It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of John Batt on February 20th, 2023, at age 76.
Beloved husband of 34 years to Elaine Batt
Loving father of Eleanora Batt (Owen Fairholm) and Alexander Batt
Dear brother of Jennifer May (the late Trevor May)
Uncle to Robert May (Jennifer Moore)
Great Uncle to Jessica and Georgia May
Predeceased by his parents Arthur and Joan Batt
Born November 23, 1946, John grew up in Somerset England with his parents and older sister. The family were very close with his uncles, aunts and grandparents. He was very intelligent, often coming up with brilliant ideas to earn money, which never failed to get him into trouble.
After his schooling in England, John was married. They moved to Africa for several years adopting two dogs, Whisky and Brandy. He briefly returned to England and with the support of his second wife Sharon completed his accounting qualifications. They moved to Toronto where they created a lawn care tool business under the name Battique. His smartly designed light wheelbarrow is still in his room and working well despite its years of continuous use in carrying laundry. John soon gave this up and wrote the Canadian accounting exams to work for the Canadian Ministry of Agriculture. John loved Canada despite the bitter cold and he later became a Canadian Citizen. Excited at the prospect of property ownership, John bought both a condo and cottage. In lieu of starting a family, he joined the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program where he became a Big Brother to Anthony. They spent lots of time at the cottage enjoying the beach and nature. John joined the YMCA where he met his friend Bob and together they trained and ran a marathon. Bob later introduced him to Elaine Scott.
Married for a third time in 1988 to Elaine, they moved to Guelph to start a family. He became a father for the first time in 1989 with the birth of his daughter Eleanora, and again the next year with the birth of his son Alexander. During his years in Guelph, to the delight of his children, John told his children and their friends many stories. This led him to expand on his passion as an vibrant storyteller and “Monster Hunter” at schools and community programs. He was a dedicated community-minded volunteer at Scouts Canada, Homewood, and Chalmer’s Community Services. Friends of the family built and started a school in Zambia with financial support from John and Elaine. An avid traveler, John was thrilled to visit the school to see the changes it produced in the community. John also traveled for pleasure and vacationed yearly or bi-yearly most of his life. His favourite locations included Alaska, India, Egypt, China, or anywhere tropical.
John was a proud member of Alcoholics Anonymous and a sponsor to many members over the years. He attended meetings thrice weekly and developed strong life-long friendships. This September would have celebrated his 40th AA birthday. He lived by the motto “one day at a time”.
John had a bright, sunny, positive personality and will be missed by all friends and extended family.
Resting at Gilbert MacIntyre & Son Funeral Home, Hart Chapel, 1099 Gordon St, Guelph. All those who knew John are invited to join us for a Drop-In Visitation on Wednesday March 1st, 2023 from 4:00-8:00pm with Words of Remembrance being shared at 5 pm.
A special thanks to the staff and volunteers at Grand River Cancer Centre, Guelph General Hospital, St. Mary’s Hospital, Home and Community Care, Bayshore, and Hospice Wellington. We could not have gotten through this year without such amazing people!
If desired, donations to Chalmers Community Services or Hospice Wellington would be greatly appreciated by the family. Donations and condolences can be left at the funeral home or online at www.gilbertmacintyreandson.com
https://chalmerscentre.ca/donate/
https://www.hospicewellington.org/donate