John David Seagram died peacefully on February 4, 2026, at the age of 90.
John was born on January 3, 1936, in Toronto, Ontario, and spent his early years between Toronto and Ottawa. He attended Rockcliffe Elementary School in Ottawa and Whitney Public School in Toronto, before going on to Trinity College School in Port Hope. He completed his undergraduate degree at Trinity College at the University of Toronto and later earned his MBA from the University of Western Ontario.
Around the time of his MBA studies, John was briefly married to Nan DuMoulin. He was later married to Martha Seagram (née O’Kell), with whom he shared their daughter Kelly. Toronto remained John’s primary home for much of his adult life.
John joined Martin Lucas in Toronto as investment counsel, earned his Chartered Financial Analyst designation, and remained with the firm throughout his career, eventually retiring as Chair of Martin, Lucas and Seagram. He served as Chair of the CFA Society Toronto from 1969 to 1970. John’s Toronto life included memberships at the Badminton & Racquet Club, the Toronto Club, and the Ticker Club.
He was predeceased by his parents, Norman O. Seagram and Constance B. Seagram (née Mills), and by his brother Norman M. Seagram (Joyce). John is survived by his daughter Kelly Seagram (Mitchel Kajiura); his brother Robert Michael Seagram (Stephanie); and his nieces and nephews Susan, Philip (Dana), Joe (Belinda), Samantha (Andrew Airlie), Heather, Christopher (Heather Sande), Nicolas, and Annie (Stephen Luscher). He is also fondly remembered by Martha’s son and Kelly’s brother, Joseph Sean O’Kell Dinsmore (Cassidy).
Some of John’s happiest early memories were shaped by summers spent at North Bohemia Island on Lake Rousseau, surrounded by cousins, aunts, uncles and friends. Despite his smaller stature, John was a lifelong sportsman. He captained several teams and earned the affectionate nickname “Baggy” for never quite filling out his uniform. His hockey teammates included lifelong friends Michael DePencier and Chuck Scott, and they frequently recounted winning the Lawrenceville Invitational Tournament in New York as high school students over their following 75 years of friendship. At Trinity College at the University of Toronto, John met John Lash (“JL”), who also became one of his close friends for most of his life.
John remained a devoted hockey fan, following the Toronto Maple Leafs. In 1972, he travelled as part of the Canadian contingent to Moscow for the Summit Series and was present at the historic Game 7 and the celebrations that followed.
John also loved horse racing. As a young man, he spent many days at the backstretch learning its intricacies, and he followed thoroughbred racing throughout his life with pride in the Seagram family’s legacy in Canadian racing.
As a high school student, John worked as a camp counsellor at Camp Hurontario, leading canoe trips and outings for younger boys. It was there that he first fell in love with the landscape of Georgian Bay, a love that would endure for the rest of his life. He spent decades of summers in the Sans Souci area and was devoted to the stewardship and protection of the Bay. He was a long-serving President of the Sans Souci Copperhead Association.
John learned to sail as a child in Muskoka and later raced his Laser sailboat in annual regattas on Georgian Bay. After retiring from investment counsel practice, he served two terms as Ward Councillor for the Township of the Archipelago.
John supported many initiatives to protect Georgian Bay, including the Georgian Bay Association, the Georgian Bay Land Trust, and the Georgian Bay Great Lakes Foundation. He was a contributor to the Georgian Bay Biosphere Project, a long effort that resulted in a portion of Georgian Bay being designated a Littoral Biosphere by UNESCO. In retirement, John took up kayaking and embarked on many adventures with his dear friend Anne Maher Hauck – affectionately known as “The Admiral.” Together they paddled near and far. John also kayaked along the Amalfi Coast in Italy and around Crete. Back on Perdue Island in Sans Souci, John found joy in paddling about, tending island trails, and monitoring the osprey nest on its sheltered side.
An early member of the Georgian Peaks Ski Club, and briefly its President, he spent many winter weekends at his ski-in cabin on the hill, hosting guests and welcoming friends for an après. He participated in Lively Cup races with Peaks friends and annual ski weekends with the Beaver Winter Club. John first learned to ski at age four in Rockcliffe Park in Ottawa, later travelling on the old ski train from Toronto to Craigleith, where his family was collected at the station in a horse-drawn sleigh. A lifelong downhill skier, he travelled widely to ski, including trips to Aspen, Sun Valley, the Bugaboos, and all over the Alps, but Georgian Peaks remained his home base.
For much of his life, John lived with significant hearing loss and was later diagnosed with a rare retinal degeneration. He met the gradual loss of his eyesight, and eventual total blindness, with grace and resilience. He maintained a small but meaningful life in Toronto with in-home supports, and during the pandemic made the brave decision to relocate to Victoria to be closer to Kelly. He enjoyed two very good years at Carlton House in Victoria, forming new friendships and receiving steady support from his assistant, Sigrun Drewry. As his cognitive decline emerged, John spent his last years in long-term care. He faced his final transition with peace and understanding and was palliated with exceptional care and kindness by MD Shah Shahin and Melandro Ugas at Amica Jubilee House.
John was a handsome and gentle man with a sparkling twinkle in his eye and a wry sense of humour. He felt a deep duty of care and preservation toward his chosen communities. Reliable, socially warm, and widely liked, he sustained many lifelong friendships. He held traditional conservative values for most of his life while leaning socially liberal and embodied an older-era Canadian sensibility marked by humility, tradition, and order. He held both the strengths, and many imperfections, of that world with consistency and integrity. His example of stewardship and service is an honorable legacy.
Above all, John was a good friend. He will be deeply missed.
A memorial service will be held this summer at the Georgian Peaks Ski Club on Sunday July 12, 2026. Please RSVP before June 12 to seagram.rsvp@gmail.com
Donations in honor of John may be made to the Georgian Bay Land Trust or to any land-protection organization of personal significance.
Condolences may be offered to the family below.
McCall Gardens
www.mccallgardens.com
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11 Responses
I worked with John for many years at Martin Lucas and Seagram. He was an astute and always pleasant partner to work with and a very good friend. Following my retirement I lost touch with him…my failure and misfortune! I am deeply saddened to learn just recently of his passing. I extend my sincere condolences to his loved ones.