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It is with heavy hearts that the family announces the peaceful passing of Vanessa at the age of 52 after a long battle with illness. Beloved daughter of the late Donna and Alex Shawanda. Wife of the late Glen Jones Jr. Proud mother of Jade Shawanda, Brandon Jones (Baa), Hunter Jones and Forrest Jones. Much loved grandmother of Isaac and Holten. Dear sister to Alex Shawanda Jr. (Deb). She will be missed by many other nieces, nephews and friends. As per Vanessa's request, friends and family are invited to visit Garden River Community Centre on Thursday, October 15, 2026, from 5:00 pm. until the time of the service the following day on Friday, October 16, 2026, at 11:00 am. Cremation will follow immediately following the service. Memorial contributions (made payable by cheque or online) to the Canadian Kidney Foundation, or a donation of flowers, would be greatly appreciated by the family. Please visit www.arthurfuneralhome.com obituaries section to leave a message of condolence as a keepsake for the family.

It was a story that dominated tennis headlines back in 1977: Dr Renée Richards, an ophthalmologist who excelled as a male amateur player before a sex-change operation, was suing for the right to play in the women’s draw of the US Open. Where did Richards go for legal assistance? None other than Roy Cohn. Better known for prosecuting suspected communists during the red scare and mentoring Donald Trump, Cohn turned his attention to fighting for Richards’s inclusion. His firm successfully argued the case – part of the narrative of a new biography, Finding Renée Richards: The Groundbreaking Story of Tennis’s Trans Pioneer by Julie Kliegman. “The lawsuit was really significant,” Kliegman says. “Obviously, clearly, it was very significant for Renée. But the decision was limited to her, as opposed to setting a precedent for trans people going forward.”For Kliegman – a sports journalist who is trans and non-binary – the project offered a chance to reexamine a 50-year-old cause célèbre and the topic of inclusion for trans people, in sports and in wider society, then and now. “There are a lot of parallels,” Kliegman says.