1972 in Duncan, B.C. and passed in peace on June 23rd,
2018 at Victoria General Hospital.
Remembering John with love are his parents Ingemar
and Theresa Karlsson, his children Maude and Magnus,
the mother of his children Anik Gaudreau, his sister Maja,
brother-in-law Mike Kormany, nieces Alexa and Darwyn, his
good friend Julie Day, as well as a large number of friends.
From an early age John went his own way. During high
school, he owned a horse and excelled in equestrian events.
After winning several speech competitions, he went to
Japan as an exchange student for one year. For several years
in his twenties he worked as a deck hand on a fishing boat
and as a timber cruiser. John graduated from the University
of Manitoba with a law degree in 2002 and started his own
law firm based in Vancouver. For many years his work took him around the globe; but
his passion was always music, whether it was playing, performing or just listening to
it. In fact, when he was in his mid-twenties John had a band called Deep Root.
At the same time, John focused on home and family. His daughter Maude was born
in 2004 and his son Magnus in 2009. He always loved Vancouver Island, with Lake
Cowichan and Youbou being particular favorites. In 2006, John and his family moved
back to the Island where with Anik, he opened a bar & grill, restaurant and liquor
store, putting a new face on the old pub in Youbou.
Amid ups and downs in business, John never lost faith in the work he was doing. With
his big smile and outgoing personality, he genuinely loved people. He gained friends
locally and from around the world.
He will be missed.
A celebration of John’s life will be held at the Lake Cowichan Christian Fellowship, #10
King George St., Lake Cowichan, BC on July 28th at 2pm.
We have created a “John Karlsson Celebration of Life” Facebook page that you can visit
and post on: https://www.facebook.com/events/561267554266971/
Memorial donations may be made to the BC Centre on Substance Use (http://www.
bccsu.ca/donate/) or SOLID Outreach (https://solidvictoria.org).
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