Family isn’t always blood; it’s the people

in your life who want you in theirs…

the ones who accept you for who you are. 

The ones who would do anything

to see you smile,

and who love you no matter what.

David Spain was a friend to many. He will be remembered well by them and the Belle River team who graciously cared for him.

He is predeceased by his girlfriend Carole Westacott.

His home most recently was the St. Francis Advocates Group Home in Belle River and prior to that he lived for years at the Southwestern Regional Centre.

David will be remembered Tuesday July 22, 2025 at 12:30 pm at the Blenheim community Funeral Home 53 Stanley Street, Blenheim Ontario.  Following this time he will be laid to rest at the Pardoville Cemetery with his girlfriend Carole. 

Surrounded by his family on Friday, July 4th, 2025, William “Bill” King passed away suddenly at the age of 77.
Beloved husband of Judy King, and a dedicated father to his three children, Kelly (Hubert) Piatkowski, Paul (Courtney Grange) King, and Karen (Mike) Honchar. He was also a proud grandfather to his five granddaughters, Abbey and Sydney Piatkowski, and Madeline, Katherine, and Annaliese Honchar, all whom he loved spending “girl time” with.
Bill is survived by his brother Jack King, and predeceased by his sisters Mary King and Helen DeGelas.
Bill was born and raised in Blenheim and spent his life in between there and Chatham-Kent. He enjoyed spending his time fishing, playing cards, and supporting his granddaughters’ various sports teams. Bill’s favourite was watching his granddaughter’s baseball teams each summer.
He will always be remembered for his positive greeting to everyone “Nice bright sunny day!” no matter what the weather was.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Bill’s memory may be made to Chatham Hospice.

Online condolences may be left at https://blenheimcommunityfuneralhome.com/

Blenheim Community Funeral Home has been entrusted with funeral arrangements.

With heavy hearts, we share the passing of Karen Maxine Collins on June 29th, a woman whose laughter, love, and light touched everyone she met.

Born January 22, 1956, Karen was the beloved daughter of Jim and Maxine Graham. She grew up in Erieau, Ontario, alongside her cherished siblings Bonnie and Dennis.

A proud and devoted mother, she raised her three children — Billy, Beau, and Amanda — with endless love, patience, and humor.

Karen was a proud Mimi to Alexander and Hailey, and nothing meant more to her than watching her family grow. She cared deeply for all her nieces and nephews — She held them close in her heart and was deeply proud of the people they are becoming.

To know Karen was to smile. She had an unforgettable sense of humor and a positivity that lit up every room she walked into. Conversations with her often ended in laughter, and her warmth made everyone feel like family. She was not just loved — she was love, in its most joyful and genuine form.

A celebration of life will be held at a later time, where all are welcome to gather and share memories, smiles, and love in honor of Karen.

Towering Renaissance man Brian VanHeesch passed away peacefully at the impolite age of 55 after a long battle with cancer.

He was professionally regarded as one of the leading software engineers of his generation. This, however, is only the tip of a considerable iceberg of talents, passions, ideas and ridiculous escapades that defined a full-fat life with an extra dollop of cream on top. And sprinkles.

Born in Chatham, Ontario, Brian was the son of Martin and Diny (Nooyen) VanHeesch, 4th-generation Dutch farmers. After finishing school in Blenheim, he scored an absurd 99% in the University of Waterloo’s entrance exam. By all accounts (including his own), between movies, LAN parties and Dairy Queen runs, Brian almost managed a full day of study during his 4 years at university to get his Bachelors of Math degree. It also gave him plenty of spare time to date his fellow force-of-nature Manju Sekhri and many years later pass on his tenacity for life to Sasha.

Brian joined the plucky Toronto-based Architel Systems in 1994 and quickly established himself as an incredibly talented software engineer. Through Architel and a variety of other business ventures, Brian travelled widely in those early-career years.  Able to rapidly devise elegant solutions to some very complex and cutting-edge problems, Brian’s code is still running in Telcos around the world more than 30 years later.

Brian’s ability to see simple solutions to complex problems extended beyond the abstract world of software and into the physical realm of home improvement. Boasting a tool collection that was basically his own branch of Canadian Tire, Brian set about an ancient-Rome-scale building programme to both his own and other people’s houses. The gigantic stone block feature outside the Britannia House can apparently be seen from space!

