CARON, John Michael, CD, departed on his last flight on Wednesday, October
28, 2020, leaving a proud legacy of service to community, country and
family. He is predeceased by his wife of 54 years, Darlene Caron (nee
Carruthers). Together, they leave behind three children to cherish their
memories: Laurie Caron Pasher of Cape Breton, NS, Leanne Caron (Arni
Mikelsons) of Guelph, and David Caron (Jodi Armstrong) of Toronto. He was
a proud grandfather to Justin (Charisse), Jaime, and Kalvin Goyer (Natalie
Loft), Shawna Smith, Bradley, Lyndsay, Bryan (Claudia Smith), and Douglas
Piper, and Olivia and Spencer Caron. His legacy continues in his
great-grandchildren, Lion Ciuffreda, Nova Goyer, Emilia Piper, Reath
Loft-Goyer, and Indigo Cull.
Although everyone knew him as 'John', he was incredibly proud of his
French Canadian heritage dating back to one of 'les premiers habitants' of
New France, Robert Caron (1634). He was born Jean Michel Caron in 1935,
to Edgar Caron and Kathleen Christopher in Montreal, Quebec. He is
predeceased by his younger sister Janice Watt and by his adopted brother
Roger Caron of St. Louis, MO.
In 1955, while attending Mount Allison University for engineering (and
playing on Mount A's first football team), he joined the Royal Canadian
Air Force (RCAF), thus commencing a 40-year career in aviation. He
trained as a Long Range Aerial Navigator and received a Queen's Commission
in 1957. He was stationed in Torbay, NL, as part of the RCAF Maritime Air
Command, where he flew search and rescue missions during the Cold War as
part of the Lancaster Bomber No. 107 Rescue unit crew. He later
transferred to become an instructor at the RCAF Air Navigation School in
Winnipeg. There he met a young RN named Darlene from Drumheller, Alberta
and they married in 1962. He retired from the RCAF with the rank of
Flight Lieutenant and joined Air Canada in 1966 as a Navigator, later
training to become a pilot when technology made human navigation officers
obsolete.
John was active in community service throughout his life. He was a
founder of the Bramalea Ratepayers' Association and the Federation of
Urban Neighbourhoods (Ontario), and served on the Puslinch Planning Board
for many years. He was active in Kiwanis (a Mel Osborne and Hixson Fellow
and District Secretary-Treasurer for Eastern Canada and the Caribbean) as
well as the Rotary Club of Guelph (a Paul Harris Fellow) and the Guelph &
Wellington Men's Club. John was a life member of the Canadian Warplane
Heritage Museum, where his beloved Lancaster Bomber from Torbay was
restored, and is now known as the Mynarski Memorial Lancaster.
John is resting at MacIntyre & Son Funeral Home and Chapel at 252 Dublin
Street North in Guelph. A private family interment will take place on
Monday, November 2, 2020 at Woodlawn Memorial Park. An online Celebration
of Life service will be held at a later date due to COVID-19. To register
to be informed about the online service, or to send your memories about
John's life, send an email to [email protected].
In lieu of flowers, donations to the Guelph Civic Museum or Canadian
Warplane Heritage Museum would be greatly appreciated.