Kaydance Lynne Ford was born on July 1, 2008, a bright, bold light brought into the world by her loving mother, Jessica Ford. She was the cherished daughter of Casey Woods and the fiercely protective big sister to Wade and Lennox. From the very beginning, Kaydance radiated a warmth and energy that made every room brighter and every heart fuller.

Even as a toddler, Kaydance’s personality sparkled. At home, she spent hours watching Dora the Explorer and Ni Hao, Kai-Lan, soaking in every word. So much so that when she went to daycare, her teacher gently reminded her to speak English—Kaydance was already dabbling in new languages before she could even tie her shoes. She had created her very own dialect—dubbed “Kaydanese”—where you might only catch the first and last words of a sentence, but somehow still knew exactly what she meant.

A proud advocate for her Native heritage and culture, Kaydance was rooted in who she was. She carried that pride with her as she grew, first attending Hanover Heights from senior kindergarten through grade six, then moving on to John Diefenbaker Secondary School for grades six through nine. In grade ten, she transferred to Walkerton District Secondary School—a change that would help her discover the strongest parts of herself, this was where she flourished.

Though coordination wasn’t her strongest suit growing up (her early ventures into soccer and gymnastics were short-lived), high school ignited something new in her. At WDCS, she found her fire. She discovered a passion for athletics that quickly became a defining part of who she was. Kaydance led the charge for the school’s rugby program and jumped headfirst into sports she’d never played before—joining the softball team, volleyball team, soccer team, and even competing in track and field. She took up softball in honour of her father, wanting to play for him. Her athletic commitment didn’t go unnoticed—she earned a spot in the Walkerton Exceptional Athlete Training Program at school and ended the semester with the top mark in the class. Outside of school, she played for the Tara Twins Softball Team and the Big Bruce Volleyball Team. Competitive to her core, Kaydance pushed herself constantly. Even after taking a ball to the knee at her first practice of this season, she showed up the next morning, lacing up her cleats without complaint for the school softball team.

Kaydance was more than just an athlete. She was a hands-on learner and a budding tradeswoman. She found joy in working with her hands—especially welding, woodwork, automotive, and electrical. Her woodshop class began building a shed, and her teacher, recognizing her drive and talent, gifted her an electrical kit so she could wire the shed herself once it was finished. Her dream was clear: she wanted to become an electrician, starting in residential and eventually moving into commercial work. She was a skilled cook, thanks to her foods class, and she cherished trying cuisines from around the world. Her skill and passion weren’t limited to school—at home, she helped build her family’s new firepit, planted vegetables every season, and even painted the doors and bricks of their house. On May 2-4 weekend, she proudly came home from the Chesley Yard Sale with yard tools and her first tire wrench, beaming with pride at her growing toolbox.

Nature was her sanctuary. Kaydance’s love for the outdoors started early and never dimmed. She was most herself outside—fishing in puddles or lakes, hiking rocky cliffs in Tobermory (her happy place), kayak fishing near Manitoulin Island with Grandpa, or camping exclusively in a tent (trailers weren’t “real camping,” she’d say). She had dreams of building a tiny home in Tobermory someday. During the winters, she grew restless stuck indoors—so she’d find excuses to go sledding on Chesley Hill, or into the woods to forage materials for wreath-making. Once, she came home with five deer skins and three porcupines, determined to make deer skin mukluks and quill boxes. That was Kaydance—bold, creative, and unapologetically herself.

Kindness and compassion were the foundation of her spirit. Kaydance was part of the school’s leadership class and volunteered at the Water Festival and Elmwood Homecoming, helping in the souvenir shop. She dreamed of owning a Ford Ranger, though she was content learning the ropes with a car first. Her mom, dad and grandmother, Judi, helped her learn to drive—laugh-filled lessons involving near-misses with farm equipment, driving the family home from hockey and some parking lot U-turns. But she was determined—she studied every part of a car so she could change her own oil and tires, mechanics running in her blood from the Ford side.

Kaydance loved to eat. She had a deep love for sushi, fish, Chinese food, grandpa’s BBQ, and her mom’s famous ribs and macaroni salad (straight from the bowl). Arena poutine was a particular favorite. She also loved to shop—especially online since it came so fast—but she lived for a good bargain at thrift stores and garage sales. She could spend hours sifting through racks, finding hidden gems. Her musical taste was mainly country with a few 90s R&B and pop but Kenny Chesney was her all time favourite. Owen Riegling was another on the top of her list being her first concert. She was a Gilmore Girls superfan, watching the series at least five times and quoting Rory Gilmore in many situations. And if you knew her well, you knew never to mess with her Snapchat streaks or that you would hear her burps or cheering before you’d see her.

