With profound sadness we said goodbye to John. He will be deeply missed by; wife Judith, daughters Ellen and Margaret and son John (Cheyenne) as well as his mother, Marylyn, brothers Lawrence and David and sister Theresa (Derek) and nephews Alex, Justin, Eric, Ethan, Nolan, Kevin, Shaylyn, Joey, Dennis, Alex, Jake, Charlotte, Violette. In-laws; Melanie (Todd) Masters, Wesley (Kathy) Anderson, Cathy (Ian) Anderson.
Born November 7, 1967, in Alberta, John moved to British Columbia in 1968. He was a brilliant man with many interests and hobbies.
Sharing a love of astronomy with his grandpa he joined the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada in his youth. He continued this passion after graduating with his master’s from the University of Victoria by working at the Hertzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Centre developing instruments for observatories, as well as travelling around the world to install and maintain them. John was one of the engineers on the MOST michrosat and the GHOST spectrograph.
John started violin at four and never stopped. His longtime friend and colleague Frank Younger encouraged him to join the Juan de Fuca orchestra where he played for over twenty years, during which time we could hear him playing at all hours of the night when he was cramming for a concert.
John hunted almost every year with his father and brothers, and later his kids and nephews. He is an avid shooter and a member of the Saanich Rod and Gun Club where he would practice weekly.
“Scouter John” was a cub/scout/ventures leader for ten years and was deeply committed to sharing his love of the outdoors. He encouraged the kids to join so they could use the boats at 12th Garry Oak Sea Scouts and proceeded to make sure the boats were used and maintained. He tried to go on all the camping trips and events, enjoying his time as a Scouter to the fullest.
He married Judith in 1999, and their three children were the joy of his life. He bought far more Lego than one family needs and when the kids outgrew Lego he shifted to building models, pottery, ham radios and cars. He enjoyed building and installing around the house an assortment of antennae including a 40m antenna which reached most of the way around the world.
Exploring and learning about the world around him and sharing his discoveries with family, friends and colleges was his gift to those that knew him. John was truly an amazing man and will be deeply missed.
A Celebration of a Life well lived will be held in the Sequoia Centre at McCall Gardens, 4665 Falaise Drive, Victoria, BC on Friday, July 10 at 2:00pm.
Condolences may be offered to the family below.
McCall Gardens
This obituary is the property of the “Pazder” family and may not be reproduced, distributed, or altered in any way without prior written consent.
Leave Condolence