John Raffaele Cervi

After a brief yet courageous battle with cancer, John passed away peacefully, with his family by his side. John is survived by his son, Matthew; daughter, Taryn (Courtney); granddaughter, Reya; his brother, Leno; and many cousins, nieces and nephews. John was predeceased by his mom and dad, Marcella and Raffaele; brothers, Bruno and Marino; and his sister, Dolores. John was a self-made man who was one of the original "Vancouver shoe-shine boys" and went on to build a successful accounting practice. He was a driving force behind lacrosse and amateur soccer fund-raising after his own phenomenal sports career came to a close. He was a tough man and great leader, who played the game of life like he played sports. John was a top notch soccer player, but his true love was lacrosse.John helped his teams win five national Mann Cup titles. The Vancouver Carlings (Burrards) were inducted as the Team of the Decade into the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1999. The '64 squad as the Vancouver Carlings were inducted into the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame in 2005. John won individual entry into both the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame as well as the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame in 1982. He's among the top 30 in all-time Mann Cup point earners. He was MVP of the '67 Mann Cup series and a three-time All-Star in league play.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to St. Paul's Hospital or to Cottage Hospice in John's memory.

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