until the age of 5 when she moved to Selkirk Street in Chatham with her family and later relocated with them to Stanley Avenue at 16, one year after meeting the love of her life. She made her biggest move in 1955 when she relocated to Pardoville with her husband Doug and began sowing the seeds of her legacy.

Queen of the Crystal Ball in 1954, Anna Mae was as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside and made a lasting impression on all who she encountered. She encountered Doug 71 years ago at a Councillor’s Picnic in Rondeau where he asked her to dance. They danced all night and never stopped.

A dedicated mother, wife and business owner; a talented marketer, baker, singer, comedienne, mimic and devout Catholic, she was a force. From humble beginnings selling melons on the roadside of Hwy 3, Pardo Villa Acres became a thriving business that Doug and Anna Mae envisioned and made a reality in 1977.

While she had a passion for the farm and the market, nurturing her family was her calling.  As chief caretaker, school lunch maker, science project facilitator and speech writing collaborator; she fostered the development of 6 happy and healthy children, who grew up to love and laugh with her as adults and pass on that legacy to their own children. Anna Mae Pardo loved and was loved deeply by her husband Doug, her children Rick & Michele Pardo, Ron & Colleen Pardo, Mary Beth & Mike Goetz, Paul & Judi Pardo, Melanie & George McTavish and Jason & Ania Pardo.  Her world was made even brighter with the addition of 16 grandchildren Glynnis, Thomas, Emily, Brock, Danica, Megan, Matthew, Shelby, Sadie, Summer, Sophie, Shylene, Nicholas, Braydon, Sebastian and Sofia, and 10 great-grandchildren Tavin, Tate, Simon, Miles, Naomi, Milo, Emilia, Eva, Hailey and Molly. She is survived by one brother
Robert Antaya. She was predeceased by her infant daughter, her parents Edward & Olive Antaya and her siblings Leonard, Bernard, Nora, Loretta and Donna.

Family and friends are invited to the Blenheim Community Funeral Home on Sunday November 5th, 2023 from 2:00 – 4:00 & 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Parish prayers will be held at 6:00 p.m.  A Funeral Mass for Anna Mae will be held in St. Mary’s Church, Blenheim on Monday November 6, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. Cremation will follow.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada and Riverview Gardens Chatham, 5th Floor West would be appreciated.