Browse the obituary of residing in the province of Ontario for funeral details
John Harris
1941-2023
John Leslie Harris –
Obituary
Sept 21, 1941, to April 6,
2023.
Our family is grieved to share that our oldest brother John
of Aurora, Ontario died suddenly on Thursday April
6th, 2023, in his 81st
year due to complications with cancer. John is survived by sisters Pat
Wahl and Shirley Sutton and brothers Richard and Gordon Harris, as
well as many nephews, nieces and cousins of the Speare and Harris
family clan. He was predeceased by his loving parents Leslie
and Lois Harris of Guelph, Ontario, who shared his love for
construction, and uncles Joe Speare and Bob Scadding, with
whom he camped and canoed over the years.
John was a keen aviator and Aeronautical Engineer who
graduated from University of Toronto with his class of 1964. He went
on to design aircraft at De Havilland Canada in Toronto and perform
wind tunnel tests on airfoils. As a private pilot, he rebuilt his own
beautiful yellow and green 1947 Cessna 140 “CF-ZKR” piece by
piece and flew it many years to and from Tottenham to his family
cottage at beloved Ahmic Lake near Magnetewan, Ontario. Earlier he was
a keen model aircraft hobbyist before graduating with honours from
Guelph GCVI in 1960.
A passionate outdoorsman and naturalist, John loved to
observe birds and wildlife as well as to canoe, sail and waterski when
he wasn’t busy repairing his war surplus Willy’s
Jeep or maintaining the Ahmic runway with his ancient tractor. He
loved the companionship of family and friends at the cottage for
cross-country skiing, making maple syrup, or boating and general
cottage puttering, especially in later years with nephew and niece
Michelle and Mike Craig and family. He loved any form of fishing
– standing in chest waders in a river, from his cedar strip
canoe, through the ice, or from his much-loved aluminum
Grumman.
John could build or fix anything and had an amazing workshop
that gradually expanded and consumed his well-ordered basement, where
he spent many hours of making. His engineering knowledge and love of
books made him the family expert on all things mechanical. John
frequently astounded and amused us with his many flying creations,
from floatplanes to featherlight rubber-band models and tiny electric
drones, each hand-built with care and precision. He also delighted his
many nephews and nieces with his clever inventions such as electrified
toy cars, ingenious jigs, and incredible kites, and loved teaching
them and their kids how to paddle a canoe, use the drill press, bait
their own hook, or repair a misfiring gas engine.
John’s intelligence, quiet patience and
good-natured dry humour will be remembered and missed by all who knew
him. Gone too soon. A private cremation ceremony was held in Guelph. A
celebration of life will be held at Rockway Mennonite Collegiate, 110
Doon Rd., Kitchener on Sunday, June 4, 2023 from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Refreshments will be provided. Memories may be posted here: www.gilchristchapel.com/
or photos here: gord.smugmug.com/upload/GCKZVH/ahmic
Donations to conservation organizations such as Ontarionature.org
or to his wonderful hospital give.southlake.ca
are welcomed.
19412023
Death notice for the town of: Guelph, Province: Ontario
death notice John Harris 19412023
obituaries notice John Harris 19412023
We offer our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of John Harris 19412023 and hope that their memory may be a source of comfort during this difficult time. Your thoughts and kind words are greatly appreciated.