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.
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!!
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Peacefully, John (affectionately known to many as Captain Jack) left us just short of his 103rd birthday. He was predeceased by his wife Muriel in 2017 after 71 years of marriage. Together they created many memories spending their summers in the Whiteshell boating and fishing with family and friends.
After more than 30 years at the T.Eaton Co he retired at age 62. He filled his retirement years travelling, golfing, and curling. He earned a lifetime membership to the Lorette Golf Course and finally gave up his golf cart at 95. He was featured as the CTV sports star of the week for curling at Fort Garry CC at age 96.
He is survived by his daughters; Wendy (Colin), Jennifer, Jan (Barrie); grandchildren Kris (Sarah), Jillian, Chelsea (Mike), Bryan (Laura), Andrew (Magda), Christian and Brendan. He also leaves behind his great-grandchildren; Jaden, Luna, Noah, Alice, Kaia and many nieces and nephews and their families.
Jack proudly hung his letters congratulating him on his 100th birthday from the Queen and honouring his service to his country from the Minister of Veterans Affairs. He will be fondly remembered for his storytelling, love of cars and especially his quick wit, honesty and integrity.
In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Veterans Affairs Canada.
Friends and family are invited to share memories and condolences on John’s memorial page by using the comments field below.
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