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November 9, 1941 - December 31, 2019
Born November 9, 1941, passed away peacefully December 31, 2019 after a long illness. Thank you to Peace Arch Hospital staff for their care and attention.
John was born and spent his childhood in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He spent his Summers on his grandparents farm in Lundar, Manitoba which were some of his fondest memories.
He moved to Regina, Saskatchewan in his teens. John enjoyed many sports such as Icelandic Wrestling, Basketball and Hockey. John moved to Vancouver in the mid 1960's. He had a passion for building, woodwork and worked for many years in the construction industry. Much like his father Hafsteinn and his mother Lillian he loved working with his hands, fixing, mending and creating many useful items for people to use. John loved to draw and made many sketches of horses. He had a love for his Icelandic heritage and travelled there with his sister Lillian in 1994.
He had a talent for playing the guitar and entertained family and friends by the fire pit in the backyard. He discovered Karaoke later in life and loved spending time socializing with his friends.
He was passionate about sports and being active. He played golf, tennis, handball and played hockey for over 30 years.
Despite encounters with cancer and other health issues, he bounced back time and again. He will be remembered as being kind, lighthearted, and a subtly hilarious person, who took time to make people laugh or smile.
He was predeceased by his sister Lillian, brother- in-law Lorne, and his parents Haffsteinn and Lillian. He will be deeply missed by his dear friend and companion, Zenaida Veloso (sons Raffel, David, and Kneeky Veloso), his daughters Corrie (Grant) and Holly (Chris) and their mother Roslyn, grandchildren Finley, Grady, Jensen and Leif, sister Bernice (Gord), and nieces and nephews Arne, Erika, Kris, Lara, Mike, Julie and Pam. A gathering of remembrance has been planned for Saturday January 11.