Andrew Morris Trelford was welcomed into the world by his parents, Lavern and Roberta (Saunders) Trelford on Father’s Day, Sunday, June 17, 1973 at the Southampton Hospital. The Trelford family called Allenford home for about the first year of Andrew’s life before settling in Tara. In 1975, the family welcomed Andrew’s younger brother Kevin and the family was made complete with the arrival of Jennifer in 1980.
During his youth, Andrew enjoyed playing hockey and baseball, snowmobiling, downhill skiing, and dirt biking. Andrew played the biggest part of his minor hockey career in Tara and Chesley and was a player with the Hanover Barons Junior ‘C’ club. Andrew played defense for the most part and #3 enjoyed the contact part of the sport along with his partner Robbie Gunson #2. Andrew also played a stint with the Tara Juveniles hockey team and enjoyed coaching youth in the Tara community.
After graduating from Arran-Tara Elementary School, Andrew attended Walkerton District Secondary School to take advantage of their shop programs and rugby. Although Andrew had many strengths, he did not enjoy the confines of the classroom. He did, however, excel at math calculations which came in handy later on when he had his stone business. Andrew became a father to Jessica in 1992.
After leaving school, Andrew soon turned his attention to the workforce where he worked at local farms and at Knight’s of Sauble Beach with his buddy Robbie Gunson, ripping up rail line. From here Andrew began working at a stone quarry. After a couple of years, Andrew followed in his father’s footsteps and began trucking. He soon began hauling livestock from the western provinces for Hyndman Transport where he purchased his first truck, then on to Walter Mair Trucking where he continued to run West. When Walter Mair Trucking sold the livestock end of the business, he carried onto Restless Hearts Transport and then to Schaus Transport where he hauled livestock all over North America; the States of Texas and California being favourites of his.
Andrew spent a few years working for stone quarries where he developed a real passion for working with stone. In 2010, Andrew bought his own truck and trailer and began hauling stone from the Peninsula. After a year or so he expanded into buying, selling, and creating designer stone pieces and became quite successful at it. He worked out of every quarry on the Peninsula until such time as he purchased his own property in Tara and started cutting his own stone and delivering it to construction, landscape, and designer sites across much of Southern Ontario.
In his spare time, Andrew enjoyed searching out antiques and toy collectibles. He also had a keen interest in collecting and examining unique coins. Andrew enjoyed having knowledge and facts on historical and world events and delighted in sharing these facts with others. He also had an appreciation for old muscle cars, trucks, and vintage snowmobiles. Christmas was his favourite time of year and he always acted like a “big kid”!
Andrew loved spending time with his four grandchildren, Zayne, Emma, Abigail, and Jameson. Whenever Andrew visited the kids, he loved to spoil them with special gifts and treats. He was always eager to hear about their new interests and enjoyed listening to their stories and getting on the floor with them and making them laugh. He enjoyed hearing about Zayne’s sports and attending his hockey and lacrosse games. In true Andrew fashion, a story was told of him beating up an arena vending machine to get Zayne’s treat unstuck, as he said, “the very important things only Grandpa will teach him.” He assured Zayne that if the treat did not come out, they would take the whole vending machine home.
Andrew also had a special place in his heart for Nina and Sam Gabert who remember him as being a huge supporter of anything they were interested in.
Andrew loved his food! Steak, fruit, smoothies, and chocolate milk were all staples in his diet. He was always up for a good meal and enjoyed trying out new recipes (even if it was his own invention) and bragging about his cooking. One of his latest creations was fruit explosion muffins… he said he was trying to show up Tim Horton’s.
As most of you know, Andrew had a larger-than-life presence. He was always the one lighting up the room with his outgoing personality and energy. His booming laugh came easily and was very recognizable. Andrew enjoyed entertaining people with his humour and the way he told his stories, but he was never afraid to speak his mind, stand his ground or ‘ruffle feathers’. He would often pass along funny quotes and memes in an attempt to humour others. When he met someone new or was talking with children he was genuinely interested in their conversation and their responses. He had strong convictions and when family or friends were in need, Andrew was always there to help. Many have commented that Andrew ‘always had their back’.
Although Andrew had much to celebrate and be proud of, he often masked his struggles and tried to remain positive no matter what challenges he was facing. His family was ever-present offering Andrew their guidance and support whenever needed. He was truly loved by family and friends.
In 2016, Andrew started experiencing heart issues and after numerous hospitalizations, a defibrillator was implanted in 2017. Due to these health issues, Andrew was unable to continue with the career he loved, but he was able to work at small renovations and cleaning at Owen Sound businesses. Andrew was residing in Owen Sound for the last three years and unbeknownst to him he contracted Covid in recent days, and with his underlying heart condition, this meant he was at high risk. Andrew’s body simply couldn’t overcome the virus and he passed away at the Grey Bruce Health Services, Owen Sound on Friday, July 2, 2021 in his 49th year.
Loving father of Jessica (Kevin) Smith of Owen Sound. Cherished grandfather of Zayne, Emma, Abigail, and Jameson. Beloved son of Lavern and Lori of Tara and Roberta and Arnold of Tiverton. Andrew will be dearly missed by his brother Kevin (Amanda) of R.R. #2 Tara and sister Jen Thompson (Ryan) of Wiarton. He will be fondly remembered by his nieces and nephews, Kyler, Hayley, Shelby, Rhys, and the entire Trelford and Saunders families.
A public visitation will be held at Rhody Family Funeral Home, Chesley on Friday, July 16 , 2021 from 7 – 9 p.m. A private memorial service honouring Andrew’s life will be held on Saturday, July 17, 2021. A recording of the service will be available on the funeral home website in the days following.
Memorial donations to the Heart & Stroke Foundation would be appreciated as expressions of sympathy.
‘That’s how I feel some days,
resilient and determined to get
the attention of some, and be in the way
and a pain in the ass for the rest.’
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Andrew Trelford 2022..
Death notice for the town of: Chesley, Province: Ontario