Earlier this year, Kaydance became smitten with Keegan Howie. The two fit together seamlessly, sharing fishing trips, turkey hunts (no turkeys, plenty of fish), and hockey games. She even made a sign for one of his games that read, “Keegan – #10 on the ice and a 10 off the ice!” They shared laughter and many adventures, their relationship was young but their friendship was long.

Family was everything to Kaydance. She adored her grandmother Judi—Wing House wings in Chesley became their special ritual during driving lessons, checking flavours off their list each time they went. With Grandpa Jeff she loved talking about fishing and what kinds of fish she might catch in what places, she joked at home that she was going to secretly take over his lure business.  Grandma and Grandpa Woods were her go to when she wanted to be spoiled and “smushed” or if she decided it was time for a change with her hair, they always fussed over her like she was a little kid and she loved it. When Grandpa Ford came to visit she looked forward to their talks about the trades, future life goals, mechanics, and seeing little Max the dog. Kaydance always said Uncle Scott got the best gifts: nice sweaters, money and even a Rambo style knife for her collection of cool things. Uncle Nick was her idol, she looked up to him with admiration since day one, she always talked about how she wanted to be just like him: lots of friends, fun adventures that turn into hilarious stories, and fishing whenever there was an ounce of spare time. With Wade and Lennox, she was the fierce, funny, and loyal big sister. When they went to Maplefest, Lennox was waiting his turn to see the bunnies in the pen. She got mad waiting, so she said to Lennox “come with me”. She pushed through, got on her hands and knees to grab a bunny, and gave it to him. While he was holding it, she stood guard so no one would try to take the bunny from him. When he was done, they were trying to get out and she said to the other kids “MOVE!”. She was always hovering over Lennox, watching over him and making sure he was safe and got what he wanted, they were bonded in a significant way. With Wade, she told him that when he started high school he wasn’t allowed to skip school, and he needed to join the sports teams to get in the right crowd, this was only the latest “life coaching” she had forced on him as there were many times that she would make sure he knew what he should be doing and where he should be. On his birthday, Wade got Skittles, and she wanted one. Naturally, as siblings do, they ended up in a physical fight on the ground over the last Skittle, lawn chairs flying. He popped it into his mouth and she stormed off and they didn’t talk for 3 days, until he bought a bag of Skittles for her. Wade had a devoted type of bond with his sister since they were so close in age, they often went for bike rides together in the summer, worked together in the yard and around the house, and competed against each other in who was “more rizz”. Her dad, Casey, was wrapped around her finger—if she asked for his wallet, he handed it over. When she wanted a PS4, he made it happen. She never had to ask twice for something because dad made sure she had it. Kaydance was daddy’s girl and she knew how to use it, but she also loved joking around with him. They had a special bond and she was always quick to tell anyone that Casey Woods was her dad, beaming proudly. Dad was the driving force behind Kaydance’s newly grown love of sports. Her bond with her mom, Jessica, was something sacred. They were close in a way only a mother and daughter can be. They were the best of friends and shared everything, Kaydance never hid anything from mom, even if it was something a daughter wouldn’t normally tell a parent. They had inside jokes, late night chats, giggle fests, and long shopping trips. They had plans for the future like extravagant hikes and bucket list things they wanted to do together. They shared almost all interests, Kaydance was truly a remake of Jessica in many ways.

Kaydance was a force—strong-willed, strong-headed, determined, but also thoughtful, smart, and endlessly kind. She lit up every space she entered. Her legacy is one of courage, creativity, and love. She lived fully, laughed loudly, worked hard, and cared deeply. She helped others, she led by example, and she always stood up for what she believed in.

On Friday, May 23, 2025, Kaydance’s bright and beautiful life was cut short in a tragic car accident as she returned home from a school softball tournament (of which they won) with fellow students and a teacher. Though her life ended far too soon, her spirit lives on in every life she touched. She will forever be remembered not only for what she did, but for who she was—a daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, teammate, leader, and friend.

Kaydance Lynne Ford was a beacon. And though her light is no longer here with us, it will never be extinguished.

Immensely adored daughter of Jessica Ford and Casey Woods of Elmwood. Proud and loving big sister of Wade Ford and Lennox Woods. Cherished granddaughter of Judi Ford and Jeff Scott of Southampton, Terry Ford of P.E.I., and Wayne and Jo-Ann Woods of Chesley. Beloved niece of Nick Scott of Southampton and Scott Woods of Chesley. Kaydance will be profoundly missed and remembered by her great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. She will be deeply missed by her boyfriend Keegan Howie and his family.

A casual, as Kaydance would want it, celebration of her life will be held on the Chesley Ball Diamond (129 4^th Ave S.E) on Saturday, May 31, 2025, from 1 – 4 p.m., with sharing of memories taking place at 2 p.m.

