August 1, 1942 – May 23, 2013
It is with broken hearts filled by sorrow that we say goodbye to our beloved Johnnie.
On May 23, 2013, John Thomas Harper passed away with the love of his family surrounding him. John leaves behind his beloved wife, Vlasta; his son Stafford (Tracy); his daughters Theresa and Cynthia and grandson Oscar; his sister Susan Lindsay and brother Glen Harper along with his nieces, nephew and their families.
If you were fortunate enough to have known Johnnie then you will know that today the world has lost a special person not just for those who were close to him, having owned and operated the Esquire Barbershop for over 40 years, John was a trusted friend and confidant to many. Anyone lucky enough to have made his acquaintance will recognize that he was a man with a generous heart and his kindness was limitless.
You will always be on our minds and forever in our hearts…There will be no service by request, a private service for family will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the BC Cancer Foundation. Condolences may be offered to the family below.
24 Responses
Dear Vlasta,
We were so sad to hear that John has passed away after such a long struggle. We were impressed with your strength, courage and the love you gave him during his long illness. We know this strength and courage will help to support you in the months ahead. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
With love from your friends Pauline and Rudi
To John’s family,
I have known John for 40 years as a client and a friend having moved to Victoria in 1973 and Johns was the first place I stopped for a haircut. I had the previlege of being his client the last day he worked at the shop. I will always remember his coutesy and caring about the lives of his clients. I am so very sorry to hear of his passing as I saw him at the hospital several days before as I was doing my volunteer work on the cardiac ward. I will always remember him and continue to go to his shop as long as I can.
Deepest sympathy and warnest thoughts at this time.
Terry Dunlop
I was taken back and shocked when I saw John’s obituaries in the paper, He was a gentleman and just a really nice guy. My prayers go out to his family and he will be missed.
I heard this quote and thought it was exactly how I felt about my brother Johnnie,
” I was proud to know you,
I was proud you were ours
I will love you forever”
Thank you for a lifetime of memories. Your sister Susan xx
Today has been a very sad day. Sad, because I called John for an appointment and a strange voice told me that John had retired. Shocked that he would just retire without telling anyone was just not John’s way of doing things! In fact, John has stated to me on several occasions that was not likely to happen.
Curiosity getting the better of me, I called his home and when I asked to speak to John, his wife gave me the bad news and was genuinely shocked.
John and I go all the way back to 1969 or 1970 and I can tell you that better people are very hard to find. He was a skilled barber and a real gentleman who always displayed a gentle demeanor.
I miss you already, John and say hi to Stan for me!
I moved into John’s 765/777 Broughton building in the fall of 1981. When I needed a haircut, one of my co-workers recommended John, in the Esquire, just downstairs. I tried him, and continued using his great services, enjoying our conversations, until the spring of 2013, some 32 years of friendship! Even after I retired in 1999, I continued to drive downtown to give my business to him.
I was shocked to see his obit in the newspaper so soon after he retired, and had no idea there was a serious problem with his health. I will certainly miss my every 4-6 week visits with him, as will hundreds of others. Please accept my most sincere condolences in the loss of this fine man.
I was saddened to read John’s obituary in today’s paper (May 30). John and I go a long way back to his early days in the orginal Den on Yates St. and continued almost until I retired some 16 years ago. I was in the RC Navy in the early days and then worked in the provincial government. I even acted as amodel for him in some of his early courses beyond basic barbering. We had great laughs interspersed with serious and happy convesations while he plied his stlying techniques.
I am certain that all his clients will remember him with great fondness for a great guy and fine barber and stylist. God bless him and his family. Doug
I was a client of John’s for more than 30 years. He was a good barber but an even better friend – always willing to chat, listen and share life experiences.
It happened that I worked next door and the Esquire was convenient that I first came to his shop. But even after retirement I didn’t think twice about changing. I just didn’t want to give up the pleasure of our periodic visits.
I will sincerely miss his friendship after all these years. My kindest condolences to John’s family.
I have been one of John’s clients for the past ten years. I know John will be greatly missed by all those with whom he came into contact.
My condolences go out to the family.
I was so saddened to hear of the passing of John Harper and offer my heartfelt condolences to his entire family. John was my barber for the last 35 years since around 1978. Even when I moved to Metchosin 23 years ago, and even after I retired from working in downtown Victoria about 10 years ago, not once did I ever consider changing barbers. John was so incredibly kind and generous sharing his insights. I so looked forward to those days when I would bike on the Gallooping Goose to town to get my haircut – as I so appreciated having a chance to chat with John. He shared with me his adventures crusing, and when my wife and I booked our first cruise last year to Alaska, he answered my many questions. I was getting both a haircut and travel consulting services at the same time! I loved to hear about his vacation trips with his wife, and he asked about mine. I will miss John so much as I know will be the case with his many loyal friends who were fortunate enough to have John as their barber.