Into his 91st year and still ‘not old’. John Davidson Addie died peacefully at the Hilltop Manor in Cambridge on March 3rd, 2024. John Addie was born a twin in Quebec City. He later lived in Rochester N.Y., Milwaukee, and Guelph, ON.
John was a very generous spirit. He donated to dozens of charities, notably to the Red Cross, Sick Kids, the Alzheimer Society, the Canadian Diabetes Foundation, Operation Smile, Heart and Stroke Foundation, March of Dimes, and the SPCA.
John was very generous to those he loved, willing to help at every turn. There is one incident, in particular, which demonstrates John’s character. John received a commendation award from the Milwaukee Police Department for outstanding service to the community. He was also featured in The Mariner with an article entitled “Beyond the Call of Duty”. Below is an excerpt from that article:
On April 23rd, 1986, John was leaving his apartment for work at Marine’s Service Center when he noticed several police cars and firetrucks outside. Looking up to see what was going on, he was horrified when he saw a man standing on the fifth-floor ledge. John realized the police’s attempts to talk to the man were in vain because the man couldn’t understand them. He was deaf. John with his own hearing impairment knew sign language and intervened. He signed “No” and “You will get help.” The man was surprised to see John who continued speaking to him. “It’s too cold outside. Go back to your room.” The man on the ledge listened and went inside.
In his early years John - a keen learner, attended several trade schools and technical colleges in Milwaukee and Minneapolis in welding, electronics assembly, mechanics, appliance repair, and cabinet making. His hobbies included woodworking, leathercraft, and handicraft.
John was also a professional magician. His delight was to perform magic tricks in front of an audience. A very shy person, magic gave him a way to socialize and entertain. He was highlighted in The Deaf Magician’s Handbook. Since the early 90’s he was a member of every magician’s club, Academy, Alliance, and Society granting him a Lifetime Membership at the International Magician’s Society.
John moved to Guelph in his 70’s and stayed with his second cousin and wife. He spent his later years in the comfort of his own home with his second cousin Dereck Addie and Dereck’s wife Sonia. He lived very independently, was a lifelong bachelor but never lost hope of finding the right woman. Active in the community, he walked to the bus every day in his funny hat and was seen downtown at Wimpy’s, McDonald’s, Cora’s, Stone Road Mall or at the bird store.
At home he would feed the birds. We enjoyed seeing an array of birds in our backyard because he thought we would like that. He also had a cat – Girby – whom he loved to feed. It was not uncommon for the neighbours to hear John to call out to his cats. In his spare time John played the lottery, insisting that he had a special system to win. He liked to tinker in his workshop making doorbell lighting systems for the deaf. He also devised a way to charge batteries for his own hearing aids using clothespins.
John will be missed by his family and those who knew him. The family would appreciate a donation to any of the above charities.