Anthony Adams

Retired Captain Tony Adams, 79, died suddenly at home on Thursday, November 12, 2015. Beloved husband, father, and grandfather, he is survived by his wife Brenda, sons Andrew and Adrian, daughters-in-law Alexandra Rahr and Kendra, and much-loved grandchildren, Addison and Anderson. Tony is predeceased by his parents, Arthur and Irene Adams. Born in Canterbury, England, where he attended Kent College, Tony first came to Canada on a flight training program for the RAF. It was during that 1954 trip that the 18 year old Tony realized his life lay not in England but in Canada. Drawn to the expanse and opportunity of the young nation, Tony emigrated in 1956 and made a career doing what he loved. A born pilot, Tony was inspired to take to the skies when, as a small child during the Second World War, he saw the planes of liberation flying overhead. As an adult, Tony flew helicopters all across his adopted homeland, from a CJAD Radio news chopper in Montreal and an air ambulance in Thunder Bay to surveying the Canadian Arctic. Later in his career, Tony’s work for Okanagan Helicopters took him to new horizons in India and Thailand. After retiring in 1996, Tony enjoyed almost twenty years of life on the ground, travelling with his beloved Brenda, returning to walk the streets of his hometown of Canterbury, enthusiastically working the weekly crossword puzzle, indulging his love of fine cars while driving his Corvette, and taking great pleasure in the company of his sons, grandchildren and friends. Every summer, Tony worked with delight in the thriving garden he and Brenda created in their backyard. A lifelong love of the ocean was born on Tony’s native English coast and continued through yearly vacations walking the beach in Cavendish, P.E.I. A gentle and sweet-natured man, Tony made friends wherever he went, and considered himself the luckiest of men. Tony loved his work, adored his family, and the life he made for himself in Canada was, he said, more than he ever could have imagined. A visitation will be held at A. L. Mattatall Funeral Home at 217 Portland Street, Dartmouth, from 3-6 pm on Tuesday, November 17. The funeral will take place in St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, 216 School Street, Dartmouth, at 10am on Wednesday, November 18. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Dartmouth Grannies chapter of the Stephen Lewis Foundation or the War Amps. Online condolences may be viewed or sent to: www.mattatallfuneralhome.com