John Jack "Jack" Petrie

John Alfred Petrie 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.

      Jack was born on November 18, 1925 in Chatham, New Brunswick. His parents were John and Elizabeth Petrie. Jack was raised in Chatham, New Brunswick. He was brought up to be self-confident and dependable. These were traits that would serve him well throughout his life.

      Growing up in the Petrie household was a bit different than most homes. There were good times to be had, but just as often there was a fair share of challenges as well. However, Jack was able to work through the usual family problems when they appeared, and he was the one person in the family who seemed able to keep the stress at bay. Jack was raised with eight siblings. He had five brothers, Ernie, Herman, Gilbie, Stafford and Alward, and three sisters, Lillian, Mariah and Viola. Jack was constantly involved in activities with his brothers and sisters. Jack and his siblings may have had the typical rivalries while growing up but Jack was always consistently loyal to his family.

      As a young child, Jack 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. Jack 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. In his spare time he liked to play horse shoes. However, what Jack enjoyed most was simply playing and spending time with his many friends.

      While his teachers and even his friends generally thought of Jack 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 graduated from St. Thomas High School. He enjoyed some courses more than others, having favourite classes and teachers. His favourite class in high school was science. Jack was a very logical person who enjoyed learning about factual information. Using his exceptional memory, he was able to learn much through observation. Jack 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.

      College life brought with it a new set of challenges, but Jack handled them well. Being a critical thinker who always remained intellectually independent, Jack was able to focus on the task at hand in order to complete his class work. He seemed to thrive on college reading assignments, something that often bogged down his classmates. He earned his Bachelor of Commerce from Dalhousie. He also pursued graduate school, earning his Chartered Accountant. His favourite courses were Physics and he played trombone in the University Band.

      Always considered to be a solid friend, Jack 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, Jack 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 Jack 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, his best friend was Huzie Hayes whom he remained friends with throughout the years.

      On August 16, 1950 Jack exchanged wedding vows with Martha MacDonald at St. Mary's Church in East Bay, Nova Scotia. Compassionate and devoted to Martha, Jack 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 Martha and using his gifts at nurturing one-on-one relationships, he worked hard to make his new family happy.

      Jack 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. Jack 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. Jack was blessed with three children, one son Joe, and two daughters, Cathy and Mary. They were also blessed with two granddaughters, Mary and Elizabeth, one great granddaughter, Skylar.

      Jack 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. Jack 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, Jack 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 a Chartered Accountant. He was employed with General Motors and Revenue Canada for many years. Jack worked hard to be a team player, doing what was necessary in order to get the job done.

      Jack was in the Woodstock, Fredericton Royal Maritime Artillery and saw action in WW II. Through his hard work and dedication, he achieved the rank of Private. A literal thinker who possessed a calm exterior, Jack seemed to enjoy the routines set forth by the military. His results-oriented approach to things made him committed to the job, and he understood well his role in serving his country.

      Jack 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, Jack always tried to allocate a specific time for working on his hobbies. His favourite pursuit was wood working. Jack was content to enjoy his hobbies alone but was also willing to share his interests with others.

      Jack 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. Recreational sports included golf and swimming and he would watch his favourite sporting events whenever he got the opportunity. Tops on his list were golf, football and hockey.

      Jack enjoyed travelling and taking vacations. Since he was an early starter and had a knack for planning everything, traveling with Jack appeared effortless. He enjoyed researching all of his examined options and applying cost-effective planning techniques. Plus, no matter where he traveled, Jack always had a back up plan at the ready, just in case. His favourite vacation was Florida.

      Jack was a lover of animals and cherished his pets. One of Jack’s favourites was Puff, a budgie. They were best friends for 17 years.

      When Jack’s retirement finally arrived in 1986, 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. His new life included becoming a snow bird, wintering in Florida. In retirement, he found new pleasure in swimming and golfing. Even in retirement, Jack 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.

      John Alfred Petrie passed away on February 5, 2016 at home. He is survived by his son Joe, his daughters Cathy and Mary, granddaughters Elizabeth and Mary and great granddaughter Skylar. Services were held at Oshawa Funeral Home. John "Jack" was laid to rest in Resurrection Cemetery in Whitby, Ontario.

      Commitment is a key word that can be used to describe the life of John Alfred Petrie. 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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PETRIE, John (Jack) Alfred

November 18, 1925 – February 5, 2016

With great sadness we must announce that Jack peacefully passed away at home, surrounded by his family, on Friday, February 5th, at the age of 90. Jack was born in Chatham, New Brunswick, the son of John and Elizabeth (Witzel) Petrie. After serving in the army during WWII, he attended Dalhousie University. Before he graduated with a degree in Commerce, he met and married his wife of 56 years. They soon moved to Bathurst, New Brunswick where their 3 children were born. In 1960 they moved to St. Catharines, Ontario and later to Oshawa, where Jack worked in the tax department of General Motors until his retirement in 1986. Jack cherished his independence and was fortunate enough to remain living in his home during his final years. Jack is predeceased by 5 brothers, 3 sisters and his wife Martha (nee MacDonald). He will be sorely missed by his son Joseph, his daughters Cathy Byron and Mary (Mark) Gagliano. He will be held in loving memory by his grandchildren, Elizabeth and Mary Byron, and by his 3-month-old great granddaughter, Skylar. As a husband, father and grandfather, he was a giant among men. The family would like to express their sincere gratitude to Dr. Stephen Cohen for providing Jack with such wonderful medical care over so many years. We would also like to thank nurses Catherine and Jackie from CCAC for moving heaven and earth to ensure his last hours were comfortable. Visitation will be held at OSHAWA FUNERAL HOME, 847 King Street West (905-721-1234) on Thursday, February 11th at 10:30 a.m. until time of Funeral Service in the Chapel at 11:30 a.m. Interment to follow at Resurrection Cemetery. Memorial donations will be gratefully accepted for the Heart and Stroke Foundation.