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John passed away in the early hours of February 20, 2024, at the age of 87 at Matthew’s House Hospice in Alliston. John will be dearly missed by his wife Patricia, son Kevin (Amelia), daughter Tracy, sister Denise (René), and brother-in-law Doug (Brenda). John’s sense of humour and ability to create a tidal wave of ‘belly laughs’ with just a few well-timed words is just one of the things that made him such an amazing ‘Bubba’ to Neil, Sam, Jonathan (Stephanie), and Jenna (Alex) and uncle to Jason, Michael and Karen and their families. John’s talent and creativity was evident from a young age. His mother Winn (aka Grams) loved to tell the story of how he’d make her cry by playing guitar and singing her favourite Elvis song, and making a credible impression! He started taking piano lessons in his 80s in an effort to stave off the advancing symptoms of Parkinson’s. He joked about dragging the family to a recital with the other students, all of whom were in grade school. He had an innate talent for drawing and painting, and experimented with various mediums over the years, finally landing on acrylics as his favourite. The basement family room was more like a studio/art gallery, with dozens of beautiful pieces filling every available space. He continued to paint right up to the last year of his life, and connected with his art group by Zoom every week, with his last ‘visit’ being from the hospice. Perhaps his most impressive talent was his ability to connect and communicate with animals, and in particular horses. John truly found his calling when he started coaching equestrians full-time, after decades of dedicating most of his free time to riding and training horses and riders. He had a magical touch with the horses and was a supportive and inspiring coach. It was a sad day when, at the age of 80, John realized it was time to hang up the saddle. But if you wanted to see what true joy looked like, you’d just have look at John’s face when he was talking about the horses and students that touched his life. John never wasted words. So, when he did speak, we all paid attention because we knew that whatever was coming would be either insightful or hilarious – and often both. His calm and practical approach to living his best life was inspiring and could teach the world a thing or two about avoiding drama and being grateful and present in the moment. He was much loved and will be greatly missed. John’s wish was to be cremated and that the family hold a private celebration of his life. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in John’s memory to Matthews House Hospice. Online condolences and memories may be left for the family at www.RodAbramsFuneralHome.com.
2024
Death notice for the town of: Tottenham, Province: Ontario
death notice John Earl Neill 2024
obituaries notice John Earl Neill 2024
We offer our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of John Earl Neill 2024 and hope that their memory may be a source of comfort during this difficult time. Your thoughts and kind words are greatly appreciated.
