Timothy, or Tim as he was best known by family and friends, shed his mortal coils to the surprise and sadness of all. Tim was pre-deceased by his parents, Audrey May Crook (White) and Dr. Alfred Frazer Crook. As the fourth child in the family, he is survived by his older sister, Ann Berry and brother John Crook, along with their children, and middle brother, Brian Crook.
Born at the Grace Hospital in Ottawa, Tim attended Pleasant Park School and Glebe Collegiate’s bilingual program. Later, graduation from Ottawa U. in computer science led to a career with Adobe and other high-tech clients in the Ottawa region. He was the family go-to guy when the clan had trouble getting their computers to work.
Tim was not all work. He was a voracious book reader with an inquisitive mind, particularly focused on new and innovative science. His early participation in the Ottawa Board of Education Central Choir led to singing on a Cat Stevens album, a life-long enjoyment of the arts, and participation in various classical concerts.
Following recent surgery, Tim was looking forward to hiking, biking, canoeing, and some international travelling with his buddies. His injured foot had held him back for a few years so he looked forward to an active future after rehabilitation.
We will all miss Tim’s sense of fun and interest in engaging people from all walks of life. He loved exploring new ideas plus recounting amusing stories.
The family will welcome friends and guests at Beechwood Funeral Home, 280 Beechwood Ave, in the Sacred Space on Thursday October 3, 1:00pm-2:00p.m. The family will attend a brief burial service and rejoin friends and acquaintances at a reception on site to exchange yarns about an absent and greatly missed family member, friend and colleague. Our hearts are with all who feel Tim’s loss.
Tim was a gentle man in his own way. So long for now.
Timothy, ou Tim, comme l'appelaient sa famille et ses amis, a quitté ce bas monde à la surprise et à la tristesse de tous. Tim a été précédé par ses parents, Audrey May Crook (White) et le Dr Alfred Frazer Crook. Quatrième enfant de la famille, il laisse dans le deuil sa sœur aînée, Ann Berry, son frère John Crook et leurs enfants, ainsi que son frère cadet, Brian Crook.
Né à l'hôpital Grace d'Ottawa, Tim a fréquenté l'école Pleasant Park et le programme bilingue du Glebe Collegiate. Plus tard, son diplôme en informatique de l'Université d'Ottawa lui a permis de faire carrière chez Adobe et d'autres clients du secteur de la haute technologie dans la région d'Ottawa. Il était l'homme de confiance de la famille lorsque le clan avait du mal à faire fonctionner ses ordinateurs.
Tim n'était pas qu’un travailleur. Il était un lecteur de livres vorace avec un esprit curieux, particulièrement axé sur le nouveau et l’innovant en science. Encore jeune, il a participé la chorale centrale de l'Ottawa Board of Education l'a amené à chanter sur un album de Cat Stevens, à apprécier les arts tout au long de sa vie et à participer à divers concerts classiques.
Se relevant d’une opération récente, Tim se réjouissait de faire de la randonnée, du vélo, du canoë et des voyages internationaux avec ses copains. Une blessure au pied l'ayant freiné pendant quelques années, il anticipait un avenir actif après sa réadaptation.
Nous regretterons tous le sens de l'humour de Tim et son intérêt pour l'engagement avec des personnes de tous horizons. Il aimait explorer de nouvelles idées et raconter des histoires amusantes.
La famille accueillera les amis et les invités au salon funéraire Beechwood, 280 avenue Beechwood, à l’Espace sacré, le jeudi 3 octobre, de 13 h à 14 h. La famille assistera à un bref service funéraire et rejoindra les amis et les connaissances lors d'une réception sur place pour échanger des anecdotes sur celui qui a été un membre de la famille, un ami et un collègue, maintenant absent et grandement regretté. Nous sommes de tout cœur avec tous ceux qui ressentent la perte de Tim.
Tim était un homme doux à sa manière. À bientôt.
Digital Guestbook
Brent Petersen
Valerie Heaman
I was shocked and saddened to learn of Tim's passing. I knew Tim through the Ottawa Outdoor Club and over the years enjoyed his good nature and wit on many outings with the club. He will be missed by many.
Jennifer Bondy
Hello Brian and family. I would like to extend my sincerest condolences on the loss of Tim. He was a really great friend and special person. I feel fortunate to have met him when I was living in Ottawa. Despite having moved to the Toronto area over 14 years ago, we stayed in touch and were able to see each other occasionally when I was in the Ottawa area. He had a very keen intelligence, a special wit and a gift for puns that he always delivered with a twinkle in his eye. He was generous and thoughtful in sharing his ideas and discoveries and was a great conversationalist. He will be missed! I wish I could come in person for the memorial but given a number of factors, I won't be able to be there on October 3. But this in no way diminishes my sadness at such a sudden and unexpected loss. Goodbye to a wonderful soul!