He set the tone for a lifetime of work and play both home and abroad with Manju and Sasha in tow. Whether it was carrying 6 canoes by himself on an Algonquin portage, sliding down waterfalls in Malaysia, touring Amsterdam all day with Sasha on his shoulders or bestriding the Himalayas, Brian was incredibly strong and ever-ready for adventure.

But most of all, Brian was a committed absurdist and ferocious fancy-dress artiste: always ready to find the funny or ridiculous side of any situation. His generosity of spirit was as large as his legs, and he had a typically Brian-sized group of close friends that regularly gathered around his marble-topped Island for many, many cheeky ones.

So when cancer arrived in 2017, Brian treated it as just another problem to solve and not something to impinge on his life-chomping spirit (famously getting back to coding in the post-surgery recovery room, complete with slurred phone calls to colleagues). Whether it was biking 50 kilometres to a chemo appointment or hiking up mountains in Costa Rica, Brian steadfastly refused to let his illness compromise his lifestyle.

Brian’s life-on-all-cylinders is an example to us all and he leaves behind a huge body of work, experiences, love and laughter shared with Manju, Sasha and so many of his friends.

Brian is survived by the love of his life Manju, darling daughter Sasha; his sister Elly (Chris), brother Ronny (Kelly), honorary sister Jennifer and her children India and Sawyer; nieces Jessica, Joy, Brianne and his nephews Konnor, Bryn and Kourtlan; mother-in-law Urmil Sekhri, sister-in-law Anju (Sheldon) and brother-in-law Manu (Radhika); nephews Akshay, Anuj, Noah and niece Uma.

Predeceased by his parents Martin and Diny and his father-in-law Ripudaman Kumar Sekhri.

Cremation has already taken place.

A celebration of life will be held on August 10th, 2025 at the Simpson-Burke Residence.  Please email [email protected] for information or to send messages to the family.

No flowers please.  Friends and family wishing to remember him with a memorial donation are asked to consider the Juravinski Cancer Clinic (https://www.hamiltonhealth.ca/inhonour) or Acclaim Health Care (acclaimhealth.ca).

On Tuesday, June 17, 2025, with her family by her side, Marion Jean Pardo (Castleden) passed away peacefully at the age of 89.

Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and raised in Sudbury, Ontario, Jean’s early years were shaped by a love of learning and the outdoors. She pursued higher education with distinction, earning an Honours BA in Geological Sciences from the University of Toronto. Jean and two other women tied for first place to receive the prestigious Coleman Gold Medal, a recognition of outstanding academic achievement. Later in life, her passion for education led her to complete her Honours Bachelor of Education in 1990.

Jean began her career as a geologist for Consolidated West Petroleum in Port Alma, Ontario, where she met her first husband, Fred. She later found her true calling in education, teaching science, mathematics, and geology in Ridgetown, Walkerton, and Chatham.

During Jean’s retirement she travelled extensively visiting place such as Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, South America, England, and journeying from coast to coast in Canada. Jean was a proud member and leader in the Girl Guides of Canada. Jean rose from a young Brownie to become Commissioner of the Trillium Area, with approximately 12,000 members at the time. The Girl Guide motto remained a guiding force in her life.

Jean would marry Fred Pardo in 1960 until his passing in 1996. In 1999, Jean remarried JAF Fenwick and together they spent cherished years between Canada and Australia until his passing in 2004.

Jean had a deep love for reading, teaching, gardening, and spending time with her family near and far. She was a dedicated volunteer throughout her life—serving with the Girl Guides, IODE, the Altar Guild of the Anglican Church, the University of Toronto Women’s League, the Blenheim Historical Society, and was fondly known as part of the “Pie Lady” club.  She served as a board member of the Howard Rees Foundation for many years.

She is predeceased by her parents Geof (1971) and Margaret (1949) Castleden, her husbands Fred (1996) and JAF (2004), her son Hugh (2019), daughter Melanie (1968), stepson Ross (2016), stepdaughter-in-law Jo (2024), sister-in-law Jaye (2022), and her parents-in-law Charles (1949) & Eleanor (1960) Pardo and Charles (1947) & Eileen (1936) Fenwick.

Jean will be lovingly remembered by her daughter Margaret Pardo, daughter-in-law Cathy, brother Donald Castleden, and stepchildren Bill, Andrew, Susan, and daughter-in-law Kathy Fenwick.