Kaydance excelled in athletics and the shop programs. With this in mind, please consider donations to the WDCS Sports and Shop Programs as expressions of sympathy. Please make cheques payable to Walkerton District Community School (WDCS), and indicate if the donation is for the sports program or the shop program in the memo line.

The Beginning

Thursday, May 22, 2025, I dropped Kaydance off at school at 7:15am. She was on the girls softball team for Walkerton District Community School. Everyone else was already there, we may have been the last ones to arrive. Kaydance jumped out of the vehicle, grabbed her bags, said a quick goodbye to me and ran to the waiting coach’s vehicles. They were parked at the front of the school and I had pulled up right beside them, blocking the way through for anyone else. I wanted to get out of the vehicle and give her a hug and say good luck, but someone else pulled up behind me and honked their horn a few times. I began to pull away, stopped and rolled down the window and yelled out to Kaydance saying “good luck kid, I love you. Play hard, see you tomorrow night.” She yelled back “love you too mom!”. The car behind me honked again so I pulled through and left. As I pulled through, the car behind me that was honking at me, rushing my goodbye to my daughter, sped through the parking lot of the school and around the back. I remember thinking at the time while I pulled out of the parking lot, “what is the rush at this time in the morning? I get people have to work, so do I, but I’m trying to say goodbye to my kid. Some people are ignorant.” I wish I had known that would be the last time I would say goodbye to Kaydance, the last time I would get the chance to hug her. If I had known, I would have held up all the traffic in the world to get out and hug her goodbye.

Friday, May 23, 2025

I honestly don’t remember a lot from this day leading up to getting the phone call. I remember a text conversation. I was at work and something just felt off. I felt down in the dumps and couldn’t figure out why. Then Kaydance texted, it was as if she knew I needed something to smile about. Her text read, “omg mom, they put me in as backcatcher. I’ve never done that in my life. We’re screwed.” I giggled and wrote back, “Just try your best. You’ll do great!” Later on I got another text, “we lost that game because of me mom. I can’t believe I let my team down.” I replied “don’t beat yourself up about it. They knew you had never done that position before, they shouldn’t have put you in there if they wanted to win that game.” She texted back right away, “the girls are being so good about it. I won’t beat myself up.” I texted back telling her to give it all she’s got in the next games and I couldn’t wait to hear all about the whole tournament when she got home that night.

I don’t remember much after that text conversation from that day until I got the phone call. I had taken the boys to Walmart to get groceries and Wade needed dress pants for his grade 8 Graduation. I remember feeling anxious as we went up and down all the aisles, really anxious, not knowing why. I felt like I was late for something. I kept checking the time on my phone, I kept thinking I should have heard from Kaydance by now. She was supposed to text me when they were on their way home and again when they were getting close. They were supposed to arrive back at the school around 6:30pm but there were no texts and it was 6:20pm. Maybe they stopped somewhere for food? Knowing Kaydance, she would make them stop for food. I told the boys we needed to go home and unload the groceries because Kaydance would be texting any minute saying she was back at the school waiting for me to pick her up. We paid, went out to the vehicle and loaded the bags into the trunk. We all got in the vehicle and I checked my phone one more time – three missed texts and five missed phone calls from our friend. I got back out of the vehicle thinking he had an argument and I didn’t want the boys to hear it. I called him back and that is where our worst nightmare began. In the parking lot of Walmart in Hanover.

The Aftermath

Losing a child is the worst nightmare a parent can ever go through. We aren’t supposed to outlive our children, they are supposed to outlive us. In the early days, we could barely speak or move our feet. With the help of family, friends and Rhody’s Funeral Home, we were able to celebrate Kaydance’s Life beautifully. The service was as perfect as something so horrible could be, Chesley Ball Diamond was made into Kaydance. She was placed at Home Plate and surrounded by some of her important belongings that showed her personality. There were big banners, a blanket and beautiful service cards made for us. Her favourite songs played in the background as guests made their way through to see us and give us their condolences. When it came time to do the actual service, the immediate family were seated in front of Home Plate, everyone else stood. None of us could get up to speak, we couldn’t speak, we couldn’t move. The Funeral Director that had taken such good care of us in the planning stages got up and spoke for us. She played “Never Not Remember You” by Cooper Allen then read from a script that we had prepared. There were tears, wails, laughter, sighs, and hugs. I don’t know the exact number of people that came to her service, but I know there was a sea of people that reached somewhere between 500-700.

Over the next month, we planned Kaydance’s 17^th birthday. She wanted a Hawaiian Luau in the backyard with her closest friends where they could have a fire and be typical teenagers. We decided she would have her Hawaiian Luau but it would be bigger than she could have ever imagined. We rented Elmwood Community Centre, hired a poutine bar, pig roast, and cash bar, gathered friends and family to help with decorations, music, photos, side dishes, cake, and ball games. Everyone who loved her came to celebrate her, there must have been 400 people there.  It was the most perfect day celebrating Kaydance, exactly how she would have wanted. July 1, 2025, Kaydance turned 17 even though she had passed away before she could have her birthday.

