Died peacefully on Friday March 9, 2018 at Royal Victoria Hospital in Barrie surrounded by his family. John was husband, best friend and soul mate to Evelyn for over 48 years. A cherished and adored father to Amanda (Deryk) Smethurst, Heather Agnew (Chris Lipscomb) and Jessica Agnew. He was an indulgent grandfather who always made time for Bronwyn, Payton and Sharif. John is survived by his sisters Sherry (Ron) Fishwick and Mary (Bob) Leo, and his brother Brian (Karen) Agnew. He was a beloved brother-in-law to Monika Merz (Michael Miller) and Peter Merz (Sue Geddes).
John was born October 17, 1951 in Liverpool, Nova Scotia and spent most of his youth in the King City countryside. He moved to the Beeton area in 1974 where he and his wife Evelyn built a house that was a home for their family for over 40 years. John was a local realtor until he retired in 2013.
John will be remembered as a friendly and generous man with a great sense of humour. His first impulse was always to lend a helping hand. He was an all-around athlete, a “master of a bit of everything”, could fix anything and loved reading, crosswords, camping and hiking. He was a kind, ethical, gentle man whose family was very important to him. Even in the face of challenges he was always an optimist. John lived a full and happy life. He will be greatly missed by everyone who knew him. He leaves behind a legacy of goodness that we all hope to live up to.
Thank you to the staff at Royal Victoria Hospital in the emergency and palliative departments for their compassionate care of John and our family in his last days. As per John’s wishes there will be no formal service. He would love it if you would go for a hike to remember him and if you wish, make a donation to the Bruce Trail Conservancy or The Alzheimer Society of Canada.