Obituary of Victor D'Amico

Victor D’Amico passed away peacefully at home after a long and hard-fought battle with severe Crohn’s disease. 

He is survived by his soulmate and the love of his life, Cecilia, with whom he shared a beautiful marriage for 65 years. He was the adored and devoted father to his four children, Michael, Catherine, Anne Marie, and Tom.  Pa, words cannot express our love and gratitude to you.  Thank you for teaching us courage and strength and to treat all people with dignity, respect, and kindness. 

He was a loving father-in-law to Tina, Brian, Michelle, and Bob, a cherished grandfather to Sydney and Victoria, Michael (Michelle) and Tom (Khatija), Matthew and Jamie, and Laura (Alex) and Christina (Caleb), as well as the proud great-grandfather of Theo, Ivy, and Leo.

Vic is survived by his sisters Jose and Rosina, as well as many nieces and nephews.  He was predeceased by his sisters Helen and Mary and his parents Lucia and Rocco D’Amico of Welland.

Vic was a gifted and well-respected educator.  He received a B.A.(H) from the University of Western Ontario and a Master’s in Education from the University of Ottawa. He taught at the High School of Commerce and was a Vice-Principal at Ridgemont High School, worked for the Ontario Ministry of Education, and was a superintendent with the Carleton Catholic School Board.  He worked as a part-time instructor at the Faculties of Education at the University of Toronto, Queen’s University, and the University of Ottawa.  He authored numerous textbooks used in both high schools and colleges across Canada.

Vic was the founding Executive Director of the Nectar Foundation, a non-profit foundation that developed educational software used in many countries across the world. He was also the founding Executive Director of the Ontario Catholic Curriculum Cooperative and the Eastern Ontario Catholic Curriculum Cooperative. He was an innovator in high school co-operative education programs. His dedication and love of education resulted in his being awarded numerous honours and awards.

A devoted and committed family man, he very much enjoyed family gatherings – pool parties in the back-yard resort, family dinners, trivia games, and birthday parties. He had a keen sense of humour, always facing life with a smile. A highlight each day was completing the New York Times crossword puzzles with Cecilia and beating the entire family at Wordle.  He will also be dearly missed by all his bridge friends.

The family would like to express our gratitude and sincere appreciation for the exceptional care provided by all the staff, PSWs, and nurses from Bayshore Home Health, as well as the devoted nurses from Access Home Health Care Services and At-Home Hospice. We will be forever grateful to Dr. Jamie Ray from the Community Palliative Medicine Associates. Your incredible skill, compassion, and empathic care meant the world to us as you accompanied us through this very difficult journey. Thank you also to Fr. Frank for his devoted spiritual care.

A private family funeral will be held at a later date.   Vic indicated that he would appreciate donations to Crohn’s and Colitis Canada.