Date of Birth: January 15, 1948
Date of Death: January 19, 2022
After a short illness, Nick Ashfield of Toronto, ON passed away surrounded by those he loved. Son of Cliff and Lyn Ashfield, Nick came from humble beginnings and went on to accomplish great things. If you asked him, he was “just a shy kid from Grenfell, Sask.”, but to those who knew him he was so much more. At a young age, he joined the Regina Rifle Regiment with his brother Paul, attaining the rank of Lieutenant and honing his skills as a regimental marksman and drill sergeant. After leaving the regiment, Nick train-hopped his way from Grenfell to downtown Toronto, with a copy of Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet and $30 in his pocket. It was the start of a life-changing adventure. What followed were a couple of years spent living in a hippie commune, a long stay on Wards Island, and numerous consciousness raising experiences. It was during this time that he found himself drawn to the philosophy of alternative medicine and subsequently joined his father Cliff and brother Paul at Chiropractic College, graduating in 1975. Always kind and eager to lend a hand to those in pain, Nick had found his calling.
In 1983, after opening clinics in Forest Hill and the Annex, he purchased two houses on Bloor at Christie and founded the Toronto Healing Arts Centre (THAC). Over the next three decades he transformed the space into the largest alternative healing arts centre in Canada, offering full and part-time office space to over a hundred therapists in any given year. Through his life’s work at THAC, he encouraged and supported many new and established therapists with his generous and nurturing spirit, as he stimulated and expanded the alternative healing community as a whole in Toronto. Always open to exploration, he brought float tanks to Toronto in the 1980s, and shared his practice of radionics and alternative healing with his many treasured clients.
Throughout this time, Nick reflected the heart of Toronto; he was incredibly loyal to his local establishments, cheered on the Raptors, and helped out his neighbours whenever he could. He was a soldier, a sailor, and a lifelong learner. As a Capricorn, he believed that the test for anything was “is it beautiful and does it have practical usage”. He believed in the good of people, that family should be close, and that all difficulties that seem insurmountable will pass eventually. His love of life and kind smile will be forever cherished by all who knew him, especially his wife Cathy Jo.
Nick was predeceased by his father, Clifford “Doc” of Whitewood; his mother, Ivy “Lynn” of Regina; his older brother, Cliff “Butch” of Whitewood; uncle Walter Ashfield of Grenfell; aunt June Ashfield of Grenfell; uncle and aunt Dave and Irene Mallough of Saskatoon; and aunt Mabel Busse of Florida.
His memory lives on in the children, he was a loving father to: Taya Cook, Jasmine Shenandoah and Keiran Ashfield, and his step-child Tashi Fleming of Toronto. He will be greatly missed by his wife, Cathy-Jo Coonley of Toronto; son-in-law, Jamie Cook and his grandson Jameson of Toronto; brother, Paul (Sarah) of Whitewood and his daughter Bethany; sister-in-law, Elaine Ashfield of Whitewood and sons Brian and Chris; uncle Joe (Cindy) Ashfield of Whitewood; aunt Roxy Heinemann of Grand Forks, BC; as well as numerous cousins and extended family.
A celebration of Nick’s life will be held in Toronto this spring and his cremated remains will be buried beside his mother and brother in a family service this summer at Forrest Farm Cemetery near Whitewood.
