Obituary of R. Rodney Sanford

Rodney passed away at 91 on Monday, April 20, 2026, at Windsor Elms Village in Falmouth. He was born in Windsor, on May 11, 1934, and was the son of Ralph Lockhart Sanford and Gladys (Canning) Sanford. Rodney lived in Nova Scotia with his parents and his sister Glenna (Slaunwhite) until he struck out on his own in 1955.

He started his career with Parsons in Windsor in 1953, worked in Labrador and Northern Ontario as a young man before settling down in Montreal with his wife Mary (Foy) in 1961. He worked for Hewitt Caterpillar and Procor Crane in Montreal where he travelled the world setting up cranes for large projects including the Kuwait Oil Company in Ahmadi. He relocated his family to Kuwait in 1979, where they had some great adventures. In 1986, he returned to Windsor, and began working for his toughest boss yet, himself.

Rodney was a hard-working man who provided well for his family. He is survived by his children, Ralph, Carol, and Brian (Lisa), grandchildren Michael (Katie), Paul, and Holly. He is also survived by his nieces, Heather, Wanda, Leanne, Sherri and Andrea, Theresa and Kathleen, and his nephew, Peter. He was predeceased by his wife, Mary in 2025 and by his beloved dog(s) Charlie; all seven of them over 45 years.

Rodney enjoyed his time at the Windsor Elms despite wanting to leave daily to “go to work”. The staff treated him like family and enjoyed the constant banter.

Arrangements have been entrusted to DeMont Family Funeral Home & Cremation Service, 419 Albert St., Windsor (902-798-8317), where a private visitation and funeral service will be held followed by burial in Maplewood Cemetery, Windsor. In his memory, in lieu of flowers, share an act of kindness or make a donation to a charity of your choice. Messages may be sent to the family by visiting: www.demontfamilyfuneralhome.ca, open the obituary and click on the condolence tab.