John Lloyd Tobin

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John Lloyd Tobin

August 26, 1950 – March 17, 2024

In true jokester fashion, performing the ultimate Irish Goodbye, John passed away suddenly on St. Patrick’s Day, due to a brain aneurysm. John was born in Glace Bay, Cape Breton, NS, to parents Lloyd Tobin and Mercedes (MacNeil) Tobin. The second eldest of 7 children, he spent his early years in Cape Breton until love and curiosity prompted him to head west. First to Alberta, where he worked as a newspaper editor, and then BC, where ultimately, he chose Vancouver Island to call home with his family. He is survived and missed by his adoring wife of 44 years, Ruthanne (Addicott) Tobin, his daughter Shenoa (Aaron) Tobin, his son Connor (Samantha) Tobin, and his 5 loving grandkids, as well as his six brothers and sisters, Terry Sutherland, Donnie Tobin, Nick (Claire) Tobin, Arlene Tobin, Anne (Ken) Tobin and Gerald Tobin, and all the friends he collected along the way. John never met a stranger he couldn’t befriend or make laugh.

John was renowned for his warmth, kindness, and his ability to weave a tale. Paired with an inexhaustible willingness to commit to a joke, his classic beat-you-to-the-lobby move of racing down four flights of stairs to outrun the elevator so he could casually greet you when the doors opened with, “What took you so long?”, will never not be missed.

John was a brilliant photographer that got as much joy out of teaching his grandkids how to use a camera as he did capturing them on film. Ruthanne and John were looking forward to travelling more in their retirement years, as they loved to explore the world together. John took so much joy in playing pickleball in his last decade and would have you know that pickleball is the world’s finest sport. You could always count on John to fill the room with his warm tenor, belting out a Stan Rogers tune or a Beatles classic. He gave great advice rooted in compassion and he asked great questions that made others feel worthy of his time. He will be so missed by those he cared for and made laugh, and ultimately reassured that the world is a beautiful place to be…until you’re called to the great beyond.

A small celebration of life was held at Sea Cider Farm in Saanichton, BC. His ashes will be scattered in beautiful Cape Breton this summer, returning him home to the Atlantic. In lieu of flowers, John would encourage you to do something unexpectedly kind for someone else, and then keep it to yourself.