After Kaydance’s Rad 17^th Hawaiian Banger, we decided we wanted to celebrate her every year and honour her in some way. We knew we couldn’t do a huge party every year, it just isn’t realistic. But we wanted to do something. The bar we had hired were gracious and let us take the empties from the party. I was sitting on the deck, sorting and counting them when a thought came to mind…

Finding Passion

What started as an idea to collect alcohol empties to raise funds for Kaydance’s two favourite school programs, quickly grew into something more, something that would let her name and memory go on forever.

Kaydance was always an active child but rarely with sports. She dabbled with soccer and gymnastics when she was little but neither really stuck. She was active in different ways: fishing, biking, camping, gardening, hiking, going for runs, bouncing on the trampoline, etc. She loved the outdoors, it was her sanctuary. She was also always keeping her hands busy and very creative. She would paint, bead, help with maintaining and building things around the house, draw and sketch, create things from nature pieces, etc. She was always curious in how things worked, why things are built the way they are, and what makes things go. When Kaydance began grade 9 in John Diefenbaker Senior School in Hanover, she took her first trades class where she had the opportunity to try carpentry, welding, and auto. After her first year of high school, she decided she wanted a change and we switched her over to Walkerton District Community School in Walkerton. This is where we watched our daughter truly flourish into the young woman she was. She immersed herself in sports, athletics, and trades. She successfully helped rally and push for the girls rugby team to be restarted, played on the girls volleyball team and softball team, was a call-in for the girls soccer team, and ran hurdles for the track team. She earned a spot in the WEAT class (Walkerton Exceptional Athlete Training) and took Women’s Personal Fitness and even earned Top Mark in WEAT. She threw herself into the Trades classes, taking Carpentry, Auto and Welding where she learned how to use so many different tools and machines and create amazing projects. Earning Top Mark in Auto finalized her passion, she was going to work in the Trades. Outside of school, she joined the first girl’s Big Bruce Volleyball Team during the winter and decided to fill her summer with softball, joining the Tara Twins ISA all girls team. Kaydance grew into this extraordinary athlete who knew how to change her own oil, weld with tig and mig, use saws, and build things. She was outgoing, social, loud, obnoxious, stubborn, determined, kind, caring, hilarious, and passionate.

The Legacy

The Kaydance Ford Athletic & Trades Foundation is the brand of Kaydance. It is her love of sports, passion for the Trades, and heart for her community all wrapped up together. We have poured her spirit into this foundation in hopes of helping the current and future generations find themselves and have opportunities like our daughter did. Selfishly, we want Kaydance’s name and memory to never be forgotten, we want her to be remembered forever. So we have given her a legacy that will hopefully grow and be able to help so many teenagers find their way through life, find their passions, learn important skills, and flourish.

We fundraise year round to help provide funds for students in need, sports teams in need, trades classes in need, and school staff in need. One of our biggest concerns and what drives us to fundraise is putting kids on buses. Buses are the safest transportation for sports teams to travel to their away games and tournaments but our rural schools cannot afford them due to budget cuts and government cuts. Our students deserve the safest transportation when they are travelling to represent their school and their community. Our rural schools also have a hard time affording tools, materials, and machinery needed in Trades classes. Our students deserve to learn with safe tools and machinery, in a safe environment. Our rural schools cannot afford to replace much of their sports equipment and gym equipment. Our students deserve to have what they need to play sports and be active. So we are stepping up, in memory and in honour of our daughter, Kaydance – the inspiring athlete and tradeswoman that she was.

We are only just beginning the grief journey. It’s hard every single day, in every way. But we have found moments of happiness. Yesterday we celebrated Kaydance’s 17th birthday, exactly how she wanted, but much bigger!

Kaydance’s Rad 17th Hawaiian Banger was just that, a banger!

Kaydance wanted a Hawaiian Luau. It was going to be a small group of friends, camping out in the backyard with a bonfire, s’mores and seafood boil. What it turned into was hundreds of her loved ones dressed in Hawaiian shirts, a pig roast, a poutine bar, food made by family, cash bar, ball games between her teachers and friends, cake, and sharing so many stories. It was the perfect day celebrating our girl. So many laughs, a few tears, big smiles, and fun! It was perfect. Simply perfect.

But there has been a thought on my mind for a while now. The party is great, it’s what we need right now. But how can we honour our girl every single year on her birthday?

And the thought came to me. The Kaydance Ford Athletics & Trades Foundation. An annual fundraiser to raise money for her two favourite programs at her high school.

And so it begins….