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Obituary
It is with great sorrow that we announce the sudden passing of Vanessa Genevieve Woodford, age 38, on February 14, 2025, in Toronto, ON.
Vanessa (who also went by “Vannie”, “Nessa”, and “Ginny”) was born March 2, 1986, in St. John’s, NL, to parents Lorraine and Richard. She is predeceased by grandparents Mary (Michael) Frizzell, Joyce (Len) Woodford, uncle Cyril Hanlon, and most recently beloved aunt Cathy Mercer.
Vanessa was a walking contradiction: jovial yet sullen, vibrant yet dark, humble yet proud, and rude yet polite. From a young age, she forged her own path forward as she pursued her dream of acting on the stage, graduating from the Acting for Screen and Stage program at Fanshawe College in London, Ontario. From there she supported herself while pursuing her passion for self-expression, creativity and social justice. Vanessa was a person of strong spirit who inspired deep love from those lucky enough to know her. Not able to do enough for others, Vanessa embodied the spirit of the kind Newfoundlander. Whether it was volunteering her time to organizations such as St. John’s Pride and Shakespeare by the Sea, having tea parties and cooking up a scoff for friends and family, or making Christmas more extravagant and beautiful through home-made crafts and old-fashioned Newfie cheer, she was at her best surrounded by those she loved and she reflected that love back to them.
Vanessa is survived by her parents Lorraine (maiden name Frizzell) and Richard; brother Justin; close family friend Joanne Croft; step-mother Sue McLeod; aunts and uncles Greg, Glenda (Dave) Parsons, Roy Mercer, Barbara, Sharon, and Rick Frizzell, and Carlie (Kevin) Walsh; godmother and cousin, Corina Bishop and her family; cousins Andrea, Jeff, Jennifer, Kelly, Matthew, Lindsay, Chris, Kimberley and their families; friends Tzu-Hao (Lorne) Durnford, and their children Scarlett and Skye; friends Claire (André) Girouard and their children Marc-Jöel Girouard and Grey Doonan; friend, roommate, and sister-in-spirit Becky Chittka; more friends innumerable, including Bethany (Phil) Evans, Emi Hunter, and Robyn (Chris) Matchem; and her coworkers with the Enliven team at McKesson Canada.
A celebration of life will be held later, in the spring, to allow family and friends time to grieve. If you are a friend or family member who knew the deceased and wish to pay your respects, a private Facebook group has been created called “In Memory of Vanessa Genevieve Woodford” with updates on the celebration of life to come. She would want to be remembered with raucous laughter, glam rock, and wild stories. Please remember her for her stubborn kindness, her inspired creativity, and the enormous amount of love she had for who made her world brighter. Please keep her spirit alive in the joy she gave freely.
“All the world’s a stage,
And all of the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and entrances;
And one (wo)man in (her) time plays many parts.”
– Adapted from As You Like It, by William Shakespeare
To plant Memorial Trees in memory of Vanessa Woodford, please click here to visit our Sympathy Store.
2025
Death notice for the town of: Torbay, Province: T-N
death notice Vanessa Woodford 2025
obituaries notice Vanessa Woodford 2025
We offer our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Vanessa Woodford 2025 and hope that their memory may be a source of comfort during this difficult time. Your thoughts and kind words are greatly appreciated.
