Joseph Francis Secord

Obituary for Joseph Francis Secord Joseph (Joe) Francis Secord Dec. 20, 1949 – March 26, 2019 Passed away peacefully in his 70th year with his beloved wife Heather of 31 years by his side, after a brief but courageous battle against an aggressive and rarer cancer known as Cholangiocarcinoma. Joe is also survived by his brother Robert (Bob) Secord, sisters Linda Secord, Karen Walker, and Joy Paine (Thornton), and brother-in-law Douglas (Doug) Smith. Predeceased by his parents, Walter Secord & Mary Orriss, and brothers Edward (Ed) Secord and Len Thornton. Joe was born in Toronto but raised in Scarborough. In his final year of high school, Joe attended Wexford Collegiate Institute and was proud to be a member of the school’s first graduating class in 1967. After graduation, Joe held a variety of jobs before becoming a Civilian member of the Metropolitan Toronto Police Department in 1971 as a Clerk-Typist and Telex-Computer Terminal Operator. In 1973, Joe left the Police Department to join the TTC as a Transit Operator. By 1974, Joe was driving highway charters for Gray Coach Lines. Eventually, Joe transitioned back to City driving until his retirement in 2008. Joe recounted many stories of his driving career, but his favourite was about the day in February 1984 when he met his future bride Heather Smith on the #12 Kingston Road bus. Joe loved life and will be remembered for his gentle disposition, dry sense of humour, and his ever-ready willingness to help others. He had a variety of interests and hobbies which included Astronomy, Psychology, Linguistics, Poetry, Cartooning, Ventriloquism, and close-up Magic. Joe was a friend of nature and loved wildlife. In addition to the family pets, Joe also raised pigeons and rabbits. In the late 60s and early 70s, he lived and worked at a stable in Markham where he had his own horse. For years, Joe looked after a colony of feral cats where he ensured they had ample food, shelter, and medical care. His love and compassion for all wildlife knew no limits. But Joe’s other main passion was music. While he was an accomplished Bagpipe player, Joe expanded his musical repertoire and learned to play both woodwind and brass instruments. He enrolled in private lessons, focusing his attention on the trumpet and trombone. Looking for an opportunity to perform, Joe joined the Whitby Brass Junior Band and further developed his skills on the trombone and cornet. Fulfilling a lifelong desire, Joe began learning the bagpipe when he was 38 and played in 5 bands over the course of 30 years. In 1990, Joe joined the McLean Hunter Printing Pipes & Drums which soon became the Stouffville & District Pipes & Drums. Under both bands, he proudly represented the Royal Canadian Legion on Warriors’ Day, Remembrance Day, Memorial Services, Highland Games, and Community parades and events. In 2004, he joined the York Regional Police Pipes & Drums and participated in Law Enforcement Ceremonies, Memorials, and Community events for 6 years. In 2010, Joe became a member of the Grey & Simcoe Foresters Regimental Pipes & Drums where in 2013, he had the honour of playing for the regiment’s colonel-in-chief, Princess Anne. In 2012, Joe seized the opportunity to join the Commissioners’ Own Pipes & Drums (COPD), also known as the OPP Pipes & Drums and was delighted to be a member of such an established and well-reputed band. In 2018, the band celebrated its 50th Anniversary and travelled extensively through Northern Ontario for 10 days where they attended several remote OPP Detachments where they played dozens of concerts and entertained citizens of the surrounding communities. As a linguistics enthusiast, it was the perfect opportunity for Joe to exchange a few sentences of Ojibwe with the people. Joe’s last playing function with the band was in Sept 2018 at the National Police Memorial in Ottawa and was a member of the band until his passing. Joe will be dearly missed by his family and friends, and especially his cats, Peanut, Skye, Geordie, & Skitty. Heartfelt thanks to the Oncology Doctors & staff at Sunnybrook Hospital, the Palliative team from the Sinai Health System, and Joe’s family physician for their care.