It is with great sorrow that we announce the passing of our son Drew on November 18, 2022 due to a tragic traffic accident.
Beloved husband of Riley Danford, the love of his life. Dear son of Lori and Don Nadeau, brother to Colby (Steph) and Alex. Grandson to Mario (late Audrey), son-in-law of Lesley and Ken Danford, brother-in-law to Remington, Brooke (Mark), Sacha (Phil) and uncle to Henry. Drew was a nephew and cousin to many.
As a family, we have had the pleasure to share 31 wonderful years with you Drew. From the first day, you fought hard to come home from the hospital as you fought to make your heart healthy. And yes, did you ever make your heart strong, as you displayed throughout your life.
We watched you grow into a fine young man, blessing us with your warm, kind soul. As a young adult, you suffered the loss of your best friend Matthew Howard. Since that day, you promised to make the world a safer place. You served as a firefighter for the Armed Forces for four years, volunteered with various townships as a firefighter, and went on to study to become a paramedic. Pursuing your dream to become a first-responder, you accepted a position with the Ottawa Police Service. From the stories recently shared by your colleagues, it was obvious my son became an amazing police officer. He served with compassion, integrity and dignity. Without question he was well respected by his commanding officers, colleagues and the community. Our family is thankful for the Ottawa Police Service and the Perth and Madoc OPP Detachments.
The quality of Drew was a reflection of those he cared for and loved. As parents, we watched Drew surround himself with wonderful young people. During this hardship, his friends supported us so deeply. Thank you Pat, Casey, Ian, Andrew, Mike, Shane, Brandon, Mark, Matt, Meghan, George. All of his friends were always so respectful to us while growing up with our son. Their humour always kept us laughing. As Ian would often joke “We love you Drew because you have a pool in the backyard and your mom always has great leftovers in the fridge.” He had amazing, loving friendships.
Drew, you blessed us with a wonderful young woman, Riley, who we happily called our daughter. Drew wanted nothing but to make every day special for you. Your family was complete with your doggie boys Koda and Rudy. Riley, your family treated Drew and our family with more love and respect than we could ever expect. Thank you so much for making our son feel so loved.
Drew, your mom absolutely loved and adored you, spoiling you whenever the opportunity presented itself. Mom’s reward was the big bear hugs and the many “I love you mom” that you bestowed on her.
As your dad, I totally respected the man you became. Not very often a father could say he looked up to his son, however you made it easy for me.
With absolute certainty, your brothers Colby and Alex will always share their memories of you with dignity and respect.
Drew, we know that you are watching over us with your wonderful smile and beautiful face. Please give us strength as we endure the unbearable agony of losing you.
We love you so much and will always nourish our memories of you going forward. In honour of Drew, please perform an act of kindness to someone every day. His mission was to make our world a better place to live.
Rest In Peace, Our Son, Our Hero