John Spencer McElhoes

Mr John Spencer McElhoes was a modest man, quiet and observant in his ways. He was trustworthy and traditional in his approach to his life and in his relationships. He was tough-minded with the kind of “stick to it” attitude that earned the respect of all who knew him. He was also a man who was meticulous, carefully disciplined, and orderly in virtually everything he undertook. Realistic about life, he was always at the ready, prepared to take on responsibility.

John was born on July 15, 1938 at North Shore General in North Vancouver, British Columbia. His parents were Spencer and Connie McElhoes. John was raised in North Vancouver, British Columbia. He was brought up to be self-confident and dependable. These were traits that would serve him well throughout his life.

As a young child, John was never someone who needed to be the center of attention. He wasn’t pushy and never forced his way into games or other activities. John developed a variety of interests, though, and the things he enjoyed doing he did well. He was always curious about the world around him and was often eager to explore it. John took part in baseball and football. He was involved in Cubs and Boy Scouts. In his spare time he liked reading. However, what John enjoyed most was simply playing and spending time with his many friends.

While his teachers and even his friends generally thought of John as being a serious person, he managed to have a pretty good time in high school as he made that critical transition from adolescence to adulthood. He went to Sutherland Junior and completed grade 10. He enjoyed some courses more than others, having favorite classes and teachers. His favorite class in high school was math. John was a very logical person who enjoyed learning about factual information. Using his exceptional memory, he was able to learn much through observation. John always seemed to have a command of the facts and was able to make it seem as though he could easily master any problem that might be presented to him.

Always considered to be a solid friend, John was fortunate to have numerous acquaintances and several very close friends during his life. Since he disliked making generalizations about people and preferred to draw his own conclusions based on direct observation, John was able to see beneath the surface of relationships and became a true friend to those who knew him. He was committed to his friends and valued the trust he placed in them. It was not uncommon for John to go beyond the call of duty for others, and friends frequently sought him out for advice because he had a knack for coming up with practical solutions to any type of dilemma. While growing up, some of his best friends were Ron Kinnersley, Bill and his cousin Bobbi. Later in life, he became friends with Tom Conway.

On February 26th, 1965 John exchanged wedding vows with Gloria Jean Green at the Don Mills United Church of Toronto, Ontario. Compassionate and devoted to Gloria, John held endearing, traditional values about marriage and family life. He took the responsibility of marriage to heart, giving it his total commitment. He was a source of strength to Gloria and using his gifts at nurturing one-on-one relationships, he worked hard to make his new family happy.

John brought the same traditional values in his marriage to bear on how he raised his children. He was a good parent to them, always firm yet fair in his dealings. He would always listen carefully and think things through before he acted, even when it was an adverse situation. John was also a walking schedule, always seeming to know what everyone in the family needed to do, where they needed to be and when they needed to be there. John was blessed with two daughters, Christine and Lu-Ann. They were also blessed with one grand-daughter, Alexandra.

John greatly enjoyed what he did for a living. He was a hard worker who expected the same in return from his co-workers. He was skilled at working effectively in small groups and in one-on-one situations as well as handling solo assignments efficiently. John enjoyed dealing with concrete ideas and could penetrate any amount of fuzzy information to reach the essential facts. Always able to attend to the task at hand, John was excellent at meeting deadlines. He was an efficient worker, one who paid careful attention to detail, allowing sufficient time to complete one task before moving on to the next. His primary occupation was as an employee of General Motors where he was employed for 32.7 years. John worked hard to be a team player, doing what was necessary in order to get the job done.

John liked to experience things first-hand as well as learn about them. This trait carried over into his hobbies, where he was very methodical in how he organized his activities and categorized things. Since he enjoyed his private time, John always tried to allocate a specific time for working on his hobbies. His favorite pursuits were traveling, swimming, walking and reading. John was content to enjoy his hobbies alone but was also willing to share his interests with others.

John found pleasure in sports. Being a person who was comfortable making win/lose decisions throughout life, he could appreciate that athletes made those types of decisions in sports. He applauded those who won, and he enjoyed the statistical data and sports facts and could find himself wrapped up in those details. He would watch his favorite sporting events whenever he got the opportunity. Tops on his list were NFL football, NASCAR and all motor sports.

Many organizations were grateful to have John as a member, since he always brought with him a “stick to it” attitude and a high degree of common sense. Using straightforward methods to successfully complete the job, John was a great planner who was incredibly well organized. It seemed that he was able to schedule any event or activity with ease. He always seemed to know exactly what needed to be done. Throughout his later years, John was an active member of the Royal Canadian Legion.

John enjoyed traveling and taking vacations. Since he was an early starter and had a knack for planning everything, traveling with John appeared effortless. He enjoyed researching all of his examined options and applying cost-effective planning techniques. Plus, no matter where he traveled, John always had a back up plan at the ready, just in case. Favorite vacations included Myrtle Beach, S. C., anywhere in Florida, and anyplace that ends in "Beach".

John was a lover of animals and cherished his pets. One of John’s favorites as a child, was Snowball, a white Persian cat. They were best friends for 4 years. His family was rounded out by his many different cats.

When John’s retirement finally arrived in 1998, he was well prepared. He always trusted and placed value in what was logical and in the things he knew, so he was very confident in planning his retirement. He had begun the process early and had his retirement all laid out well in advance. In retirement, he found new pleasure in traveling and attending NASCAR races with his family. Even in retirement, John continued to stay in touch with his old friends while making plenty of new acquaintances. He was active in his new community and felt fulfilled.

Mr John Spencer McElhoes passed away on July 13, 2012 at Lakeridge Health Corporation, Oshawa. He fought a brave battle against cancer. He is survived by Christine McElhoes, Lu-Ann Day and her husband Brent, and grand-daughter Alexandra. Services were held at Courtice Funeral Chapel.

Commitment is a key word that can be used to describe the life of Mr John Spencer McElhoes. He was committed to living the life of a good man who was both practical and trustworthy. He was committed to the traditional values that he upheld his entire life. He committed himself to being a hard worker who expected the same effort in return from those around him. Most of all, he was committed to those he knew and loved.

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McELHOES, John Spencer (Mac)-Peacefully at Lakeridge Health, Oshawa on Friday July 13, 2012 at the age of 73. Beloved husband of the late Gloria Jean McElhoes. Loving father of Christine McElhoes and Lu-Ann Day (Brent). Special Pop to Alexandra. Dear brother of Carol Burnham (Ron), Sharon Sage (Doug), Brian Green (Lynn) and Bruce Green (Connie). Survived and remembered by many nieces and nephews.

Resting at the Courtice Funeral Chapel, 1587 Highway #2, Courtice (905-432-8484) where the family will receive friends on Tuesday July 17 from 1 to 2 p.m. and Service will be in the Chapel at 2 p.m.. In lieu of flowers donations to Canadian Cancer Society would be appreciated. On-line condolences may be placed at www.courticefuneralchapel.com