Chadwick Stewart Rennie: Seeker. Builder. Dreamer. Boat captain. Born Feb. 28, 1972, in Oakville, Ont.; died Sept. 26, 2021, in Vancouver, of COVID-19; aged 49.
Chadwick Stewart Rennie.Courtesy of family
Chad Rennie’s life was so unbelievable, it’s only fitting that his death was unbelievable, too. He somehow crammed more life into 49 years than most could fit into several lifetimes.
He grew up in the tiny town of Elmwood, Ont., with his older brother Scott and younger sister Sarah. Later in life, he lived for a while with his father, Ross, and got to know his younger brother Adam.
Chad was a wild one from the get-go. At 3, Chad’s mother Barbara lost track of him in a BiWay. He showed up minutes later, wearing a leather jacket, with someone’s discarded cigarette butt hanging out of his mouth.
You cannot map Chad’s life by the facts. Yes, he was born in Oakville and died in Vancouver, but he did not live in either place. His daughters were both born in Hanover, Ont., and he called Elmwood, Hockley Valley and, most of all, Victoria, home but lived in many more places than those. Covered neck to wrist with beautiful tattoos, including an integrated piece for his daughters, Natasha and Jessica, and a “Gramps” piece for his grandkids, Desten and Nadia, Chad literally had his life story written all over him.
He was a rescuer to many and loved to cook decadent meals for friends and family, especially if it was something you’d never tried before. He was an excellent amateur chef and would watch keenly as you took your first bite, eyebrow cocked, waiting for your reaction.
Chad achieved one of his (many) great dreams by opening a world-class wine bar in Victoria with a Michelin-starred chef, two weeks before Christmas in the middle of a pandemic. Chad’s lust for life translated into that restaurant, and it hummed every night below a bacchanalian mural he had commissioned. Rain Dogs (named for a Tom Waits song he loved) was a wild success. Live music was a big part of Rain Dogs because music infused every part of Chad’s life. He even learned to play the mandolin in his late 40s. Why not?
When he first moved to Victoria, Chad couldn’t find a place where he wanted to live, so he bought a boat (and made sure it had a turntable). This way he could dock it down the block from his favourite restaurant. Chad was most content when moving, especially over open water on his boat, aptly named the Mischief Maker.
There’s an expression about a Jack of all trades, but Chad was master of many: restauranteur, carpenter, mechanic and welder. He was so highly esteemed as a welder that he was given contracts to audit the welding of entire pipelines and hydro plants.
There’s no room here to tell one-tenth of Chad’s stories, and to pick one seems silly. Would it be the night he was in a car chase, pursued by an armoured truck driver who’d mistaken him for a robber? Or the weekend he rescued Adam and his wife from a camping trip gone wrong – then treated them to a sriracha-marinated steak and coolers full of king crab claws?
Chad loved motorcycles, especially low riders. So, when he couldn’t find his perfect classic Triumph bike, he built it. And he loved wearing his favourite flat-brimmed cap – even to important business meetings, and once he knew that it bothered his manager, he was sure never to take it off.
For the hundreds of people who called him a friend (real ones – he avoided social media), there was a Chad for every time and place. He could be a hopeless romantic and a man who looked deeper and beyond where mere mortals could see. But then he’d stick out his tongue and gave you a wet willy. Chad was also a relentless tease.
Private but vulnerable, gruff but gentle, gregarious but reserved – more than anything, Chad defied any box you might want to put him in.
Adam Rennie is Chad’s brother.
To submit a Lives Lived: lives@globeandmail.com
Lives Lived celebrates the everyday, extraordinary, unheralded lives of Canadians who have recently passed. To learn how to share the story of a family member or friend, go to tgam.ca/livesguide