Obituary for Tudor Nicolae
NICOLAE, Tudor
With heavy hearts we share that our beloved father, and husband Tudor Nicolae, passed away on November 25, 2023 at Southlake Regional Health Centre, Newmarket Ontario. He went peacefully with family by his side.
Tudor is survived by his wife, Laetitia, his daughters, Ileana and Ioana, their husbands Frank and Dave, and his granddaughters Caroleen, Nicolette, Mei Lin and Kaitlin.
An adventurer through and through, he lived life with an open heart – always ready for new experiences, meeting new people and working hard on the farm until the very end. He has touched so many lives, but we want to share some of the pivotal moments in his life that led him to value family, hard work and, above all, facing each day with a positive attitude (and always a joke or a song).
At the age of 14, he was encouraged to leave home and continue his studies instead of working his parents’ farm. He was selected to study architecture in Bucharest. This was a big move, from a small village to the capital city, with some heartache from leaving behind his family, but he spoke about his good memories while building a better future. Part of his journey was meeting our mother, Laetitia, and after a whirlwind romance, they married and started a family. His career gave him the opportunity to travel to Iran, at a time when Communist Romania was closed to the world. Still to this day, he remembered some of his favourite expressions and the camaraderie he enjoyed while away. He returned to Romania, but after a short time, he realized he needed to search for a new home where his family could grow in peace and safety. After immigrating to Canada with two young children and four suitcases, he used his architecture expertise, to build a long career in real estate, home renovations, store ownership and as an employee at the East York Board of Education (later the TDSB). There it was said that if Tudor can’t fix it, no one can.
Although he was already busy, one day looking for cabbage for the traditional Romanian Christmas stuffed cabbage rolls (sarmale), he discovered a farm for sale near Newmarket. Over the years, he grew King’s Paradise farm, with his wife, his family (from here and Romania) and friends by his side, into a truly special place. It had vegetables, yes, but it was more than that – a meeting place for the Romanian community and other neighbours that enjoyed picking different vegetables and having a good chat together while enjoying the sun and the fresh air.
Tudor lived his life with enthusiasm. He loved to be out on a boat in the morning sun ready to catch the next big fish, or packing his bag to travel to visit friends and family (Romania, Turkey, Greece, Japan). Even when his health was worsening, he spoke of visiting other places to see friends (and try the best oranges in the world in Spain, for example).
Although he was usually on the go, he was also ready to listen and share in people’s plans, happy moments and sad events. He had a way of seeming present, whether you were discussing something immediate like the weather and his bees, or bigger issues like family life and world events. He was forever generous, optimistic and principled.
We are sad to share the news of his passing but take comfort in the many moments we had together, and in the beautiful well wishes from all the people that have gotten to know and care for him over the years. The family would like to thank the caring staff at Southlake.
May he rest in peace. He will always live on in all our hearts.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests those who wish to express sympathy to consider donating to the Southlake Foundation or the Newmarket Food Pantry.
https://southlake.ca/foundation/about/donate/
https://newmarketfoodpantry.ca/donate/
Click here to watch the service.
With heavy hearts we share that our beloved father, and husband Tudor Nicolae, passed away on November 25, 2023 at Southlake Regional Health Centre, Newmarket Ontario. He went peacefully with family by his side.
Tudor is survived by his wife, Laetitia, his daughters, Ileana and Ioana, their husbands Frank and Dave, and his granddaughters Caroleen, Nicolette, Mei Lin and Kaitlin.
An adventurer through and through, he lived life with an open heart – always ready for new experiences, meeting new people and working hard on the farm until the very end. He has touched so many lives, but we want to share some of the pivotal moments in his life that led him to value family, hard work and, above all, facing each day with a positive attitude (and always a joke or a song).
At the age of 14, he was encouraged to leave home and continue his studies instead of working his parents’ farm. He was selected to study architecture in Bucharest. This was a big move, from a small village to the capital city, with some heartache from leaving behind his family, but he spoke about his good memories while building a better future. Part of his journey was meeting our mother, Laetitia, and after a whirlwind romance, they married and started a family. His career gave him the opportunity to travel to Iran, at a time when Communist Romania was closed to the world. Still to this day, he remembered some of his favourite expressions and the camaraderie he enjoyed while away. He returned to Romania, but after a short time, he realized he needed to search for a new home where his family could grow in peace and safety. After immigrating to Canada with two young children and four suitcases, he used his architecture expertise, to build a long career in real estate, home renovations, store ownership and as an employee at the East York Board of Education (later the TDSB). There it was said that if Tudor can’t fix it, no one can.
Although he was already busy, one day looking for cabbage for the traditional Romanian Christmas stuffed cabbage rolls (sarmale), he discovered a farm for sale near Newmarket. Over the years, he grew King’s Paradise farm, with his wife, his family (from here and Romania) and friends by his side, into a truly special place. It had vegetables, yes, but it was more than that – a meeting place for the Romanian community and other neighbours that enjoyed picking different vegetables and having a good chat together while enjoying the sun and the fresh air.
Tudor lived his life with enthusiasm. He loved to be out on a boat in the morning sun ready to catch the next big fish, or packing his bag to travel to visit friends and family (Romania, Turkey, Greece, Japan). Even when his health was worsening, he spoke of visiting other places to see friends (and try the best oranges in the world in Spain, for example).
Although he was usually on the go, he was also ready to listen and share in people’s plans, happy moments and sad events. He had a way of seeming present, whether you were discussing something immediate like the weather and his bees, or bigger issues like family life and world events. He was forever generous, optimistic and principled.
We are sad to share the news of his passing but take comfort in the many moments we had together, and in the beautiful well wishes from all the people that have gotten to know and care for him over the years. The family would like to thank the caring staff at Southlake.
May he rest in peace. He will always live on in all our hearts.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests those who wish to express sympathy to consider donating to the Southlake Foundation or the Newmarket Food Pantry.
https://southlake.ca/foundation/about/donate/
https://newmarketfoodpantry.ca/donate/
Click here to watch the service.