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McKenna, John Hugh
John Hugh McKenna lived his 84 years to the fullest. He was a dentist, a sportsman, a reader who loved history and poetry. He was born in Ireland, but equally considered himself a son of Canada, and he loved them both. Laughter and love nourished him; he needed no invitation to debate politics, curse golf, and quote Yeats. He loved his patients and his friends. Most of all, he loved his wife of 53 years, Patricia; his four children Catherine, Sean (Katie MacGuire), Maureen (Lee Greenberg) and David and his 11 grandchildren, Matt, Isabelle, Cormac, Hugh, Stuart, Kathleen, Eleanor, Maude, Nicola, Luke and Nori.
John (and his twin, Tom) were born in Dublin on August 28, 1938. They were the youngest of six McKenna boys including Father Dermot SJ, Kieran, Gearóid (all predeceased) and Padraic. His father, Patrick McKenna, an accountant, and his mother, Mary, a teacher, established McKenna’s pub in Dublin after Patrick retired from the Irish army. John and his brothers spent many hours of their youth bottling Guinness in the basement.
John graduated from dentistry at University College Dublin in 1961. He then worked as a dentist in London, England, and in 1966, he made one of life’s big decisions: he chose to leave Ireland and come to Canada where he pursued post-graduate studies in dentistry at the University of Toronto.
He met Patricia (née Hopper) who was studying nursing at UofT. He was smitten and she was charmed. They were married in 1969. He always said that he was the luckiest man in the world to have found her.
John and Pat moved to Hamilton, where he practiced dentistry for over 50 years and where they started a family. It was home for the rest of his life.
John loved sports. He played both waterpolo and rugby at University College Dublin. He went on to captain the London Irish RFC. He earned a fearsome reputation with the Toronto Irish Rugby Club and the Hamilton Hornets, and represented Canada in an international match against England in 1967 for which he earned a cap. John was a long-time squash player at the Hamilton Thistle Club and could often be found on the course of the Hamilton Golf and Country Club – where he had been President and Captain – cursing his golf or that of his friends.
Always, he was a tireless champion of Hamilton. Over the years he was on the boards of The Good Shepherd, Theatre Aquarius, and the Hamilton Philharmonic. He also worked to advance peace and reconciliation in Ireland as a board member of the Ireland Fund of Canada.
His children and family were the centre of his life. He loved going on family holidays especially to Ireland and during the summer could always be found in the family swimming pool throwing his grandchildren in the air. And while he loved them all equally, if any grandchild was sad, he would whisper to them that they were his favourite.
While his passing leaves a huge loss, he will be forever remembered for his good humour, generous spirit, sharp wit and charm.
Special thanks to Dr. Irwin Walker and the Hematology Team at the Juravinski Hospital for the care they provided.
A Funeral Mass will be held at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, 260 Herkimer St., Hamilton on Thursday, April 20 at 11 a.m. Following the Mass there will be a reception. A live-stream of the Mass may be found at:
fweb.tv/99942.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Good Shepherd or the Juravinski Hospital.
John would love most that you share a memory and a laugh with family and friends.
Saturday April 15th 2023
Death notice for the town of: HAMILTON, Province: Ontario
death notice Dr John Hugh McKenna Saturday April 15th 2023
obituaries notice Dr John Hugh McKenna Saturday April 15th 2023
We offer our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Dr John Hugh McKenna Saturday April 15th 2023 and hope that their memory may be a source of comfort during this difficult time. Your thoughts and kind words are greatly appreciated.
