PARKER, Cecil John - On Sunday January 21st 2024, John Parker passed away peacefully in his Arbor Trails home in Guelph Ontario. He was surrounded by his loving wife Ersa, as well as members of his immediate family.
John and Ersa enjoyed a very happy marriage of almost 71 years where they raised 7 children and lived to enjoy relationships with their children’s spouses, 26 grandchildren and 24 great grandchildren. John will be joining his father Ed and mother Lois, as well as sister Sylvia, brother Richard and oldest son, Karl in Heaven. In addition to Ersa, he is survived by son Wayne, and daughters Gwenda, Sharon, Holly, Lisa and Nancy.
Cecil John Parker was born in Toronto on June 2nd 1932, to English immigrant parents. A proud and loyal Canadian, he spent all but the last 5 years in Toronto. At an early age, two interests developed that were to shape much of his world view and passions for the rest of his life: he became a stamp collector and he delivered newspapers throughout the second World War. Both engaged his active young mind as he studied current history, geography and events that shaped nations and empires across the seas and across time. Right up to his last breath, John could engage complete strangers in active discussions about their homeland and its history. He had a unique ability to accurately explain both the context and issues of events and geography of the world, and all in the contemporaneous order in which they occurred! His children became accustomed to a random call or message from Dad that simply said, “Did you remember that today, November 7th, is the day in 1885 that William VanHorne and Lord Strathcona pounded the last spike in Craigellachie BC, completing the CPR dream of a coast-to-coast railway in Canada?”
John spent the majority of his working career as an Automobile Underwriting Manager. In his last few years, he especially enjoyed running a small bookstore specializing in religious reading material, where he found many opportunities to share his active interest in Christianity and cultivation of the growth of important spiritual and moral concepts. He supported a wide variety of charities and causes as he firmly believed in the active responsibility of citizens being engaged with the world in productive ways. John was a very modest and charitable man, who fervently believed in, and lived, a life of use and service to his neighbour. He was not a complicated person and was well known for his kindness, cheerful acceptance, and firm principles and values. He will be remembered as, a loving husband, father and friend by all who came in contact with this very good man.
Cremation has taken place. Arrangements entrusted to WALL-CUSTANCE FUNERAL HOME & CHAPEL (519-822-0051 / www.wallcustance.com).
Memorial contributions to the Guelph Arboretum, Second Harvest, and The Friends of Algonquin Park would be appreciated.
A tree will be planted in memory of C. John Parker in the Wall-Custance Memorial Forest.