Obituary of Jeffrey James Powis
Jeffrey James Powis of Bradford suddenly passed away peacefully with his husband Roddie Saunders and his best friend Heather Vanderlinde by his side.
Born in Newmarket on August 14, 1975, Jeff moved to Bradford in September 1987 with his mother, the late Sharon Elizabeth Powis, and his grandmother, the late Rhoda Dunbar. He started school at Fred C. Cook but found a better fit at Sir William Osler. A bright and creative child, Jeff loved filming his friends on VHS and was in constant pursuit of hilarious new adventures. At Osler, he met lifelong friends and chosen brothers, the late Michael Vanderlinde (spouse Heather Vanderlinde) and Paul Berry (spouse Karen Berry). They all attended high school together, which strengthened their bond. Jeff’s family home became the hangout spot, filled with love and memories. He was full of life and often the life of the party; and extremely charismatic, witty, caring and a fun person to be around. He brought happiness and spontaneity to everyone around him.
Jeffrey loved photography and briefly attended Humber College. When his mom Sharon was hospitalized after battling lifelong rheumatoid arthritis (RA), Jeff stayed home to help. He enjoyed city adventures and met his life partner, Roddie Saunders, on June 16, 2000. They became inseparable and named their relationship "Steady" on July 10, 2000, which became their anniversary date. They shared 26 wonderful years, welcoming many friends into their lives and enjoying travels and adventures together. They moved back to Bradford on July 1, 2004, to assist his mother. Their dogs were always by their side: the late Bentley (2009), late Holly (2022), late Buddy (2024), and Molly, who is now 3 years old.
From 2007 to 2013, Jeffrey co-owned Upper Canada Ice Cream Company & General Store at 11 Barrie St, now known as 3 Scoops. He faced health struggles for many years and couldn’t work until he started feeling better in 2018. Jeff then got a job at Aurora Cannabis River and loved his coworkers until the end.
Jeffrey will be greatly missed. He is survived by his partner of 26 years, Roddie Saunders; his dog, Molly; his in-laws and their spouses; his niece and nephews; his aunt, uncle, & cousins; and his wonderful friends and coworkers. He was also a second, extremely fun, "bonus Dad" to his best friend Mike’s children, Mikey and Ben. Jeff will always be treasured by the many friends who became his lifelong chosen family. And he will be remembered as the funniest, craziest, and sweetest man who loved animals deeply. He brought so much love and joy to this world.
Jeffrey is officially an organ transplant donor and was able to help 4 different people with his gift. The 3 recipients received their transplants on September 19th 2026. One who was Canada’s most critical recipient was an out of province female 50-60 with a Kidney, an Ontario man 50-60 with a Kidney, an Ontario man 60-70 with his Lungs and someone will have a transplant of his beautiful eyes in the near future. Wishing all the best to those who were blessed to receive his organs.
A Celebration of Life for Jeffrey James Powis will be held on Friday October 30th 2026 from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm at the Bradford Community Hub at 177 Church Street, Bradford, ON, Main Event Space. Refreshments and lots of hors d’oeuvres will be served. Please share your favourite stories you had with Jeffrey in the book of his life.
Since Jeff was able to give in the end, in his honour please come with some Food /Toiletry donations to support the Helping Hand Food Bank here in Bradford which is attached to the event space.