John Edwin Read

READ, John (Jack) EdwinPassed away peacefully at home on January 10, 2010 in his 92nd year. Loving father of Richard and Margaret (Ayr), Roger and Judy (Killaloe) and Ruthann and Glenn Turner (Tara). Amazing grandfather of Richelle and Dan Kocher, Gregory and Jenn Read, Timothy Read and Megan Vanderwelle, Patrick Read, Christopher and Crystal Read, Mark and Kelly Turner, Rob Turner and Christy Barbeau and Katie Turner. Special uncle to Mary Lou Schultz. Predeceased by his beloved wife Marie and by his sisters Wilma and Ina and by his brother Arthur and brothers-in-law Maurice, Mervin and sister-in-law Helen. He was the oldest firefighter in Kitchener-Waterloo, served with the Royal Canadian Navy in WW II and a long serving member of the Royal Canadian Legion Br. # 50 and the KW Naval Veterans Association. Visiting at the Ratz-Bechtel Funeral Home, 621 King St. W. on Tuesday from 2-4 & 7-9 p.m. Funeral service in the chapel on Wednesday, January 13, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. Interment at Woodland Cemetery. A Legion service will be held Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. Memorial donations to St. Mary’s Hospital, Canadian Diabetes Association or the Canadian Cancer Society would be appreciated.It’s hard to put into words the kind of man Grandpa was. He was the most interesting man I think anyone could ever meet. The best way to describe him is that Grandpa was a teacher, storey teller, caregiver and most of all an entertainer.No matter what kind of mood you were in Grandpa could make you feel better. When you called him up his answer would be “Hello Joe, wadda ya know?” to which you are left to reply with something completely off topic of why you wanted to call him. Growing up, we learned very quickly that grandpa knew how to play the organ. As we got older though, we learned he’d much rather hear one of his grand children play the organ, piano, or anything that will make music (this included singing) so that he could sit and listen. Grandpa may not have let on, but he was a dancer. Even in his later years, he always was ready to boogey down and do the twist. I think we all loved watching grandpa dance and will never forget it. Grandpa had many traits that not many people knew about. If you think hard enough, he could have also been a comedian. Grandpa always had a joke to tell. No matter what the circumstances are, weather it be during a first communion, anniversary mass or even when someone is on the phone trying to order takeout. His timing of the joke was what made them priceless.Grandpa had what seemed to be an open door policy. He was always ready to make anyone feel at home. Even after his children had grown up and started their own families, Grandpa never ceased to be a caregiver. He was always ready to lend an ear and showed a genuine interest in what his grandchildren were talking about even if it all seemed “Greek” to him. Grandpa was a great host when you came to visit or stay over night for any length of time. He would always make you feel at home (literally). He had cold beer in the fridge, a bed made up and your wake up call was 6:00 am weather it was requested or not. You were always welcome to stay as long as needed so long as you make your bed in the morning and do the breakfastdishes (just like at home).Growing up around grandpa, his grandchildren herd many stories. One might say he was a storyteller, not one of those ones that tell made up stories that never happened, more like one of events that he was involved in. We heard of his adventures traveling around the world with Nana (complete with a slide show). He told a story of how two chipmunks got into the motor home on our travels out west and how they ate all of his peanuts he had stored under his seat. Grandpa gave us accurate historical events of World War two, and how he served in the war. He was one of many involved in the only attack to hit Canada on the East Coast in WW2. Grandpa was always ready to tell a new story, and all we had to do was ask.Finally, with age comes knowledge, and well, Grandpa was filled with it. This man was a wise man and was always ready to teach his grandchildren a lesson. Grandpa taught us how to tie knots with one hand, behind our backs, with our eyes closed. Some lessons were first picked up from his own personal experiences like making sure you always have one hand for the company and one hand for yourself (this was referring to a close call with the ladder while trimming is tree). Grandpa taught all his grandchildren that, if you work hard enough, anyone could learn how to play the organ (even if it’s only one song you learned). If anyone has lived with Grandpa, you’ll know that limburger cheese and garlic are an excellent staple food combination. Grandpa taught his grand children that anyone can do something if they just put their mind to it. In his younger years, his grand children told him how smoking is not good for him and how it reduces your life span and asked him to stop. Just a few years ago, we learned just how much it meant to him. We learned that he quit cold turkey because he wanted to be here with his grand children for as long as possible. He taught life long lessons to every one of his grandchildren. It is amazing how much one man can do if, his heart is in the right place.Grandpa was a family man. It’s hard to say goodbye to someone that has touched so many people in many different ways. Grandpa was a man who provided us with life long lessons, a caring hand, count less jokes and stories that will go down in history. Instead of saying good-bye, we should say, so long, we will see you again. We should say, thank you. Thank you for the memories you shared and made with us. Thank you for always being there for us. And thank you for being the best grandpa you could ever be.We will forever miss him and we will never forget.