Marvin Ellwood Nicholas Handsor

On Wednesday September 25, 2024 our husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother and uncle Marvin Ellwood Nicholas Handsor passed away at the age of 80 years.  He was a great man.

“Ellwood” was born in Chatham on Christmas Day, 1943 and because of that, his parents Isabelle & Clarence found it fitting to include Nicholas as part of his name.  He was one of five children and is survived by his sister Judy Dudley (James) and his brothers Terry (Joy), Philip (Margo) and Jim (Deb).  At the age of 14 he found his first love…a 1957 Chevy.  Although he never did own one, he worked on countless classics, bringing them back to their original beauty.

A few years later, Ellwood fell in love again but this time with a young lady named Diane Boswell.  Maybe he never owned a ’57 Chevy, because he loved Diane more.   He would have said that his life couldn’t get better after marrying Mom in 1966 but he also would have said that it did when he and Diane became parents to two boys Marvin Kent (Julie) and Brent (Renee), grandparents to Kyler, Eden and Talon and finally great-grandparents to Roman.

Ellwood was the most welcoming, supportive and inclusive person that you could ever meet. Leaving everyone he met, whether for a moment or a lifetime, with the feeling of being loved.  He saw the good in everything and everybody.  He taught his children to be the best people that they could be and to treat others with respect and kindness.  He was a hard-working man with a great sense of humor.  It didn’t matter if you were family, a friend or someone he just met on the street, he made every encounter a time worth remembering.  He loved blues and soul music, and he loved dancing.  He put his back out once dancing to the macarena and that slowed him down for a bit but it didn’t stop him from doing it again.

He was a long-time employee of Navistar, retiring in 1997 after thirty-two years.  In his younger days he pumped gas for Duncan O’Brien at the White Rose gas station in Blenheim and in between it all, he built his own house and ran his own business called Marv’s Air Tool Repair from his basement shop and his fully equipped garage. With a knack for being able to fix or build anything he set his mind to, he was known as the “Toy Maker” in the days of CB radio. His love for building and tinkering later lead him to ham radio and a whole new world of friends as call sign VE3ZAJ.

One of the greatest lessons in life for his family has been watching the love that Ellwood shared with Diane…she was his world, and he was hers.  All through his challenges with Alzheimer’s disease, Diane was his rock.  They were a good team raising their children and a great example to their grandchildren.

The family would like to invite you to the Blenheim Community Funeral Home on Saturday September 28, 2024 to join us in celebrating a life well lived.  There will be visitation from 10:00 – 12:00.  We will share a short service with Reverend Tracey Thomas and some words of remembrance at 12:00.  Following a private family interment in Evergreen Cemetery, the family will return to the funeral home to share a time of fellowship and food with you…both things that Ellwood loved to do.

Those who would like to remember Ellwood with a memorial donation are asked to consider the Alzheimer’s Society of Chatham-Kent https://alzheimer.ca/chathamkent/en/take-action/donate  because they do great things.