Alan Eatock

Alan Eatock, age 70, of Toronto, Ontario, passed peacefully on November 24, 2021 at the age of 70. He will be cherished by his loving wife, Helen. Beloved father of Gary (Courtney Clayton), his favourite first born, and Tom (Devon Stevens), his favourite second born. Proud grandfather to Addison and Nolan. Loving brother of Susan (Eric While), Raymond (Carole Ashton), Joy (Carl Ward), and fantastic brother-in-law to Andrew (Barbara Gregson). Fabulous uncle to Debbie, Daniel and Charlotte, Sarah and William, George and Harry. Alan will be held dear in the hearts of all his relatives, and many friends.

A Celebration of Alan's Life is to be celebrated on July 28, 2022 at 12:00pm at Jerrett Funeral Home. You may signup with the 'receive notifications' button below to be updated via email if there are any changes. The family gives many thanks to everyone for their kindness during this delicate time.

Donations in memory of Alan may be made to the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and Sick Kids (ask Helen for the story about this charity).

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.jerrettfuneralhome.ca for the Eatock family.

Alan Eatock: Amazing and committed husband, father, grandfather, and father-in-law. Best brother, brother-in-law, uncle, and great uncle - as well as loyal friend to many left us too early last November.

If you are reading this, it means you knew Alan and somehow have been touched by that encounter.

When I think of Alan's life accomplishments I think of his kindness, devotion and unconditional love for his family and friends plus his joy of cooking - something he always did from the heart.

A long time Bolton Wanderers fan - Alan supported them through their ups, their downs, and their near liquidation from the Premiere League. He kept on believing that they would rise-up and win the FA Cup. Sadly, it did not happen (yet) - but his loyalty was certainly something to admire.

Alan had an enthusiastic sense of humour, and his laughter was infectious. He would light up whenever he was around his family and friends. Alan was the first Chef I worked with who did not shout or throw things in the kitchen! Definitely a bonus from my perspective.

When you love what you do it shows, and Alan could make homemade kraft dinner taste like gourmet heaven. He loved teaching Gary and Tom knife skills and simple dishes they could make without a parent hovering over them. He was a great teacher and his family in England benefited from his skills and often had hands on lessons including a cooking video that was made in 2019 at a family gathering- something that will live on with Alan’s tenacity.

Alan was always up for an adventure. We took a huge leap of faith moving to Canada in 1989 from England with our two sons Gary (age 7) and Tom (age 3) to what was a very cold December.

He loved life in Muskoka and quickly found a dream job at Shamrock Lodge. He felt so blessed he got to sit on a dock by the water at daybreak drinking his morning coffee each day.

Once settled we met our Canadian family – the Hammonds - and Alan started to share his cooking gifts with them. He often performed quality checks and made sure the meat our friend Alicia was planning to cook for dinner was okay as it smelled "funny" - a regular occurrence that he welcomed with his unique calmness. Alan continued with his cooking tutorials once more with a segment on soups for Christi and Tyler which can now be enjoyed by all.

Our next adventure took us to Ottawa where we enjoyed the rich history of our country’s capital, the beautiful sites, and change in pace. Our time here was short – perhaps it was the even colder winters - but it will always hold a special and warm place in our hearts.

Once again in the spirit of adventure we moved to Toronto. Here is where Alan finally found his "British" look alike pub - Desoto's. It fast became our favourite place to dine at and the patio is the best on St. Clair. He started to work there and loved the customers and staff and got to showcase his delicious soups. We have such fond memories of time spent at Desoto's celebrating birthdays, engagements, becoming Grandparents, milestone birthdays and even some challenging times with health issues. No matter what, Alan kept on cooking- it is what made him tick.

I know that Alan's kindness, caring, and humour is instilled within his son's and that is a beautiful and priceless gift that will benefit them and those in their lives forever.

We have been blessed by our loving family and friends both in England and Canada who always have, and continue to, enrich our lives, and support each other through the most trying of times. Our ever-

growing family will continue its rich tradition of making each other laugh and creating lasting memories – a craft that Alan perfected over the years.

His absolute joy was meeting Addison Eileen and Nolan Thomas - his precious grandchildren – and Stratton Robert his other precious grandchild. The twinkle, spark, and laughter we all came to love and miss so dearly now, was at its peak in their presence. I know between us we can help them remember him with our stories so despite not being here in person his kind and loving spirit will never be forgotten.

Miss you.

All my love, Helen x