Stacey Eliza Tidman

Born and raised in Newmarket, Stacey began her career as a horticulturist, including caring for exhibits at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa. Her love of learning eventually led her in another direction, earning her teaching degree and returning to Newmarket to teach. Teaching came naturally to Stacey. She was curious, intelligent, and generous with what she knew, and she genuinely loved helping others learn.

Stacey had an energy that was unmistakably hers. She entered a room with a great smile, eyes full of joy and an instinct to make sure everyone was included and had what they needed. She put others first, even during the times when she was the one who needed to be cared for. She invested deeply in her friendships and made new friends easily wherever life took her.

She found joy in both adventure and the simple things. Stacey loved travelling, camping and hiking; taking Erik and Piper to the theatre and Cirque du Soleil; tending to her garden; and listening to Led Zeppelin and Van Morrison. She was an incredible cook who could seemingly create a meal from whatever happened to be in the kitchen, no recipe required. She had a gift for turning a house into a home.

And then there were the quiet mornings: coffee, the garden and watching the birds gather at the feeders. Those simple moments meant everything.

But nothing meant more to Stacey than her family.

Stacey once feared she might never become a mother, which made Erik and Piper feel all the more like a gift. She was their fiercest advocate and biggest champion, giving them everything she could to help them pursue their dreams. She taught them right from wrong, gave them strong values to carry through life, built their confidence and made certain they always knew how deeply they were loved.

Stacey and her husband, Jason, were opposites in many ways, and those differences became one of the strengths of their life together. Stacey was high-energy, emotional and wore her heart openly; Jason was quieter and more guarded. Stacey taught him what it meant to be vulnerable, to feel deeply and to share parts of himself that only she ever truly knew. Above everything else, they were best friends.

Stacey is survived by her husband, Jason Vanzante; her children, Erik Tidman and Piper Tidman; her mother, Dorothy Tidman; her stepfather, Nick Romano; and her sisters, Julie Tidman and Geraldine Mosey. She was predeceased by her father, Gerry Tidman.

Stacey lived fully. She felt deeply. She loved without reservation and lived with no regrets. She leaves behind much more than memories. She leaves pieces of herself in her children, her family, her friends, the students she taught, the gardens she tended and the countless people who were fortunate enough to be welcomed into her life.

The world will keep turning, and there will be future days we never imagined facing without her. But Stacey is woven into who we are, into the home we made and the children we raised.

Wherever this journey takes us, her love will travel with us.

Until, somewhere beyond the horizon, we find one another again.