John George Howson

It is with heavy hearts we announce the passing of our beloved father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, and friend. John passed peacefully after a long battle with cancer on February 16, 2018, at the age of 89. He was born on June 24, 1928 in Brockville, Ontario.

John is survived by his daughter Nancy Kotz (Jim); and 3 sons Jeffrey, Daryl (Beth) and Peter (Shirley); brother, Dwane; grandchildren Leah, Jeffrey, Brett, Ryan, Allan, Kaitlyn and Alexander; great-grandchildren Freyja, Thorben, Aesir, Jazmyn and Logan.

John was pre-deceased by his wife Bernice (Killam); parents George and Ellen (Anderson); his sisters Lillian Dagenais (Les) and Donna Olsvik (Jim) and brother Irwin (Ruth).

John grew up in Arnprior, Ontario. He met the love of his life, Bernice in Toronto and were married on July 24, 1954. John served in the Canadian Armed Forces as a meteorologist and lived with their children throughout the world. He retired from the forces in 1977. Upon retirement they moved to Dryden, Ontario where he worked in the Fire control department of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. He retired from the Ministry in 1991. He enjoyed curling, fishing, camping and gardening. He also enjoyed spending winters in Texas. He always had lots of good jokes and excelled in crossword puzzles. He loved watching nature and sports shows, and always enjoyed reading daily newspapers.

A private viewing was held on Tuesday, Feb 20, 2018, followed by cremation. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Royal Canadian Legion.

John, you will be missed by everyone who knew you, thank you so much for everything.