She leaves behind her cherished grandchildren: Nicole (Florin), Laura (Nathan), Daniel, Natalie (Connor), Eric (Kennidi), Sarah (David), Libby (Simon), and Iian, and her great-grandchildren: Caitlin, Tristan, Sebi, Hayden, Logan, Tierian, Alice, Oscar, Edward, Arthur, and Amelia.

She will also be fondly remembered by her nieces Jennifer and Heather (Jay), and her great-nieces and nephews: Dylan, Jordan, Iredia, Ikhide, Ivie, and Kevin.

Visitation will be held at the Blenheim Community Funeral Home on Friday, June 20th from 2:00–4:00 p.m. and 6:00–8:00 p.m.

A Funeral Service will take place at Trinity Anglican Church on Saturday, June 21, 2025, at 11:00 a.m., followed by a light luncheon in the church basement. Interment will follow at Pardoville Cemetery.

Donations would be appreciated to the Blenheim Community Health Hub https://blenheimhealthhub.com/donate/ , Chatham-Kent Hospice https://chathamkenthospicefoundation.com/donations/ , or Girl Guides of Canada https://www.girlguides.ca/WEB/ON/Parents/Donate/ON/Support_Us/Donate.aspx .

The family would like to extend heartfelt thanks to Dr. Martha Clendenning for her years of care and compassion, and to the Chatham-Kent Hospice team for their loving support during Jean’s final days.

Rest in Peace, Mom.

Due to local events and road closures in Blenheim on Saturday, parking will be available behind St. Mary’s Church. Those wishing to join the funeral procession to the cemetery are invited to gather there, as the procession will depart from that lot.

Grant Coatsworth passed away on June 17, 2025 at the Chatham Kent Health Alliance in Chatham.

Grant was survived by brothers Wayne and Barry.  He was predeceased by his parents Glen and Edna Coatsworth as well as his older brother Leighton.  There are other extended family members who will miss him.

Being a farmer, Grant understood the demanding yet rewarding nature of farming, the challenges of the work, and the deep connection to the land.

Grant preferred to not have a service or visitation.

It is time to say goodbye to a great lady. With her husband of 65 years at her side Marilyn Jean Shaw passed away peacefully on the evening of June 12, 2025 in her 87th year. Born on September 5, 1938 in Chatham, ON she was raised in Rodney, then raised her family in West Lorne before settling in Blenheim. She is survived by her husband Clarence (Yogi) Shaw, her son Darcy and his wife Wendy Shaw, daughter Denise and her husband Rob McGahan, and her sisters Karen Leitch, Marg McDonald, Dorothy Braddon and Wendy Carver and her husband Chester. Also survived by her loving grandchildren, Danny McGahan, Andrew Shaw, Megan Shaw and Casey Lahn-Caputo and her husband Chris and great-granddaughter Marcy Lahn-Caputo as well as many nieces and nephews.

When her children were young Marilyn could often be found volunteering with the Cub Scouts and the West Lorne Figure Skating Club. She was Past President of the Ladies Auxiliary of the West Lorne Legion Branch 221 where she could often be found in the kitchen preparing and serving food for various functions. She enjoyed dancing and spending time with her friends, often at home in the kitchen.

The family would like to thank Dr. Martha Clendenning as well as the staff of VON and the Blenheim Community Village that provided care for Marilyn.

Friends and family can call at the Blenheim Community Funeral Home on Wednesday June 18th for visitation from 1 p.m. followed by a service at 2 p.m. Interment will follow at the Rodney Cemetery.

Sarahlee Coatsworth, much loved wife of Ron (2012) and mother of Tracy O’Sullivan (James), Karl Coatsworth (Tracy) and Samantha Deseure (Rob) passed away at the C-K Hospice on Thursday June 12, 2025.  She was the proud grandmother of Chris Smith, Tawnya Smith, Courtney Coatsworth, Kyle Coatsworth (Carly), Brayden Deseure (Tommy) and Adam Deseure (Shayna) and great-grandma to Hailey Hunter, Keegan Raes, Abigail Raes and Claira Robinson.

Born in Chatham 81 years ago to the late Alda & Ross Haskell, Sarahlee was the last surviving member of her family, having been predeceased by her sisters Delnore and Harriet.

