Reginald Truman McConnell Obituary

Reg passed peacefully, but quickly the afternoon of March 12, 2025, surrounded by his family in the Bowmanville Hospital after a years long battle with kidney and heart disease. As a hockey fanatic, the hours before Reg's passing could not have been more perfect: he spent them with his son, Jeffrey, watching a hockey game go into OT and simply enjoying time together.

Visitation will be held at Family Worship & Outreach Centre, 1731 Bloor Street, Courtice, ON L1E 2N1 on March 21, 2025, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and March 22, 2025, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., with the funeral service being held from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Refreshments to immediately follow. In lieu of flowers a donation to Family Worship Centre and Outreach; The Bowmanville Hospital Foundation or the Heart and Stroke Foundation would be greatly appreciated.

Predeceased by his wife of decades, Louise (nee Wells), the occasion is met with a sense of peace and joy as Pops longed to go home to his Heavenly Saviour and his wife, who is surely preparing a place, and a coffee, for him. Reg was a loving father to Darlene & Wayne and Jeffrey & Tina; a loving Poppy to Amanda & Jonathan Speers and Lindsey & Thomas Richards; and a loving (and incredibly dedicated) great-grandfather or "Pops" to Hunter Richards, London Richards, Jack (John) Speers and Maeve Speers.

Reg is predeceased by his brother James, and sister-in-law Heather, brother-in-law Wilson and sister-in-law Ada. Reg truly enjoyed the time spent with each of his siblings and was a loving brother to Ladonna (nee McConnell) & Earl Wells; and brother in law to Gilbert & Shirley Wells and Lynnda Wells. Reg was a wonderful and involved uncle and great uncle to many, often being called upon to fix whatever was broken, wherever it was, at all times of the day and night. His knack for problem solving and repairing anything will be remembered fondly and carried on in his name by many, but most notably Jeffrey, Jonathan, Thomas and Hunter who he spent countless hours with sharing his knowledge of whatever needed attention. Reg was always ready to help, laugh and problem solve over a sugary treat he shouldn't be eating and a black coffee as hot as you can get it.

Reg was born in 1940 in Maynooth at the Homestead to Douglas & Sarah (nee Moxam) McConnell, as the second of three children.

Reginald and Louise married in Toronto in 1957 and welcomed Darlene in 1958 and Jeffrey in 1961. They raised their family in Toronto alongside their siblings. Family sleepovers, lots of time with cousins and family dinners were a huge part of their lives. By the 1980s, both Darlene and Jeffrey were married and Reg & Louise were proud grandparents. The family had moved east, out of the city where they lived with Jeffrey and Tina in Whitby.

Reg was happy to support Louise in all of her labours of love, which usually involved one of them driving a group of teens around in the giant Cadillac he was so proud of. On more then one occasion, that Cadillac made a midnight run to pick up one of the girls from wherever they had ended up. Pops always made it clear, if you called, he was coming and no matter the time of day you could count on him picking up the phone and coming to help.

Reg and Louise created a wonderful community of friends they loved centred around the church and the family, often having weekly prayers meetings in their home.

In 2019, Reg and Louise moved to Bowmanville. While Reg had slowed down some, you could never tell when the great-grandkids walked in the door. Despite the large age gap in them Reg was often seen with one of the kids in tow or you could hear them in the background when you called often mid-creation and begging for a sleepover. Reg had been over to watch Jack and Maeve just weeks before his passing.

In his retirement, Reg enjoyed trips to Florida, heart shaped pizza for Valentine's Day, attending the kids sports events and creating his hockey picks. He continued to be the back up babysitter, fixer, pizza roller, BBQ master, oil changer and air conditioner repair man all rolled into one. When he could no longer do it himself, he was happy to share his knowledge, once directing a specific repair from his walker and using facetime to see the details of the parts.

Reg, Reggie, Dad, Poppy, Poppa and Pops: It seems silly to say you were taken to soon at 84; it's just that we will miss your constant steady presence, the silent smirk, the cheeky comment and the ability to fix anything for anyone. You will be greatly missed, spoken of often and never forgotten.

Donations are being accepted for: FAMILY WORSHIP & OUTREACH CENTRE HEART STROKE FOUNDATION CANADA / FONDATION DES MALADIES DU COEUR ET DE LAVC DU CANADA (HEART AND STROKE FOUNDATION OF CANADA / FONDATION DES MALADIES DU COEUR ET DE L'AVC DU CANADA) (https://donate.mytributegift.org).