Ozzie DeSantis

Obituary as published in the Calgary Herald plus additional information about his career as an Alberta Land Surveyor.

Oswald (Ozzie) DeSantis of Calgary passed away peacefully on Thursday, December 28, 2006 at the age of 79 years. Ozzie was predeceased by his beloved wife of forty-one years, Genevieve (Ginette) in 1995; his mother Clarice in 1989; and his brother Aldo in 1995. Ozzie will be lovingly remembered by his daughters, Johanne (Mark) Hamilton and Natalie DeSantis (Greg Baillie); and his son Andre DeSantis. He also leaves behind five grandchildren, Javid Best, Malloreigh and Sean Hamilton, and Reid and Danae Arsenault.

Ozzie will be remembered as a pillar of the Calgary community as a prominent member of the Calgary Lions Club, the Calgary North Business Association and a founder of the Early Bird’s Club.

He obtained his Alberta Land Surveyor commission (ALS #203) on November 9, 1953 and was the president of O. DeSantis Surveys Ltd. for many years which played an integral role in the development of many Calgary communities. He surveyed and planned areas in and around Calgary, including Sunshine Village and the Sunshine gondola. He remained an active member until 1984 and was on the Alberta Land Surveyors’ Association retired register until 1994.

Ozzie was an avid sportsman, enjoying skiing in the winter and fishing, hiking, golfing, and gardening during the warm months. Ozzie and Ginette began to spend their leisure time in Whitefish, Montana in 1973, eventually retiring there. Ozzie loved Big Mountain and spent many hours teaching his grandchildren how to ski and took advantage of the great fishing in Montana.

Ozzie and Ginette enjoyed many pets and passed the love of animals on to their children. They moved to Creston, BC in 1995 and Ozzie was president of Canyon community, an outlying area of Creston. Ozzie returned to Calgary in December 2005 to be closer to his children.