Obituary of Heather Jo-Anne Woodcock

Heather Woodcock (née Brown), a beautiful soul, artist, life enthusiast, cook, event planner, Hallmark movie lover and friend to all creatures died peacefully on June 10, 2021, in her home.

Everyone loved Heather. That’s not an exaggeration, she genuinely made everyone she encountered feel loved.

Heather grew up in Port Elgin, Ontario with her father Willson Brown, mother Joan Brown and siblings Rick, Brian and Carol. Heather met the love of her life John at 17 years young, and chose this love for 44 more years, creating beautiful and lasting memories. Throughout the years, they moved to multiple cities where Heather created loving homes for her two children Jonathan and Tiffany. If you were in one of Heather’s homes, you felt loved and a sense of belonging. Her presence simply put, had an angelic effect on everyone. 

When her children were settled in school she returned to school herself at Confederation College in Thunder Bay Ontario.  She graduated top of her class and was awarded the Deans Medal for Business and Photography. She started her own company, “Somewhere In Time Photographic Images" specializing in fine art reproduction and spent countless hours in art galleries documenting art at all hours of the night and day.  An old fashioned photographer, she loved the darkroom.

Heather’s greatest joy was the birth of her three grandchildren, Hailey, Miles and Brooke. Her smile when she held her grandchildren is something that everyone who met her comments on still. Her love for them memorialized in countless photographs.

Heather’s warmth, hospitality and kindness are what she is remembered for. If you complimented one of her belongings, it was yours. Even if she was wearing it. No one was allowed to be hungry, or rather no one was allowed to be anything short of stuffed full of good food, and cheer, and happy times while she had anything to do with it. As soon as you were done she would offer you more.

How do you pay proper tribute to a person who was so full of life, life was attracted to her?  The deer, the owls, the foxes, and the loons all came to see her and be seen. All the creatures, including us, would bring their babies and she would smile her beautiful smile.  We would tease her that she was a Disney princess because of all the forest creatures that would come to her.  The hummingbirds were her favourite, she had names for each one and we her family conspired to bring more to places she could see and smile at them with her.

We miss you Mom, Nan, Heather. You will never be gone from us. There is nothing in this world to replace you, so we promise to fill that void with all the love you have been for us, for each other.  Husband John, her children Jonathan (wife Tasha) and Tiffany (husband Trevor) and her grandchildren Hailey, Miles, and Brooke all had a chance to say goodbye and tell her she was loved.  Her response, as always, was “I love you more”.

A special thank you to Dr Mallory and the palliative care teams from Care Partners and St. Elizabeth Health who made it possible for her wish to stay home until the end.

In Heather’s memory donations may be made in lieu of flowers to either Ovarian Cancer Canada or The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada. A Celebration of Life will be organized in the future when loved one’s can gather safely.