The first of our Wishing Well Grants – and certainly just the beginning Ted Smale (92), a resident at our Timberwalk Retirement Community, who played in the Canadian Football League for the Ottawa Rough Riders between 1956-1962.
Ted was a first round draft pick for the Toronto Argonauts, but decided he wanted to remain in Ottawa and not move to Toronto. He was soon offered an opportunity to play for the Ottawa Rough Riders and within a few seasons led them to a Grey Cup win in 1960.
Fast forward to 2024 where health limitations and various circumstances had kept Ted from being able to attend a game for many years but he longed to get back to the stadium again and relive old memories.
Nancy Brideau, General Manager at Timberwalk Retirement Community brought this wish forward to our Riverstone team and asked…. “How can we make this happen for Ted!?” Sadly, shortly after bringing this thought forward, Ted lost his wife Dorothea (Dot) and this just spurred us on more intently to make this wish happen for Ted and his family.
Working with our friends at the Ottawa Redblacks and Ottawa Football Alumni we were able to create a special ‘Game Day’ memory for Ted and his family. It started with a field walk where Ted was able to get onto the field once again and get “up close and personal” with the Ottawa Redblack team during warm ups. He met former players and fans who remembered Ted as The Big 71 from his playing days. The day capped off with a nice welcome message from the Redblacks on the Jumbo Tron during the football game! It was truly a special moment for Ted and it was heartwarming to see how much this meant to him and his family. He shared this day with his children Karen, Randy & Dawne along with their spouses, their children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews. They had permanent smiles all day long! What better way to spend this day than with your family!
Thank you to Nancy Brideau of Timberwalk, Jeff Avery of the Ottawa Alumni and a very special thank you to Marc St.Pierre and the Redblacks Organization for taking such good care of us! Here’s to more memories to come!
See more pictures here!
