Browse the obituary of residing in the province of Alberta for funeral details
1950 – 2023
John Pasma, resident of Edmonton, Alberta, passed away due to complications with cancer at age 73, on November 22, 2023.
John was born on February 14, 1950, in Chatham, Ontario, to George and Alice Pasma, who came to Canada after World War II to start their family. John was the eldest of George and Alice’s seven children and his siblings include brothers, Jake, Ben, Keith, and Tim; and sisters, Joanne and Margaret.
John’s family later relocated to London, Ontario, where John went to elementary and high school. The family was a member of the Christian Reformed Church and John later attended Trinity Christian College in Chicago. There he developed many lasting friendships including establishing a relationship with his future wife and partner, Grace Venema, daughter of Peter and Corey Venema.
John and Grace were married on October 6, 1973, and had four children: Rachael Joy, Jeremy John, Gregory Charles, and Timothy Peter. After attending Trinity, John became a history teacher at London District Christian Secondary School. In 1985, John and the family relocated to Grand Rapids, Michigan where he attended Calvin Theological Seminary where he received a Master’s in Divinity.
Following the completion of Seminary in Grand Rapids, John and the family established roots in Niagara Falls, Ontario, where he served as Pastor for Rehoboth Christian Reformed Church from 1988-1995. John completed his Pastoral Career in Edmonton, where he was called to Covenant Christian Reformed church and served from 1995, until his retirement in 2016. In later years John became a proud Grandfather to 13 grandchildren: Drew, Desmond, Rayna, Leo, Ruby, Myra, Emmy, Ashton, Isla, David, and Joseph. John was predeceased by two grandchildren, Casey and Matthew (born still).
John is remembered by Grace, his children, and grandchildren, extended family and friends as a passionate servant of Christ and a father that was gradually softened by his children and grandchildren into the warm, thoughtful, generous and sweet man we knew him to be. John could often be found tinkering with his Volkswagens in the garage, going for long walks with Grace, riding his bike, working in his study, listening to CBC radio, driving across Canada, making jam, watching hockey with his sons, and playing with his grandchildren. One of his treasured hobbies includes collecting, organizing, and digitizing old family photos going back generations and creating an outline of his family tree.
His work in the Church extended into passions in his personal life related to Christian philosophy, developments in the Christian Reformed community, and broader societal issues that were important to him. He never missed an appointment to give blood, support local Christian organizations, or lend a helping hand to those who would show up on his doorstep. His last act of kindness was donating his brain and spinal cord for Parkinson’s research, a disease that John struggled with in later life.
Despite the Parkinson’s and later esophageal cancer, John remained a strong and stoic figure to the end, ever hopeful of recovering to have more time with family. He made the family laugh with self-deprecating humour and deflecting attention directed at him and his condition. After several days in hospital John passed on November 22nd, the birthday of his father, George. He passed on to be with his Heavenly Father during the reading of Psalm 84: “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favour and honour; No good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.”
A Celebration of Life will be held at the Covenant Christian Reformed Church in Edmonton, on Thursday, November 30, 2023, at 1:00 p.m.
In lieu flowers, donations may be made to the Kaye Edmonton Clinic (KEC) through the University Hospital Foundation (8440 112 St NW, Edmonton, AB) givetouhf.ca/, or to World Renew (PO Box 5070 STN LCD 1, Burlington, ON) worldrenew.net/.
Arrangements entrusted to Connelly-McKinley Downtown Funeral Home.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of John, please
visit our floral store.
2023
Death notice for the town of: Edmonton, Province: Alberta
death notice John Pasma 2023
obituaries notice John Pasma 2023
We offer our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of John Pasma 2023 and hope that their memory may be a source of comfort during this difficult time. Your thoughts and kind words are greatly appreciated.
