KUNIYASU, Tadao - The family is saddened to announce the passing of Tadao on August 17, 2020.
He was a dedicated husband to his beloved wife of 61 years, Shirley, caring father to Guy and Dave and to daughter in-laws Clarissa and Caroline. He was also a proud and loving grandfather to Olivia and Grace. Tadao (Ted) will be sorely missed.
Our father had a hard life. His family lost their house to fire due to the bombings during WWII and he experienced the horrors of the war as a teenager, which he never forgot.
He had to give up his dream of becoming an airline purser due to illness and took the big step of leaving his family to start a new life in Canada with his wife Shirley.
He immediately regretted coming to Canada, with it’s cold dark winters and ghost town like Sundays. This was a stark contrast to the life he had in Japan.
But because he loved our mom dearly and wanted to make her happy, he learned a new vocation and picked up a skill as a professional meat cutter.
His sons can still recall the nights he came home to nurse the many cuts on his hands from the job. But he never gave up and this work ethic was something he passed onto his sons by example.
His character. As kids, my brother and I remember a dad that acted in a tough and distanced manner. He was not a man of many words and displays of emotion were not common. But it was more what he did and what he sacrificed that showed how much he cared about his family. In his own way he did what he thought was best to help us become independent and successful.
His beliefs and passions. But not everything was all serious and formal with him either. Our dad was a real gambler too. He loved horse racing, which he introduced us to at an early age. One of his sons’ fondest memories was when he would take them to the racetrack where him and his brother gleefully collected all of the different colored discarded bet slips through the night. He remembers how happy they were if he could score a $50 or $100 bet slip for the night to add to their collection.
Our dad also loved playing cards. There are many memories of having his friends over the entire night for a card game. His sons remember staying up late and watching them play, never really knowing what was going on. But it must have rubbed off, as this is one of their greatest pastimes too. They hope to carry on the torch for dad.
Tadao was not a very wealthy man, but he never felt poor. He believed that as long as you could eat well and had your health you would never feel poor. Which leads to our memories of huge New Year day feasts that the family and close friends were fortunate to experience. He felt like he lived a rich life.
A warmer side. As our dad grew older his distanced mannerisms changed and we saw more of his light-hearted nature as he became a grandfather for the first time. It was great to see him open up and become a doting grandpa with his grandkids and to see the pure joy he had playing with them whenever he could.
As a young man he always wanted to travel but never got a chance to enjoy travelling until later in life.
His oldest son had the privilege of being his travel companion many times. He travelled to Las Vegas, Victoria, Vancouver and Florida for a cruise to the Caribbean. There were many memorable moments but there are two that stand out the most.
In Vancouver I saw him get so excited when he learned they were giving out free beer on the streets of downtown Vancouver. It felt like he was reliving part of his youth. He made all of us grab a case. We were all walking down the street with cases of beer. Then he bought two frosted glasses and insisted I drink with him every night before turning in. I don’t remember the details of those talks just the enjoyment he had talking about whatever he wanted.
The other moment was during all the dinners we had together on the cruise ship. Our dad was enjoying himself so much and he wanted to share his feeling with everyone. So he started the tradition of buying bottles of wine for the table. He bought the first night and then his youngest son’s father in-law would buy the other night and back and forth it went.
Final days. Our dad had a quiet dignity about him, even as he faced his final days as he battled both Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Even his last actions seemed to be focused on ensuring others do not feel bad for him. He was more concerned about the care of his wife, our mother, than himself.
Final Thoughts. You have passed a little of yourself onto all of us and together we are a representation of your best qualities.
Your daughter in-law, Clarissa who never liked tomatoes now loves tomatoes and has gained many of your gardening skills, your oldest son has picked up your love of food and drinking, your youngest son has developed a love for poker and your other daughter in-law, Caroline may have also caught his gardening bug, as this is the year she grew a creative flower display. His grand daughter, Grace looks like she picked up her grandpa’s hard work ethic and his other grand daughter, Olivia has her grandpa’s happy go lucky attitude. Most importantly you have passed on your love of your family to your wife Shirley.
Rest peacefully now dad. You have raised a great family that will always remember you for all the good that you brought to all of us.
Visitation will be held at Chapel Ridge Funeral Home, Markham on Thursday, August 27th, 2020 from 6:00pm - 9:00pm
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