Obituary for
John Lane MacFarlane
John Lane MacFarlane
July 5 1946 — December 27 2019
John Lane MacFarlane died heroically in the early hours of December 27th, 2019, at the hospital in Perth, with his wife Alina and children Katy and John beside him.
Predeceased by his parents John A. and Valda (Church) MacFarlane of Ottawa and sister Beth (Rich) Green. Will be missed by sister Christine (Doug) Green, wife Alina (Gapski), son John (Lisa Shillan) and daughter Katy (Guillermo Subauste) and many excellent nieces and nephews..
He taught at P&DCI, mostly math and computers; later, at the alternative high school, he taught students of every age and background, a pursuit that gave him a lot of satisfaction. He was treasurer of the local chapter of the teachers union and in general a very progressive, egalitarian, caring person. He was a great, reliable friend to a group of people who defy any demographic categorization; and who were drawn to his unassuming nature, understated wit and deep loyalty.
Those qualities made him the kindest man we’ve ever known, incredibly sensitive and great at sharing time with others and making them feel like they belonged … except when he played Trivial Pursuit or did the crossword or watched Jeopardy, or anything similar, which permitted him to show off the fact that he seemed to know pretty much everything.
Even then he was pretty humble, and that extended to his sense of humour, which was subtle and relentless if you had earned the right to witness it. His Dad Jokes, which in trusted company he would unleash unabashedly and with great frequency, were world class.
He had a boundless, pure curiosity. He loved whatever his kids were doing as much as if he were doing it himself. He loved technology and in his office there are still a zillion computers that control things in the house that hopefully we will be able to figure out. He used to get the book of the year from Encyclopaedia Britannica and then actually read the whole thing. The bookshelves in the house are full of books about geography, math, astronomy and history, most of which he read just because he was interested. He loved to travel and hike and still managed to make some trips during the later stages of the disease that would kill him.
Just over six years ago he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma; he informed those close to him in the same stoical, matter-of-fact style that would define the way he shared further bits of bad news over the years. He hated the idea that anyone should feel bad for him, and he complained rarely and was needlessly apologetic on those isolated occasions when he did.
He adored Alina, and they were together almost from the moment they met, 50-plus years ago at Expo 67. She has a binder full of about a billion healthy recipes she cooked for him and, after his diagnosis, tried to shoulder every worry and setback on his behalf. They spent approximately half their time apologizing unnecessarily to each other, like good Canadians, he for being a burden and she for giving any indication that he was.
The last available treatment stopped working several weeks ago and the disease progressed quickly from there. He wasn’t too interested in sticking around in some form of incapacitation, so he managed to stay in the house he built years ago with family and friends until a few days before the end. We loved him a lot and we will miss him every day.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Lanark Animal Welfare Society, Myeloma Canada or a charity of your choice.
Details about a memorial will be available soon.
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of John Lane
MacFarlane 1946 2019..
Death notice for the town of: Smiths-Falls, Province: Ontario