Feb. 15, 1948 – Nov. 25, 2022
It is with heavy hearts we announce the peaceful passing of John Earl Cuthbert surrounded by his family in the quiet morning hours of Friday Nov. 25, 2022 at the Selkirk Regional Health Centre at the age of 74 after a short battle with cancer.
He was predeceased by his parents; Vernon & Margaret (Peg) Cuthbert & his stepmother Shirley Routledge Cuthbert.
He is survived by his loving wife, soulmate & best friend of 24 years; Bonnie; brother Les (Wendy) Cuthbert, Ingersoll, Ont. & 3 nephews & families; stepsister Janine & families; stepbrother Brian (Sandra) & families; sister-in-law Mary-Lou (Don) Wilson, Wpg. Beach, Mb.
Children; Shelley Cuthbert Whitehorse, Yukon; Kim (Andrew) Junko Kenora, Ont., Sean (Maria) Cuthbert, Odense, Denmark; Cory (Keri) Jasysyn Wpg. Mb.; Kelly Bishop Selkirk, Mb.; Dustin (Farren) Jasysyn Carleton Place, Ont.
Grandchildren; Briana, Megan, Jake, Eric, Tyler, MacKenzie, Elliott, Katie, Docker & Delaney.
Great granddaughters; Sydney & Mya.
John was born in London, Ont. & attended Foldens Public School & I.D.C.I High School. He grew up farming in the Ingersoll area but his first passion was as a skilled Class A mechanic owning & operating his own garage, John’s Sunoco in Beachville, Ont.
John was a devoted, honest, hardworking father, grandfather & great grandfather. Family was John’s everything. He was well known as grandpa, papa & papa vroom vroom. If you needed him he was always there on a moments notice volunteering his knowledge & support with patience & understanding. John was loved by all who met him.
John & Bonnie met in 1994 having been introduced by a mutual friend, Randy. They married in 1998 & each brought 3 children into the marriage. They lived a short time in Selkirk then moved to Kenora where they enjoyed the lake life, family & special friends & coworkers. In the summer of 2007 they made the move back to Selkirk. John worked for Beaver Bus Lines retiring with health issues. Retirement wasn’t for John so he got a job driving for Handitransit/City of Selkirk Transit where he developed lifelong friendships working over 10 years with Char, Jamie, Bonnie, Vern & staff. Treasuring the time he spent there.
John took pride in volunteering for the local soup kitchen, delivering Meals On Wheels, being a member of the Selkirk Legion & of course belonging to the Lily Pad Cruisers Car Club where he could show off his pride & joy restoration of a 1952 GMC truck. John was a tinkerer, always up at the crack of dawn, out to the garage, tinkering till sundown. He restored a tractor, cars & many other projects over the years. It was amazing what he could make out of a bucket of nuts & bolts.
John & Bonnie were fortunate over the years to have some very special neighbors & friends. Vern, Brent & Laurie, Faye & Bob were constant reminders of what it was like to have truly amazing friends. They weathered the storm with John & Bonnie over the last year & stood by them when they didn’t think they could stand anymore, offering their friendship, support & assistance unconditionally. How very blessed they were.
The family’s gratitude goes out to the Doctors & nurses of Cancer Care Selkirk & Winnipeg & the nursing staff on the surgical wing of Selkirk Regional for the comfort & care of John & family in his final days.
As per John’s wishes a celebration of his life will be held in the summer of 2023 with close family & friends where his remains will be spread on the Winnipeg River in Kenora.
HIS HAPPY PLACE!!
Friends and family are invited to share memories and condolences on John’s memorial page by using the comment field below.
Please note: there is a delay between when a comment is posted to when it appears on the memorial page.
John’s Mom and my Mom were good friends and through his Dad Vern, we were cousins. We lived a mile apart, were the same age and went through Foldens (2 room) grade school together, walking or riding bikes home together throughout that time. We were excited to see smoke rising from the direction of the Cuthbert barns on one of those days and watched the community rally to ensure that no animals were lost, that volunteer firefighters were fed and that we had memories that would last. We played hockey together in our flooded chicken house with the neighborhood boys on Saturday nights in the winter, and in summer, took swimming lessons together when Mom would pack up to 12 local kids in the car to go to the Ingersoll pool to take swimming lessons. He was my best friend for the first 13 years of my life. I was always glad when John would come back for visits with his Uncle Don and Aunt Ruth Allin and I would catch upon what was happening in his life. Very grateful for this summary of a good friend’s life. Condolences to everyone who will have an empty space for him now.
John spoke often & fondly of you Tom. I felt like I knew you through his stories & there were lots of them! Thank you for sharing your memories. He will truly be missed.
Dad was a very special father. His cousin/sister Janet was by his side since he was very young. Even though they lived a great distance apart they were always able to talk. Janet was a great support for dad. Dad also was close to his Grandma Mary and Grandpa Stan Allan who passed many many yrs ago. He also loved his best friend Kenny Couch before Ken passed. I remember growing up Dad and Ken would always hang out, go fishing and just hang in the garage. I am sure they are laughing above arguing who is going to catch the biggest fish.
Dad also loved his two dogs Coal and Bailey. Those dogs were very special to dad and he was so heartbroken when they passed. I am sure Dad is walking and playing with them from above.
Thank you Tom for the memories I also remember when the barn burnt down.
Love You Dad
Shelley Çuthbert of Whitehorse Yukon not Yellowknife NWT
May you rest in peace and forever surround your friends and family with your loving spirit. Your daughter…Shelley Cuthbert of Whitehorse* Yukon Territories* who daily weathers the elements and her life for the caring and protection of unwanted dogs. It is evident that you both had a very deep connection that you can now express freely in spirit. You shall be truly missed, John.
May you rest in peace and forever surround your friends and family with your loving spirit. Your daughter…Shelley Cuthbert of Whitehorse* Yukon Territories* who daily weathers the elements and her life for the caring and protection of unwanted dogs. It is evident that you both had a very deep connection that you can now express freely in spirit. You shall be truly missed, John.
I am a transit rider but I had met John when he drove Beaver Bus. I always share a good laugh with John as we would reminise about some of the drivers at Beaver Bus and some thoughts on him. I then connected back with John when he started to drive Selkirk Transit. He was a very kind soul. When he would train new drivers he would always tell them where they were to drop me off. It became Maria’s corner. When I lost my partner, John and all the transit staff attended his funeral. For that I will always be grateful. John was ready to take in my dog if there was no where else for him to go after my partner died. I had the pleasure to visit with John and Bonnie and talk of my trip to Nova Scotia and share pictures. We talked about John and his cancer and I shared some things that my partner and I went through when my partner had cancer. John and Bonnie you were two good friends. Rest in Peace John
Thank you so much for your memories of John…Maria. He cherished all his friendships with family & friends. Good soul gone too soon!!!