Peter Jeffrey “Jeff” Walsh passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family, on April 28, 2022 after a brief struggle with cancer. Jeff is survived by his son, Simon, and wife, Karen Barry Walsh; mother and father, Nancy and Bruce Walsh; sister and brother-in-law, Catherine Walsh and John Shantz; nieces Isabel and Hazel Shantz-Walsh; brother and brother-in-law, Ben Walsh and Darren Berberick (of Toronto); parents-in-law, 오정희 (Jeonghee Ough) and Leonard Wilkinson (of Vancouver); step-mother, Carole Goodwin (of St. Peter Port, Guernsey), aunt and uncle, Cathy and John Daichendt (of Atlanta, GA); cousins Stephanie Scanlon and Alyson Daichendt (of Atlanta, GA), and cousin Christopher Daichendt (of Denver, CO); aunt, Donna Housley (Ottawa, ON); aunt and uncle, Dawn and Sandy Mackay (of Hudson, QC); aunt and uncle, Bonnie and Werner Drechsel (of Toronto); aunt and uncle, Nancy and Ken Hancock (of Kingston, ON); and an extended family that Jeff took great joy in visiting whenever and wherever he could, especially during American Thanksgiving. Jeff is predeceased by his birth father Peter Budwin (of St. Peter Port, Guernsey), uncle Grant Housley (Horseshoe Valley, ON), and grandparents Isabel and George Housley (Windsor, ON), Bruce and Dorothy Walsh (Hudson, QC), and Peter and Bessie Budwin (Windsor, ON).
Jeff was born in 1969 in London, Ontario but grew up in Clifford, Ontario and Stratford, Ontario where he performed with the Stratford Boy Choir. In 1981, Jeff’s family moved to Toronto where he sang with the Toronto Boys’ Choir. He attended Humber Collegiate Institute, Central Technical School, Northern Collegiate, and Parkdale Collegiate where he was elected student council president. In 1985, just sixteen, Jeff was recruited by Toronto tech retailer Clubsoft where he sold his first Apple products and soon after joined Apple Authorized Dealer Arkon Electronics in amongst the cool clubs and counter-culture of Toronto’s Queen West. As Jeff built his career, his ambitions moved towards entrepreneurship and after two decades in the industry he left Toronto and, returning to Stratford, opened The Compudoc.
More than anything, Jeff loved Karen and Simon. They played video games together, collected comics, cheered on the Habs, visited Ketchikan Alaska where their favourite show, The Deadliest Catch, was filmed, travelled the world, and relished in great meals in the best restaurants like Stratford’s Red Rabbit and Toronto’s Harbour 60. Second only to his family were Milo and Casey, Jeff’s chocolate labs. Jeff was a shooting sports enthusiast, he loved to drive fast, powerful cars, and read voraciously. Jeff was a generous and kind uncle who doted on his nieces with endless and unexpected gifts. He was a loving brother, a treasured son, a great boss to his Compudoc team (Dylan, Brad, and Cameron), and a fast friend to anyone who sought his friendship. Jeff believed that strong communities needed strong city centres and he worked hard to build his business into a mainstay of Stratford’s main street. He mentored many high school co-op students, gave generously to support community organizations, and was especially proud of his partnerships with LGBTQ2S+ organizations and refugee services.
Jeff cared fiercely and deeply and his family takes great comfort in knowing how fiercely and deeply he was loved.
Visitation for family and friends will take place at the W.G. Young Funeral Home, 430 Huron Street, Stratford on Wednesday, May 4, from 5-8 p.m. A celebration of Jeff’s life will be held at the funeral home on Thursday, at 3 p.m. with a reception to follow. Those who wish to join the family for the celebration from home can follow the view livestream link below Jeff’s obituary on the funeral home website.
Donations in his memory may be made to Stratford-Perth Pride stratfordperthpride.com/donate/ or the Stratford General Hospital Foundation sghfoundation.org/ 519.271.7411 www.gyoungfuneralhome.com
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Jeff Walsh 2022..
Death notice for the town of: Stratford, Province: Ontario
So very saddened to learn of the Jeff’s passing only now weeks later.
To his family, I extend condolences from myself personally and my colleagues at our company. Jeff was always a pleasure to work with. I enjoyed our many conversations and banter several times a week. I had reached out to him just a few weeks prior and asked him if he had time to call and chat but sadly we didn’t get a chance to speak. I miss my friend and hope his family can find peace knowing he will be missed by many.