David Beaumier & Rita De Fazio
Friend, pun master, explorer, curator to humanity's experience and knowledge and all around good guy, this is what Tim embodied. He was a hiker extraordinaire. So much stamina and drive. If there was an uberman in this world it was Tim. I was astounded at how he could march for hours up a mountain and back down again and then read late into the night with his headlamp on. With barely 5 hours of sleep he would be up the next morning anxious to go hiking just as much again. This always confounded me. I would be wiped out after so much hiking the previous day. How did he do it?
Tim was the friendliest person you could meet. He would easily strike up a conversation with anyone around. A real people person he could easily engage in an animated conversation with anyone.
Tim possessed a curiousity for the world like no other person. Be it science, technology, nature, history, world events he kept on top of everything. How on earth could he cram so much knowledge in that brain of his? And he loved to share that knowledge. I still have an enormous backlog of very interesting and diverse links to websites and articles of all sorts that he texted me. It will take me still quite a while to catch up. I swear this guy would have been a concierge extraordinaire for any hotel of repute. The clients would have kept coming back to that same hotel just because of Tim.
I could go on and on but I will sum up by saying that we've lost a really nice guy. Always willing to help and such a cheery demeanor. "Un rassembleur" as they say in french. The world certainly would benefit from having more people like Tim.
Man I'm going to miss you Tim. You left too soon. I guess your talents were being called for on the other side. Take care dear friend, wherever you are now, until we meet again.
Your friend, Ton ami David
Sandrine Kerouault
I will miss Tim so much as one of my closest friends, especially from the last few years. I’ve known him for 25 years. So many memories of outings in nature, suppers, brunchs, potlucks. Food was so important to him. He always needed to know what I had selected on the menu whenever I went to a restaurant. But mostly, his generosity of heart, our very long and regular talks about pretty much anything. Science, music, work, friends, events... the list is endless. He was a tough nut to crack when it came to expressing his own feelings, but there was no limit to how much he cared about others. In constant small attentions, emails, texts, phone calls. He was a truly kind and brilliant man. I will miss you so much, Tim. Maybe not your puns in French, but you, as a beautiful friend.
Sandrine Kerouault
To my dear friend Tim. I’ve known you for 25 years. Your generosity of heart, your interest in so many topics, your genuine kindness, your constancy in friendship truly won my heart bit by bit, over the years. You’ve been especially a great friend over the last few years. we’ve had so many great and truthfull conversations about so many different topics, Wether it was science’, technology, music, history, work, places to visit, friends we care about. I will miss your kind and brilliant soûl so much. All my deepest sympathies to all of you and his family. And to you, Brian. His friend and brother.
Iwona Osmolska & Sergei Uhanov
Our sincere condolences to Brian, Tim’s siblings, and all friends.
We are shocked and deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Tim. He was a great friend, so witty and intelligent, always eager to spice up any conversation. He will be greatly missed.
Tim came to our wedding in Mexico exactly 20 years ago in October 2004, and we will fondly remember that time with Tim and our friends – a fun week of adventures in the sun and too much tequila, and Tim looking so elegant dressed in a suit and sipping champagne on the beach in the scorching hot Mexican sun.
We only recently spent a wonderful few days together with Tim camping at the Pinery Provincial Park in July 2024, and Tim was so full of life, joking, laughing, making plans for next trips and cycling adventures, so it feels really surreal to know he is no longer here.
Tim, enjoy your new endeavors in the other dimension. We will cherish the memory of our July camping together and your wit, gentleness, and unique sense of humour.
You will stay in our hearts.
Iwona and Sergei
To Brian and all of Tim's family and friends, I offer my condolences. Tim's passing was a shock to me. Tim was a great friend for 40 years. We met through a mutual friend, Tris, when we were university students. In the early 1990s, Tim, Brian and I spent a day skiing at Saas-Grund, Switzerland. In 1997, Tim hosted my bachelor party at his family home in Ottawa. I let Tim know that for years, my favorite software was Adobe Acrobat 6.0 on a Mac and I could see Tim's name in the software credits. We had also met for ski days in Western Canada. I observed the manner in which Tim would shop for groceries with me, where from my point of view, he would move randomly from place to place in the store as items that he needed appeared in his mind. Tim helped support me with the passing of my parents in 2024. On August 20, 2024, without any planning, Tim, Brian and I got to spend wonderful time together in Ottawa, a chance meeting which seemed to be destined. I miss you Tim. Rest in peace.