John Russell Ramsden

Russ (our dad) was born November 1, 1948, at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Toronto, Ontario. He began his “acting” career at age 5 while attending John English School in Mimico, Ontario, playing Hansel in a kindergarten version of Humperdinck’s “Hansel and Gretel.” When his dad, our Grandpa Jack, was promoted, the family moved to Calgary, AB in 1958. Throughout elementary and high school, dad was involved in several theatrical productions. He studied Fine Arts & Drama at the University of Calgary, participated in several productions both at the U of C and the Allied Arts Centre Children’s Theatre. For a brief time, he also wrote theatrical reviews for the Calgary Albertan. He then attended Baptist Leadership Training School (BLTS) where he sang in both the choir and a mixed quartet and directed small group touring plays. Dad eventually received his Bachelor of Education from the U of C and spent his 32-year teaching career at only two schools: Ecole College Park School and Evan Hardy Collegiate in Saskatoon.

Dad was a ‘theatre guy’ – over the years, he was an actor/director with Saskatoon Gateway Players and Summer Players; he was an adjudicator for high school festivals with the Saskatchewan Drama Association; he taught many Persephone Theatre day camps; and for the past number of years, was acting as a standardized patient for medical, nursing, pharmacy, and physical therapy education. Some of his proudest accomplishments include co-authoring a drama resource book and playing a lead role in the creation of a strong performing arts program at Evan Hardy Collegiate.

Dad was most proud of us, his children (we are not just tooting our own horn, these are the words he asked to be included!). He loved being able to take us each on our own trip to Ontario to visit the memorable places from his childhood; enjoyed directing us in several plays and musicals throughout our elementary and high school years; and delighted in our academic achievements. Dad also adored being with his granddaughters, Chloe and Emily, who always made him laugh and smile.

In his retirement years, dad had the most fun with his Book Club friends. To everyone’s surprise, he took up baking and would serve whatever cookie or pie recipe he had tried out when it was his turn to host. He may have single-handedly kept the movie theatres in business as he spent a lot of his time seeing movies from every genre whether it was on his own or with friends or family. He loved going to the Fringe Festival every summer with his friend Mick and taking in as many of the plays as they could muster.

Russ is survived by his daughter, Heather Kernohan (Kevin) and their children, Chloe and Emily; and his son, Josh Ramsden (Chelsey and her children Olive and Silas). He is also survived by his brother Keith Ramsden (Nada) and his nephew Jared Ramsden (Melissa). Russ was predeceased by his parents, Jack and Joyce Ramsden, his sister, Cathi Ramsden, and his niece, Bethany Ward.

We want to send our gratitude to Dr. Bigsby and the nursing staff at St. Paul’s Hospital; the oncology unit doctors, nurses, and social worker as well as the respiratory specialists at Royal University Hospital. A special thank you to Mandi and her colleagues with Mourning Glory/Acadia-McKague’s Funeral Chapel for walking us so compassionately down this road.

Please join us for a celebration of dad’s life on Wednesday July 5, 2023, at 1:00pm at Acadia-McKague’s Funeral Chapel (915 Acadia Drive, Saskatoon). Let’s fill the space with colour, laughter, and memories. Refreshments to follow. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in dad’s name to a charity that is important to you.