John has put away his garden tools and his maple syrup hydrometer so he could set off on the next adventure. He’ll be lovingly remembered by Helen, his wife of 62 years; his three daughters, Catherine (Clinton), Karen, and Lisa; and his six grandsons, Ian and Graham, Brian and Matthew, and Jeremy and Mark. John passed away on January 20, 2021 at Roberta Place in Barrie, at the age of 86.
John grew up on a farm outside Stayner where he teased his four sisters, Mary, Pauline, Patricia and Rosella when he wasn’t busy doing (or avoiding) farm chores. When he turned 20, he left the farm to spend a few years working on the ships that crisscross the Great Lakes. While home in the off season, he met Helen when she came to dinner at his house. She’d wangled an invitation after seeing a photo of her friend Rosella’s handsome brother.
After they married, John settled down to work at Sun Life. He was always sharply dressed since Helen had great taste in clothes and John wore them well.
John was a dedicated father. He and Helen would tramp down the snow in the backyard so John could flood it with a garden hose to make a skating rink for his girls. He encouraged them in all their athletic endeavours, at one point even fashioning homemade high jump uprights for practice at home. He was always there with practical advice, whether it was the best way to make a friend or how to sell more Girl Guide cookies (It turns out the secret is to have your Dad sign up for two boxes on the first line of the order form.) He taught his girls useful skills such as how to fix a toilet, plant seed potatoes, fill out income tax forms, and top up the coolant in their cars, though not simultaneously!
Once the girls had grown up and got married, and he and Helen had retired, they enjoyed travelling. They visited several countries, including Ireland, where John’s ancestors originated. Back at home, John always liked to keep busy, or maybe he was avoiding the chatter of his four women. Either way, he was often found puttering in his vegetable garden or going up to the sugarbush. He and Helen made maple syrup there in the spring and John was always driving up during the off-season, building a bridge across the creek, cutting firewood for the evaporator and woodstove, or just soaking up the serenity of a place he loved.
John was a sociable guy who liked to meet up with his pals at Tim Hortons for a chat, or have a long chin wag with a neighbour while leaning on the fence. After he moved to Roberta Place two years ago, Helen spent many happy hours visiting him there each day. They were both grateful for the many kind-hearted staff members who cared for John and made Helen feel so welcome.
Unfortunately, COVID means we can’t have a big gathering to celebrate a well-lived life. But whether your John stories are about him riding his pony, Beauty, after he’d grown so tall his feet nearly dragged the ground; the many times he moved his daughters to and from university towing a rickety trailer piled Clampett-high; or the way he’d hand out half-sticks of Dentyne gum, we hope you recall his sense of humour and easy-going nature and remember him with a smile.