John graduated from Lakeport High School, St. Catharines, Ont., in 1973, then attended Niagara College, Welland, Ont. Debbie caught his eye when John was in his early 20s, and they dated, but John wasn’t ready to settle down. He moved to Abbotsford, B.C., then to Calgary, where he drove truck for Palliser Furniture. He returned to St. Catharines in his 30s, earning a BA in communications from Brock University in 1988. He also reconnected with Debbie. They married in 1986 and moved to Kitchener-Waterloo, Ont., in 1989, when John began working as a customer account representative at Babcock and Wilcox. His eye for quality was evident in his taste in cars, clothes, music, wine and food. John was a hardworking, dedicated family man respected for his integrity and commitment to home, church and work relationships and responsibilities. He made many fond family memories camping and golfing. On an exceptionally cold night, John suffered a massive heart attack while shovelling snow with his sons.
