Hi everyone,
This is a longer version of the obituary that we edited for brevity in the Sun and Spectator (incidentally, the obit will appear in both papers today and Monday).
Best wishes,
Fred
John Joseph Ford passed away peacefully on Tuesday, January 9, 2007 in Vancouver.
John was born in Hamilton, Ontario on March 23, 1935. Predeceased by his parents Loretto Knapman and Edward Ford, and by sisters Rosalie, Marcielle, Helen and Colleen, John is survived by his sisters Mary Catherine, Loretto Ann, Jackie, Mildred, Nora Jean, Maureen and brothers Ed, Pat, Dan and Mike. John was a beloved uncle to his many nieces and nephews.
John lived in Vancouver for the past 30 years. Following a career as a stage and television actor in Ontario, Quebec, England and Vancouver, John worked at the UBC Book Store for 20 years until his retirement.
John was a citizen of the world, keenly aware of the life of his community and the political and social condition of his fellow men and women. His uncanny ability to capture the beauty or absurdity of the moment with the turn of a phrase or a simple “harrumph” was one of his most endearing and enduring qualities. An aficionado of music, literature, art and architecture, John appreciated the finer things in life, but was splendidly satisfied with a minimalist lifestyle in his Downtown Eastside community. Cerebral, bawdy, reverent, irreverent, gentle, severe, dignified and outrageous, John was true to himself, his friends and his family. John regularly held court at his local pub, The Bourbon in Gastown, with colourful stories of his vast family and the many fascinating characters and events of his life, often concluding with his trademark exclamation, “And it’s all true!”
A memorial celebration of John’s life will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 18th in Sylvia’s Dining Room at The Sylvia Hotel on English Bay. A Funeral Mass at St. Joseph’s Convent in Hamilton, Ontario is planned.
The Ford family wishes to extend thanks to staff at St. Paul’s Hospital and especially to Dr. Robert Voigt. Charitable donations may be made to the First United Church Social Housing Society in Vancouver (604-253-4720).
The weight of this sad time, we must obey;
Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say.
The oldest hath borne most: we that are young
Shall never see so much, nor live so long.
- Shakespeare (King Lear)
This is a longer version of the obituary that we edited for brevity in the Sun and Spectator (incidentally, the obit will appear in both papers today and Monday).
Best wishes,
Fred
John Joseph Ford passed away peacefully on Tuesday, January 9, 2007 in Vancouver.
John was born in Hamilton, Ontario on March 23, 1935. Predeceased by his parents Loretto Knapman and Edward Ford, and by sisters Rosalie, Marcielle, Helen and Colleen, John is survived by his sisters Mary Catherine, Loretto Ann, Jackie, Mildred, Nora Jean, Maureen and brothers Ed, Pat, Dan and Mike. John was a beloved uncle to his many nieces and nephews.
John lived in Vancouver for the past 30 years. Following a career as a stage and television actor in Ontario, Quebec, England and Vancouver, John worked at the UBC Book Store for 20 years until his retirement.
John was a citizen of the world, keenly aware of the life of his community and the political and social condition of his fellow men and women. His uncanny ability to capture the beauty or absurdity of the moment with the turn of a phrase or a simple “harrumph” was one of his most endearing and enduring qualities. An aficionado of music, literature, art and architecture, John appreciated the finer things in life, but was splendidly satisfied with a minimalist lifestyle in his Downtown Eastside community. Cerebral, bawdy, reverent, irreverent, gentle, severe, dignified and outrageous, John was true to himself, his friends and his family. John regularly held court at his local pub, The Bourbon in Gastown, with colourful stories of his vast family and the many fascinating characters and events of his life, often concluding with his trademark exclamation, “And it’s all true!”
A memorial celebration of John’s life will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 18th in Sylvia’s Dining Room at The Sylvia Hotel on English Bay. A Funeral Mass at St. Joseph’s Convent in Hamilton, Ontario is planned.
The Ford family wishes to extend thanks to staff at St. Paul’s Hospital and especially to Dr. Robert Voigt. Charitable donations may be made to the First United Church Social Housing Society in Vancouver (604-253-4720).
The weight of this sad time, we must obey;
Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say.
The oldest hath borne most: we that are young
Shall never see so much, nor live so long.
- Shakespeare (King Lear)
Comments