John Swanton
The passing of John Swanton, husband of the late Betty (Reid)
Swanton occurred at the Fredericton Veterans’ Health Unit on
July 17, 2018, in his 98th year. Born in Saint John, NB he was the son
of the late Charles and Mabel Swanton.
John met the love of his life at the age of 16 and loved
Betty, though he lost her in 2002, till the day he died. He is
survived by his children Ted (Tracy) of Calgary and Peggy Goss (Bill)
of Fredericton; grandchildren Jennifer (Wood), CJ, Sean, Mandy, Tony,
Nick, Alex and Matt, as well as great grandchildren Dublin (Wood),
Tegan, Gracie, Amelia and Zoe. In addition to his wife and parents, he
was predeceased by his brother Charles and his sisters, Dorothy and
Claire.
John served in Italy and NW Europe during WWII as a
Lieutenant in the Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians).
Following the war, he joined the NB Telephone Co. and lived in Saint
John, St. Stephen, Woodstock and Fredericton until he left in 1963 to
become General Manager of Wandlyn Motor Inns. He retired in 1986 as
Senior Vice President.
John believed in giving back to the communities in which he
lived and his community service record is too long to list here; he
was president of almost every community service group imaginable. He
also chaired fundraisers to pay off the debt for the Charlotte County
Hospital, to raise funds to build the Saunder’s St. YMCA
Building and chaired the Christ Church Cathedral Restoration Committee
for 8 years during the planning, financial campaign and initial
reconstruction phase.
John was the recipient of the Rotary Club International Paul
Harris Fellowship Award, the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce
Distinguished Citizen’s Award and served as Honourary Lt-Col
of the Royal Canadian Armour Corps School in Base Gagetown from
2011-2014.
John was also a member of the Masonic Lodge and the Rotary
Club for more than 50 years. He loved reciting long poems from memory
into his 90’s, was a skilled carpenter, a collector and
restorer of fine NB antiques, an avid hunter and fisherman, as well as
a great cook who loved preparing multi-course game dinners. Those of
us who loved him never figured out how he excelled at so many things
and gave so much time to his community while still being a wonderful
father and husband. John was truly a Renaissance Man.
Visitation will take place at McAdam’s Funeral Home
on Friday, July 20, 2018 from 4 to 7 pm. The funeral service will be
held at Christ Church Cathedral on Monday, July 23, 2018 at 11 am with
The Very Rev. Geoffrey Hall officiating. Donations in John’s
memory may be made to Christ Church Cathedral Restoration Fund or
Heart and Stroke.
www.mcadamsfh.com
Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de John Swanton 2018.source
Décès pour la Ville: Fredericton, Province: Nouveau-Brunswick
