With heavy hearts, we share the sad news of our lovely daughter, Aydyn Elisa Rizzo, 18, from Thunder Bay, who passed away on May 14, 2026, after a short but brave fight against cancer.
Aydyn was born on December 10, 2007 to Tony and Janelle. Right from the start, she filled our lives with laughter and love. She went to Holy Cross, Bishop E. Q. Jennings, St. Ignatius High Schools and had just started chasing her dream of helping others through the Paramedic program at Confederation College.
Aydyn had a bright spirit and a smile that lit up any room. She was caring, funny, brave and fiercely loyal; her quiet confidence always kept her true to herself. Aydyn excelled at everything she tried. As a child, she loved gymnastics, dance and cheerleading. She especially cherished her time at camp on Sturgeon Bay and family weekends at Lac des Mille Lacs where she fished, tubed and swam with her siblings and cousins. She also enjoyed fishing and spending quality moments with her boyfriend Thomas and his family.
<p Many in the community might remember her from working at Ardene or The Burger Barn or as a ski instructor at Mount Baldy where she shared her skills and encouragement with others. Aydyn valued time spent with friends and family; those memories will forever be close to our hearts.
Aydyn’s memory will be held dear by her dad Tony (Kathy Zanni); mom Janelle (Neal Purdon); twin brother Rylan; sister Aya; stepbrothers Sam and Connor. Her grandparents Diane Rizzo, Gerald Blomquist (Marietta Blomquist), Elisa Blomquist (Paul Kytayko); aunts and uncles Kayla Blomquist (Mark Niemi), Corey Blomquist (Yvonne Weleschuk), Nick Rizzo (Kathryn Duchnicky), Marissa Morgan (Perry Morgan); cousins Camryn, Madison, Austin, Sydney, Brayden and Macey will all miss her deeply as well as her boyfriend Thomas Dudley along with countless friends, classmates and coworkers who were lucky enough to know her.
The family sincerely thanks Dr. Marchuk, Dr. Del Paggio, Dr. Anthes, Dr. Simpson, Dr. Ward; the entire ICU team of doctors and nurses; also Michael Power for his unwavering efforts in finding treatment options for Aydyn both in Canada and the United States.
Aydyn was preceded in death by her baby sister Avery; Nonno Nicola Rizzo; great grandmother Rauha Maijala-all of whom she kept close in heart are now reunited with her.
Although Aydyn’s time here was far too brief, she’ll always live on through the love she shared with us.
A Celebration of Life is set for Saturday May 23rd ,2026 , at Whitewater Golf Club from 1:00 p. m. to 4:00 p. m., with speeches starting at 2:00 p. m.
If you wish , donations can be made to Raising the Barr Charity https://raisingthebarrgolf. com/. Online condolences can be left at www. sargentandson. com.
“If love could have saved you , you would have lived forever”
