Heather was a brilliant and passionate woman. She loved fiercely and adored her son, Erik, as well as the many young people for whom she was a second mother. Heather and Anthony Vander Schaaf met at Western University. They collaborated lovingly to nurture Erik who was Heather's greatest love and her pride and joy. Heather was a loyal and devoted daughter, sister and friend, whose sage advice and unwavering support was a ballast for others.
Heather was born in Hamilton to Lorne and Ann Harris. She was the older sister of Bradley, his wife Cass and their children Shannon, Alex and Josh. She was also older sister to Gregory, for whom she led the way. Heather also leaves Lorne's wife Christi Alloway and her half sisters Catelyn Harris and Bronwyn Harris. She is also survived by her step sisters Jennifer Conron and Nancy Holloway. She was predeceased by Ann's partner Art Conron and by her fellow adventurer, Joe Nagy. Heather's faithful companion Maximus also survives her.
Heather attended Milton District High School where she met her lifelong friends Yvonne Chisholm, Lisa Gervais Tranquilla and Eugene Cipparone. Heather attended Western University where she received an Honours Bachelor of Arts in History and English. Designations in human resources and project management followed.
Heather’s career in the food industry was fitting, as she loved to eat and was a fabulous cook. In 2013, having climbed the corporate ladder from the human resources ranks, Heather, along with her business partners Joe Nagy and Ron Usaty, founded IFAB Engineering Partners, a design and engineering firm which specializes in food and beverage facilities. She steered the IFAB ship as the Chief Operations Officer, helping to grow the business into a thriving and successful firm.
A chronology of Heather’s life cannot capture her kind and generous spirit. Heather had a sense of fun and a smile which lit up your heart. Her eyes danced and so did she! She loved music, English literature and sports (although she was often disappointed by the Leafs, TiCats and Bills). She couldn’t bear grammatical errors and made quality control improvements to many places she visited. Most of all, she was our sweet and loving mother, daughter, partner, sister, cousin, aunt and friend. Heather fought a brave battle with breast cancer and is finally at peace. Even during her hardest days over the last few months, she saw and cared for each of us. She showed such strength and grace. We will hold her in our hearts and miss her all of our days. We know that she would want us to not only go on, but to laugh, sing, dance, travel and love each other. And that we shall do.
A private family and friends visitation will take place on June 4th, followed by cremation. Friends and relatives will be invited to a celebration of Heather's life this summer. Please check this page in the coming days for further details.
In honour of Heather, we would ask that in lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate a donation to Hospice Wellington in Guelph, or to the Canadian Cancer Society.
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