John Neville Distin
Oct 4, 1925 – April 13, 2022
John N. Distin, who died April 13, 2022, at the age of 96, made loyalty his guiding principle during his long life: loyalty to his country of birth, England: his country of choice, Canada, his loving wife Barbara and his 4 children who adored him, Craig, Kiloran (Donia Mounsef), Ann (Bill Switzer) and Hilary (Trevor Green, deceased). He will be deeply missed by his 5 beloved grandchildren, Andrew and Cameron O’Connor, Jamison Buck and Kiara and Quentin Distin.
John was born in Manchester, England, but lived his early life in Cheadle Hulme, attending Manchester Warehouseman and Clerks Orphans School from age 5-17. His fellow students remained friends for life. Because it was wartime, he joined the Royal Navy, trained on the HMS Collingwood, and sailed the Pacific to Australia on The Venerable where he developed his love of travel. Upon war’s end, he attended Liverpool University where he obtained his B Comm and formed more lasting friendships. While there, he was President of Athletics, participated in many sports, including track & field & rugby. He particularly excelled in running and hurdling, even beating some that went on to the Olympics. John was a lifelong athlete and sportsman.
In 1953 at the age of 28, he emigrated to Canada and joined Sears as a buyer. After joining Victoria Tennis Club in Toronto, and becoming President, he was introduced to the love of his life, Barbara (nee Long), and after a six-week whirlwind romance, they were married and remained married for 62 years. Together they had four children and participated in tennis, squash, skiing, and summers at Wymbolwood Beach, where he was famous for teaching the kids how to do cartwheels. John was a deeply committed family man, Godparent, and community-oriented person. After the birth of his son Craig, he became an active member on the board of MTAMR and also Centennial Nursery School, where he was a tireless advocate for individuals with developmental disability. He also was President of Davisville Public Home & School and served on the board of Rosedale Prebyterian Church. He joined many clubs, was an amusing member of the French Club, and in 1960 his love of skiing, led him to be a founding member of Alpine Ski Club, where he again made many wonderful memories with family and lifelong friends. The clubs’ logo was designed after his unique style of skiing! Every weekend in the winter was spent at Alpine, without fail.
After 35 years at Sears, he worked at Inglis for ten and then retired to Collingwood in 1995, where once again he became very involved with both Collingwood Rotary Club and First Presbyterian Church. He was president of Blue Mountain Probus Club, helped organize a prostate cancer support group, was a volunteer for Special Olympics as well as Meals on Wheels. Combining his love of travel and animals, John visited Churchill, Manitoba, to see the polar bears, to Africa to see its animals in their natural habitat and to Antarctica to see the penguins and seals thus completing his aim of visiting all seven continents.
John was best known for his community involvement, advocacy, leadership, and his knack for bringing people together. He had great integrity, strong values, and an open mind. He was eternally optimistic, hopeful, and always believed in the inherent good of others. His friendships were lifelong and meant the world to him. He loved people as much as he loved to laugh. He had the incredible ability to lead groups, make everyone feel special, and be the life of the party. John was a great entertainer; his wit was second to none and he made us laugh right up to his final days. We will all remember his many unique sayings. John was genuinely interested in the lives of his family and friends and endeavoured to keep informed.
He will be deeply missed by all who had the pleasure of crossing paths with him.
He died a much-loved man surrounded by family.
« Those were the days my friend, we thought they’d never end…… » (Mary Hopkins)
In lieu of flowers, Memorial donations would be welcomed by World Wildlife Fund (Canada) or Special Olympics or the charity of your choice.
A Celebration of life will be held at Alpine Ski Club on May 28th, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. If hoping to attend, please register by using the RSVP button.
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Wednesday April 13th 2022
Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de John Distin Wednesday April 13th 2022..
Décès pour la Ville:Collingwood, Province: Ontario