BARRECA: Thomas ‘Tom’

The family of Thomas Martin Barreca is saddened to announce Tom’s passing on June 7th, 2025 at the Stratford Rotary Hospice. Our special thanks to the staff and volunteers of the Rotary Hospice who made Tom’s remaining time with us, peaceful, and pain free. He leaves behind from his previous marriage, his son Stephen, (daughter in law, Juanita and granddaughter Teagan); his daughter, Katherine (and grandson Harland) and his partner and best friend for the past 26 years, Nancy Allin. Tom loved life and at the end he said he “had no regrets” and that “he had had a wonderful life”, even though Parkinson’s and other health issues had made life more challenging these last two years.

He lived life to its fullest and enjoyed the simple things – driving trips with Nancy and their dog(s) as they explored their adopted province of Nova Scotia, where they had lived for the past 21 years before returning to Ontario to be closer to family; long walks; dinners with their dear friends in Nova Scotia; attending and volunteering at the Halifax Jazz festival; theatre at the Chester Playhouse and discovering new ice cream joints (both soft and hard or in milk shake form). Regular visits from his son and family were high points for him, and as his granddaughter grew, exposing her to the beaches, parks, and lifestyle of Nova Scotia gave him great joy. Tom was an outdoor person that enjoyed cross country skiing and hiking the Bruce Trail. As a father he excelled in providing many life experiences to his children and granddaughter. He was not one to shy away from a good debate or haggling for deals, skills he happily passed on to his children. 

The family is so grateful to the “girls” (Melanie (Mel), Jody and Ann) as he liked to call them, from Countryside Care who helped Nancy keep him at home for as long as possible.  A special thank you to Ann who was with Tom and Nancy for just over two years. He referred to her as his “boot camp” instructor. Without her and his determination, Tom would not have been able to keep walking (with the assistance of his “rambler”, as he called it) for as long as he did. The neighbors got used to seeing Ann and Tom walking the neighborhood 4 times a week (with more rest stops and finally having to stop entirely the last month before his death.) The neighbors would laugh because Ann and Tom never stopped talking while they walked. Thank you to Ann as well for giving Nancy time to rest from her caregiver role.

At Tom’s request, there will be no service or celebration of life. If lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Tom’s name to the Stratford Rotary Hospice, Parkinson’s Canada or the Bruce Trail.

We are sure Tom is already looking for the best ice cream in heaven.