John Burton Hatfield

John was born in North Vancouver, where his father owned a garage and sold cars. When the depression came and the car market dropped the family moved to the Comox Valley where his father Burton worked as a mechanic for the highways department. They first rented a small farm on Cliffe Avenue and lived mostly off the land.

In 1935 they bought a home and some land on the corner of Anderton Road and Comox Avenue. There they ran the Home Gas station and tourist cabins. John’s mother Connie ran a small store there as well.

John started his lifelong trait of being a hard worker at the age of nine hand pumping the gas. He was almost ready to graduate from Comox high school when he joined the Canadian army at the age of 18 in 1944. He served as a prison guard in a German POW camp on the prairies.

Upon his release from the army in 1946 he finished up his high school courses and attended UBC to pursue a forestry degree. He obtained a job in 1951 as a forest ranger on the north island.

In 1954 he married a local farmer’s daughter, Phyllis Janes and they began their married life on a float house in remote Echo Bay B.C. where John carried out his ranger duties using forestry boats. In 1955 they moved to Comox and lived in a small duplex on his parent’s property. In 1960 they built a bigger duplex on the same property where the old gas station was, which is now a realty office.

They raised five children and in 1965 John and Phyllis opened the Tastee Freez restaurant on that same corner property. They served soft ice cream, 50 flavours of milkshakes and fast food until 1981. John then began his own forestry business, Tech Forest Consulting and worked hard for many years surveying, managing forests and training people in forest practices until he was in his early 80s. He then began a firewood business until he couldn’t work anymore.

He and Phyllis enjoyed their grandchildren and hobbies at their mid century style home on Anderton Road. John loved fishing, woodworking, gardening and was a willing helper in his children’s many house building and other construction projects over the years. His final hobby in his early 90s was restoring Pete’s reels.

After Phyllis passed away in 2019 John left his home of 56 years and moved into Cummings Seniors home for three happy years. His last home was at Oceanfront Village where he enjoyed a wonderful view of his much loved Comox Harbour where he spent many boyhood hours fishing for salmon.

He leaves behind his sister Betty of Courtenay, his daughters, Lisa (Willie), Moira (Cliff), Anne (Greg) and his two sons, John (Heather) and Rob (Shanna). He had eight grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. He was a wonderful father and grandfather to us all!

The family would like to thank the staff of Cummings Home and Oceanfront Village for their great care of dad over the past five years. An informal open house style celebration of life will be held at the Comox Legion on Saturday, August 17 from 2 to 4 PM.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in John’s memory to the Comox Museum or our local Salvation Army.

In loving memory of

John Burton Hatfield

February 23, 1926 - July 15, 2024