Sarahlee worked for many years at Big V and Shoppers Drug Mart.  She will be remembered by her family and the community in simple things each day. Remember her when you sip a cup of hot tea or play a game of euchre. When you cast a friendly smile on the street or get to know to someone new. When you eat dessert first and when you witness someone caring for an animal in need. Sarahlee’s compassion was only outmatched by her keen wit and sense of humor. Those that knew her will treasure the times they shared. Sarahlee will be missed by all, but we will carry a piece of her everywhere we go.

Family and friends are invited to a time of visitation at the Blenheim Community Funeral Home on Monday June 16 from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m.  A service to remember a life well lived will be held at the Funeral Home on Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. followed by placing her urn with Ron’s in Evergreen Cemetery.

Those wishing to remember Sarahlee with a memorial donation are asked to consider the Chatham-Kent Hospice https://chathamkenthospicefoundation.com/donations/ .

William (Bill) Ceccacci of Blenheim passed away at his home on Thursday June 5, 2025. He will be remembered fondly by his children Catriona Huggins (JP), Miranda Ceccacci (Grant Smith), John Ceccacci (Lacey) and Liam Ceccacci (Baillie Siefert), by their mother Tracey Ceccacci, and by his grandchildren Renton, Jett, Gavin and Rigby Huggins, Sophia and Lilly Smith, and Luca, Julia and Owen Ceccacci. Bill was born in Chatham 69 years ago to the late Siggismondo & Maria Ceccacci. Bill was predeceased by his brother Renato Ceccacci, and is survived by his siblings Sue Robinson (Tim), John Ceccacci (Jenny), Phil Ceccacci (Anne Marie) and Claudio Ceccacci. Bill is also remembered by his many nieces, nephews, extended family members, and friends.

Bill was a kindhearted man who deeply loved his family. Though he struggled, he always managed to persevere in the face of difficulties. His love for music, soccer, hockey, Italian culture, and most of all the people he cared about, helped him keep his optimistic outlook. He was also an avid gardener with the greenest of thumbs. Bill was often funny, silly, and quick with a smile. It brightened his day to visit with people and to see them laugh. He took great joy in the accomplishments of his children, and grandchildren; who’s pictures covered the walls of his home.

In keeping with Bill’s wishes, cremation has taken place. Visitation will take place at the Blenheim Community Funeral Home on Thursday June 12, 2025, from 1:00 – 3:00 which will be followed immediately by a funeral service. Friends wishing to remember Bill with a memorial donation are asked to consider Diabetes Canada.

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our precious Tim (formerly known as J.R. Ewing of Southfork) on Saturday May 31^st at the age of 58.

Tim resided on Regent Street in Blenheim from the time of his birth in 1966 up until 2018 when he moved to Chatham and entered a Community Living Group Home.

Throughout his life, Tim met and made many friends at school, ARC Industries, Friendship Circle and the Legion just to name a few.  Tim loved being with his family and enjoying any party that took place either at home or elsewhere.  Going to the Legion to dance or to the Golf Course with his brothers was his idea of a great time, especially if he got to drive the golf cart.

Tim was predeceased by his Mom & Dad; Mary & Peter Hare, his sister Arlene Hare, his brother Frankie & wife Patsy, his brother Delbert & wife Deanna, his brother Bobby, brothers-in-law Ed Butler and Wayne Henderson and sister-in-law Lise Coulter.

Left to mourn our “#1 Son” are Roger Coulter & family, Ila Hare & family, Kathleen Henderson & family, Judy Butler & family, Suzie & Don Scott & family, Sandy Hare & family, Donna & Mark Hare & family, the best brother he ever had Steve Hare and his best girl Dorothy Verkaik.  Tim also had numerous nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews who loved him.

Cremation has taken place.  Family and friends are invited to gather at the Blenheim Community Funeral Home on Saturday June 7^th for visitation from 1:00 – 2:00.  A Service will be held at 2:00 p.m. with Pastor Bill Terris officiating.  A Celebration of Life will be held at the Blenheim Legion, Branch 185 following the service.  Casual bright attire and funky socks are recommended.

Friends wishing to remember Tim with a memorial donation are asked to consider Community Living Chatham-Kent, the Chatham-Kent Hospice or a charity of your choice.

It is with heartfelt gratitude and appreciation that we thank the Community Living workers, the Chatham-Kent Hospice workers, the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance and all who took the time to see to our Tim’s needs.  Thank you.

A livestream of Tim’s service will be available on the day of the service at https://event.forgetmenotceremonies.com/ceremony?c=6b6f5cd5-dc36-4c3b-872f-b913a92d8dd3