A Lasting Legacy to Windsor & Essex County

John Fancsy's Transformational $40M Gift to the New Windsor/Essex Acute Care Hospital

John Thomas Fancsy

ABOUT THE GIFT

On Tuesday, August 12, 2025, Windsor Regional Hospital Foundation announced a landmark gift of approximately $40 million from the estate of John Thomas Fancsy. John was a proud, lifelong resident of Windsor-Essex who was always seeking ways to innovate, improve, and give back to the community. With this extraordinary gift, John's legacy will have a positive impact on the health and well-being of Windsor-Essex for generations.

In recognition of the transformational gift, the New Windsor/Essex Acute Care Hospital will be named The Fancsy Family Hospital. In addition to being the largest-ever gift to the Windsor Regional Hospital Foundation, this donation is the largest known gift ever made in the Windsor-Essex region and ranks among the largest known estate gifts ever left to a single organization in Canada.

John Thomas Fancsy

"John's legacy gift is an extraordinary act of generosity," said Karen Riddell, Acting President and CEO and Chief Nursing Executive of Windsor Regional Hospital. "We are immensely grateful and deeply honoured that the new hospital will bear the Fancsy family's name."

WATCH: John's brothers and sisters talk about John and his legacy.

Who was John Fancsy?

Described by his family as a private person, many people in the community may not be familiar with the quiet philanthropist.

John Thomas Fancsy was born and raised in Windsor, eventually settling near Harrow. He attended Vincent Massey Secondary School and graduated with degrees in mathematics from the University of Guelph and engineering from the University of Windsor. John passed away in February 2024 and is remembered fondly by his two brothers and three sisters - Stephen, Sue, Martha, Terry and James - as well as many nieces, nephews, friends and colleagues.

John was a brilliant engineer who became a key member of the family business where he was responsible for innovations and advanced manufacturing at plants in Windsor and Guelph.

As an engineer and a life-long resident of Windsor-Essex, he was always looking for ways to innovate, make things better and give back to the community.

"If you came to him with hat in hand, he would give you the shirt off his back," said his brother James.

Combining his innovative spirit with a love for wine and the local community, John joined his brother Stephen in founding the award-winning Viewpointe Estate Winery in 2002.

"My brother had the biggest passion for wine, and I had more of a passion for growing the grapes," said his brother Stephen. "He was the winemaker of Viewpointe."

Together, Stephen and John led the successful campaign for an appellation in the region, a legally defined and protected geographical area where grapes are grown and wine is produced. Lake Erie North Shore was officially established to distinguish local wines and expand the industry.

John's family also describes him as a "die-hard" fan of the Detroit Red Wings and the Windsor Spitfires. The WFCU Centre arena – home of the Windsor Spitfires – continues to serve Viewpointe wines as its house wines. John is also remembered for his love of music, muscle cars and his devotion to his two beloved Labradors, KT and CT.

John was a big man – 6-foot, seven inches-tall – with a big heart and a huge commitment to this community, so it's fitting that his legacy to this community is every bit as big as he was.

"My brother John was a very large person – large heart and very intelligent and wise," said John's sister Martha Lucier.

Antoinette & Stephen Fancsy with their six children.
Clockwise from left: James Fancsy, Sue Fancsy, John Fancsy,
Stephen Fancsy, Martha Lucier, Stephen Fancsy (Sr.),
Antoinette Fancsy, and Terry Fancsy.

John at Viewpointe Estate Winery

John's Labradors, KT and CT

Described by his family as a private person, many people in the community may not be familiar with the quiet philanthropist.

Antoinette & Stephen Fancsy with their six children.
Clockwise from left: James Fancsy, Sue Fancsy, John Fancsy, Stephen Fancsy, Martha Lucier, Stephen Fancsy (Sr.), Antoinette Fancsy, and Terry Fancsy.

John was a brilliant engineer who became a key member of the family business where he was responsible for innovations and advanced manufacturing at plants in Windsor and Guelph.

As an engineer and a life-long resident of Windsor-Essex, he was always looking for ways to innovate, make things better and give back to the community.

"If you came to him with hat in hand, he would give you the shirt off his back," said his brother James.

Combining his innovative spirit with a love for wine and the local community, John joined his brother Stephen in founding the award-winning Viewpointe Estate Winery in 2002.

"My brother had the biggest passion for wine, and I had more of a passion for growing the grapes," said his brother Stephen. "He was the winemaker of Viewpointe."

John at Viewpointe Estate Winery

John's Labradors, KT and CT

John was a big man – 6-foot, seven inches-tall –with a big heart and a huge commitment to this community, so it's fitting that his legacy to this community is every bit as big as he was.

"My brother John was a very large person – large heart and very intelligent and wise," said John's sister Martha Lucier.

Family History

John’s parents, Stephen and Antoinette Fancsy

John's commitment to the Windsor-Essex Area is shared by generations of family on both sides. His grandfather was instrumental to building NARMCO and other major auto manufacturing companies, actively growing the sector and employing thousands of people locally. John’s father Stephen, as president of the family business, oversaw its growth. He was a hands-on leader known for connecting with the workers and friends on the shop floor. He also provided vital funding to local businesses, supporting people during the economic ups and downs in a community that depends on the auto industry.

John’s parents, Stephen and Antoinette Fancsy

John's late mother, Toni (née Goyeau), came from a family whose roots date back to early French settlement in Windsor-Goyeau Street spans what was once the Goyeau family farm. Toni studied nursing and worked at Hôtel-Dieu Hospital, now Windsor Regional Hospital’s Ouellette Campus.

"We were raised to believe that if you don’t have your health, you really don’t have anything," shared John's sister, Terry Fancsy. "How fitting is it, then, that we are participating in bringing this hospital to life."

John's late parents donated generously to support local healthcare and Windsor Regional Hospital. His mother also left a gift to the new hospital in her will and asked that donations be made to the new hospital when she passed in 2016.

John's Legacy

John made the decision to leave a gift in his will to the new hospital before he underwent surgery for spinal stenosis at Windsor Regional Hospital's Ouellette Campus.

His recovery in hospital confirmed his decision, when he experienced firsthand the limitations of the current facility, including tight, crowded spaces, shared patient rooms and limited privacy. John saw an opportunity for a new hospital with private rooms and modern amenities to better meet the community's needs.

"This extraordinary act of philanthropy is a testament to John's vision for the community he loved so deeply," Ashley Weeres, Interim Executive Director of Windsor Regional Hospital Foundation. "and it is a powerful demonstration of the impact of planned giving. John's legacy gift will help ensure the health and well-being of our community for generations to come."

For his family, John's gift has brought them great pride.

"John saw that everybody in the family was doing well, that we really didn't need anything, and he saw the greater need. He saw that it would make a difference," said Sue Fancsy, John's sister.

The Fancsy Family Hospital

While hospitals in Ontario are primarily paid for by the province, the local community is responsible for funding 10 percent of hospital construction costs and 100 percent of the furniture, fixtures, equipment, parking and shell space. So far, the new hospital has been supported by generous gifts, both public and private, as well as the contributions committed to construction by the City of Windsor and Essex County. John's donation has provided a critical boost towards meeting the funding requirement.

In recognition of this transformational gift, the Boards of Windsor Regional Hospital and Windsor Regional Hospital Foundation voted to name the new hospital "The Fancsy Family Hospital."

Recognizing John's historic gift in this way acknowledges the significant role philanthropy plays in ensuring the best health care is available to Windsor/Essex residents.

We thank John Fancsy for his incredible generosity and vision towards bettering the health of Windsor-Essex. Learn more about The Fancsy Family Hospital here.