John Stewart Davids

John Stewart Davids, master electrician, handyman, fabulous cook, tailor, watercolour painter, and hobbyist carpenter, passed away peacefully on March 22, 2022, aged 78, at Hospice Wellington in Guelph, with his loving wife, June Davids (nee Scanlon) and beloved son, Jonathan, beside him.

John was born in Bangalore, India, on February 17, 1944, to Martha Stewart and John Davids, Sr. He was Martha's oldest son and fourth in a sib line of 10.

After finishing high school, he worked in the railway yards in Erode, India with his good friend Carlton Scanlon. Carlton introduced John to his sister June, and the rest is history. They fell in love, got married, and had one perfect son, so they stopped there.

John became a licensed electrician and started his own electrical contracting business, Crawford & Davids, with his good friend Harold Crawford, while living in India. He rode a Rajdoot motorcycle around Bangalore without a helmet, often with his six-year-old son on the tank of the machine. Life was good.

In 1979 he emigrated to Toronto with his family and found work as an electrical supervisor in a glass-making factory. After years living in the Jane & Finch corridor in North York, he moved to Guelph in 1999. He wanted to be closer to his three granddaughters, Arianna, Katerina, and Marisa, whom he adored and loved very much, and who he often let colour his face with markers to keep them entertained when they were little.

There were many things John loved doing – from cooking to painting to woodworking – but above all, John loved his family. He was most happy in the company of his sisters, brothers, and his nieces and nephews. His granddaughters brought him the most joy. He also loved the companionship of dogs and had a parade of pets throughout his life including Sally, Benji, Punch and Judy, Dusty, and most recently, his adopted grand dog, Charlie the Pocket Beagle.

He loved listening to country music, as well as Chet Atkins, Charlie Pride, Jim Reeves, CCR, The Eagles, and Blue Rodeo. He also enjoyed watching sports, especially hockey. He always cheered for his beloved Toronto Maple Leafs but enjoyed watching all teams battle it out on the ice. In the summer, it was baseball and tennis that dominated the large family room TV screen most days—much to his wife’s chagrin.

John was brave, intelligent, and steadfastly stubborn, all of which helped him cope as he resisted the effects of his disease.

He will be missed as a husband, father, proud papa to his three darling granddaughters, brother, brother-in-law, uncle, and friend.

He will be remembered for his legendary biryani and tasty South Indian curries (especially a crab curry that people still reminisce about), as well as his ability to fix anything around the house.

John is survived by his beautiful wife, June; his loving son, Jonathan, dear daughter-in-law, Betty Bakopoulos, darling granddaughters, Arianna, Katerina, and Marisa; sisters, Ruth Webster, Irene Gass, Bernadette Gass, Evelyn Quinn, and Audrey Pigg; brothers, Thomas Trencher and Edwin Trencher. Predeceased by his sisters, Beryl D’Cruz and Philomena Webster.

John and his family are indebted to the kind and compassionate medical care from his doctors and their teams, especially Dr. Tom Tobin, Dr. Sid Brodovsky, and the care teams from Home and Community support, and Hospice Wellington in Guelph; Dr. Michael Cusimano at St. Mike’s in Toronto; and Dr. Natasha Leighl, Dr. Andrea Bezjak, the doctors on the brain mets team, and the nurses and administrative staff at Princess Margaret Hospital. Their care, patience, and understanding were exemplary.

In honour of John’s wishes, a private family farewell took place followed by a cremation.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the Canadian Cancer Society,

Princess Margaret Hospital, and Hospice Wellington. Donations can be made online at www.gilbertmacintyreandson.com.