George Elwood "Woody" Sparrow

my name is Florene, I am Woody`s older sister. I want to thank all of you who have left us beautifl comments in Woody`s
memorial Book. My family continue to miss him. He was such a talented man & a wonderful brother. He was so dedicated to his friends & students. He loved each one of you.
I miss him more every day, but I know his spirit lives with me & knows how much I loved him. God Bless You & grant you peace. Love you Woody, Florene

My brother Woody hAS BEEN GONE FOR 3 MONTHS NOW. I continue to miss him more &more every day. I know his spirit lives with me & will continue to help me through difficult times & good times. I will always thank God for giving me such a special little brother. I love you Woody. Florene

I was very shocked to hear, from a mutual friend (Paul Zolis) about Woody's passing today.

Woody hired me for my first teaching job in 1976, and I spent the next 13 years of my career working and learning in his math department at Mowat.

Reading the other entries in this guest book is like a trip down "memory lane" for me, as I'm sure that it is for many others.

I have so many wonderful memories of this man. He loved listening to me telling a joke; I think that his favourite part of it was watching me laugh before I could get the punch line out.

In 1980, I showed him some pictures that my wife and I took during a summer trip to PEI. He asked if he could borrow one of them in particular.
He returned this picture to me inside a custom made wood frame that he made in his home workshop. I still have this treasure.

In 1987, I can still see the pride in his face as he observes me overseeing the programming of the OAME annual conference in Scarborough.

In 1995, he came to my retirement party, and delivered a wonderful, heartfelt speech which was nicely captured on video.

The first few years of my long teaching career (I am still, today, doing some part time teaching) were spent in Woody's department along with such incredible people as Paul Browne, Lynda Colgan, Lynda Elgar, Mary Beth Macdonald, Barb Martin, and John Ketelaars, to name just a few members of this incredible collection.

Woody Sparrow was a man who made the most of every minute of every day in the best possible way, and the many tributes in this Guest Book are a real testament to this. I hope that they serve as a real source of comfort for all of his family.

Firstly, I must say that my thoughts and prayers are with Woody's family. Secondly, I can't imagine the world without this special man. When I first met Woody as a young teacher at Mowat back in 1979, I didn't know what to think. He was so full of energy, ideas and care for the students. I used to get dizzy just watching him. He hardly ever took time for himself. He had the whole 'computer in the classroom' thing worked out about ten years before it became popular board wide. He was an innovator and I can't begin to say how much I learned from him. The good Lord has taken him for a reason and I can only imagine the great work he will continue to do ad infinitum. I will miss you pal. Paul Browne(36 years a teacher and largely due to Woody)

Our sympathies are with you all at this time of loss and grief. Donald Proulx and myself, Rosana Faoro, attended Mowatt from 1974 and 1977 respectively. May you rest in peace Mr. Sparrow.