The first time I met John and his daughters Rosemary and Caroline was way back when I was a child in Jamaica. One afternoon, he wrestled with the four of us, throwing and tossing us about. Mark and I were so delighted with our new friend we called him ‘Mr. Fun Man’. To our regret, he refused to ever do it again. For years, especially after he made a decision we didn’t like, or needed help with some particularly hard chore, we would ask what ever happened to Mr. Fun Man? The truth is it is easy to be popular for a few hours, but a lot harder to be a step-parent. Over the past 40+ years John became an important part of my life and I am will always remember the wonderful times we had together, and appreciate his love, caring and support.

I count myself lucky to have had a generous and good-natured father-in-law like John. From the first time I met him he treated me like a member of the family and put me to work. My first real interaction with John was helping him set up some lights as part of a marquee they had put up on their lawn at the farm. I believe it was to celebrate his retirement. It was such a small thing but it allowed me and him to get to know each other in a nice relaxed way…which is always appreciated when you’re meeting your girlfriend’s parents those first few times. He also had me help him burn a huge brush pile which involved dumping gasoline on it using a tractor bucket….which in retrospect was probably not the most sound idea. As the years past and I got the opportunity to share many special occasions with John and my growing family. He showed a sincere interest in Sarah’s and my daily goings on and that of our two sons. They loved that he attended their soccer games, early morning hockey or going with them to the symphony. Perhaps most of all he let them be kids….whether taking them on tractor rides or searching for frogs and goldfish in the pond, their Grandpa was fun. We’ll miss him a lot.

Some of my fondest memories of my Dad were from my 'horsey days' when he used to drive me all over southern Ontario for horse shows and Pony Club events. My Dad was not a horseman, with the horses usually leading or lunging him around rather than the other way around. Nonetheless, he supported my passion for horses and let me live a dream that so many other kids would have envied. I truly thank him for his time, unwavering patience and dedication to my riding. I also remember his beaming smile on significant events in my life like my marriage to Robert and the birth of my two boys, Rowan and Evan. My Dad wholeheartedly welcomed Robert into our family and was a good friend to him. He was also a wonderful and loving Grandpa to our boys. Rowan and Evan loved riding around with their Grandpa on the tractor and catching frogs together in Dad's pond. At the age of 6, Rowan also loved the opportunity to take Grandpa to the symphony in Toronto. Rowan showed him the ropes on the subway, which was completely foreign to my Dad, being from the country. They navigated their way underground to Roy Thomson Hall and had a great time at the concert. Luckily, we all had a chance to say goodbye to my Dad before he died. We will miss him dearly, but will continue to remember all the wonderful times we had together. Sarah