Antonio Ojea Seara

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Antonio Seara on Monday, February 8th, 2021, in London, Ontario. Peacefully at his home, surrounded by his family, on the day of his 82nd birthday, Antonio ended his courageous and brave battle with cancer.




Antonio was the beloved husband and soulmate of Maria Odette Seara, for over 41 years. Antonio's most cherished accomplishment was his role as father and grandfather to his five children and their families. David, Meike and Max; Gina, Len, Lee, Lisa and Francois; Lina and John; Susan, Andy, Mateo and Lily; Jonathan, Jill, Nathan and Lucas.



Antonio was predeceased by his parents Ramón Seara Casas (1910-1987) and Luz Ojea Varela (1915-1988). Antonio is also survived by his six dearest siblings, Ramón (late Antonia, Justa), José Luis (late Susan, Heather), Adolfo (Mariàngeles), Mercédès (Eusébio), Carlos (Mercè) and Susi (Manuel).



Antonio was born and raised in a small village called Cudeiro, located in the province of Ourense, Northern Spain. At a very young age, Antonio was inspired by his religious teachers from the Medarios Catholic School, which led him to devote his life to God and serve others in Faith. As passionate as Antonio was about the Catholic religion, Antonio was also an absolute scholar, earning multiple degrees at various stages in his life. In 1962, he graduated with the highest distinction, summa cum laude, achieving a Bachelor of Theology degree from the University of Salamanca, which is the third oldest university in Europe. From then, he discovered his passion for languages and he earned his second degree, a Bachelor of Philology from the University of Madrid in 1979. During which time he took part in a student exchange to the University of Cambridge in England to further his studies in the English language -developing a slight British accent from the experience. Finally, in 1983, Antonio achieved his third degree, a Masters in English from the University of Western Ontario.



During his time as an ordained Catholic priest, Antonio performed countless masses, numerous weddings for his family and close friends. He even completed a five-year missionary assignment to the Brazilian state of Piaui, located in the heart of the Amazon, helping citizens in remote villages, places that were only accessible by horse. From this experience, he added yet another language to his impressive repertoire of Spanish, Latin, French, Italian, English and hence, Portuguese. When a position opened up at the Portuguese Parish of Holy Cross Santa Cruz in London, Ontario, the same city where his brother José Luis was studying geophysics at the time, Antonio began the next chapter of his life, serving the Portuguese community of London for the next 40 years. Soon the time had come when Antonio met the true love of his life, and he realized that his vocation path had to change course. Antonio laid the groundwork in building a family with Maria Odette, while also becoming a small business owner, and his company "Prom-Art Advertising" was born. Antonio provided printing services for numerous events associated with the cultural activities for many Portuguese communities all over Ontario. He became famous for his original newspaper creation called "Portugal Notícias", and also his yearly Portuguese Liga Soccer Books. He worked tirelessly, along with the help of his daughter Lina, who worked along his side for 25 years. Antonio will be remembered for his relentless work ethic and his unwavering devotion to serve others.



The family would like to extend their sincerest appreciation and gratitude to all the wonderful health care workers, doctors and nurses that gave Antonio the very best of care, especially Dr. Jonathan Izawa and Dr. Kylea Potvin at Victoria Hospital.



Due to Covid Restrictions, a private family visitation will take place this Thursday February 11th at the O'Neil Funeral Home, in London, Ontario. The following day, a private funeral mass service will be held at the Portuguese Parish of Holy Cross Santa Cruz at 11am on Friday, February 12th. The ceremony will be streamed online for those family and friends that cannot be with us. Afterwards, Antonio will be laid to rest at St. Peter's Cemetery in London, Ontario.



The funeral service will be streamed online through Facebook. In the Facebook search type "Holy Cross Parish'' click on the link that reads Paróquia de Santa Cruz/Holy Cross Parish then scroll to the right where it reads Videos. Or you can click on /www.facebook.com/holycrossparishlondon then click on the Video section. The video is saved here for future viewings as well.