Mr. John Singer Sr.

John was born on January 23, 1933 in Paks, Hungary. His parents John and Elizabeth Singer lived in Paks and owned and worked a farm. John worked with his parents on the farm from a very young age and helped them with any chores necessary with the farm.

When John was thirteen years old and with the approaching invasion of Russian forces into Hungary, John’s parents decided to leave Hungary for Germany. Here John’s family lived in the city and had to work very hard to make ends meet, in fact, for their very survival. Food was scarce and work hard. This proved to be a very difficult time in John’s life.

After four years in Germany, John’s parents decided to move to Canada. They took their three sons and headed to Canada by boat to beautiful British Columbia, settling in the town of Abbotsford in the Fraser Valley. Here John’s parents bought a farm on a beautiful piece of land with a view of Mount Baker where they grew livestock and vegetables. John and his brothers, Henry and Adam, worked hard and were proud of the farm.

At this time John decided to work away from home. He became a logger and worked in various logging camps in the back country of British Columbia. After this back breaking work, he worked for BC Rail helping to build the railroad through the province of British Columbia.

John came home to work on the farm again and enjoyed being with his family. At this time John’s parents had received word that friends of theirs from Hungary would be coming to Akron, Ohio and they decided that a visit was in order. John and his father drove to Ohio through Canada and their cross country adventure began. When John and his family arrived in Akron, John was introduced to Kathy Binder, a beautiful young lady from Hungary, whom he had known of growing up. Within hours John was asked if he was going to ask Kathy to marry him...and the answer was yes.

John and Kathy were married in Akron, Ohio on December 30th, 1956 and their first son, John Henry, was born the following September in Vancouver, British Columbia. And so the next part of John’s adventure began.

With having a wife and now a new son, and his family needing more room, John decided a larger house was necessary so he and his family moved to Moss Street near the Canada Dry factory (now Purdy’s Chocolates). During this time John worked for Acme Protective Systems where he installed alarm systems for businesses and personal residences. He was well respected and honest and business was good. John and Kathy had two more sons, Adam and Robert, and with an even larger family, John decided to buy a new house on 42nd Street in Vancouver. Here the boys enjoyed their growing up years near the Avalon Dairy while attending Waverly and Killarney Schools.

Sports played a large role in the family’s life and John spent many enjoyable hours watching and coaching his sons in soccer, hockey and baseball. Later he would become one of the best umpires in the Victoria Drive Baseball League as he was fair and very well thought of in the game.

It was during this busy time of his life that John decided to start his own business. After the successful completion of a home and commercial security systems course at the British Columbia Institute of Technology, Singer Security was created.

John was athletic and enjoyed playing sports. He particularly loved curling, shuffleboard and bocce and as the trophies indicate, “Skip” John Singer, threw a great rock. His evenings of bocce with friends in Vancouver were enjoyable and memorable. John carried this expertise over to the bocce tournament that was held annually at his son Adam’s house with family and friends from the cul de sac. With all his family in attendance, John played with determination and confidence enjoying the company and game very much.

John enjoyed going to the dances at Victoria Drive Hall and was known to “cut quite a rug”. He had many friends and looked forward to these outings very much. He was an outdoorsman and enjoyed the camping trips he took with his family, often to the interior of BC. Here he taught his sons how to fish and John was always happy when sitting in the quiet waiting for a fish to bite. A few times a year, John would accompany a few close friends for a hunting or fishing trip where they would try their luck in pursuit of a deer. These trips were memorable and profitable for all especially John’s family as they enjoyed the venison and fish that he brought home.

John’s love for his family was uppermost in his thoughts every day. He always had time for a visit and was an interested and proud “Opa” at many soccer matches, baseball and volleyball games, dance recitals and gymnastics competitions. His grandchildren were his pride and joy and his love of family spoke volumes to those around him.

After the boys had moved out, were married and had begun families of their own, John and Kathy moved to Surrey where they hosted family dinners and Easter eggs hunts. Opa was in his glory carving the turkey for the many of Oma’s feasts and sitting at the table surrounded by his children and grandchildren was a great joy for John. Stories would be recounted and memories shared. Family came first and his love for family was immense.

John’s life was an adventure and one which he enjoyed very much. He certainly knew what living was about and was always willing to share his time with those around him. He loved his family, enjoyed the company of friends and lived life to its fullest. He will be greatly missed.

Eulogy by Adam Singer:

My name is Adam Singer and I am the middle son of John and Kathy and their favorite. I have many fond memories of Dad and I would like to share some with you. These little stories all have meaning and illustrate Dad's true character.

My first real understanding of my father goes back to 1964 while in Kindergarten. We lived at 5112 Moss Street and Kingsway just down the road from Canada Dry now Purdy's Chocolates. It began with Dad's love of pets. Every month or so dad would bring home stray animals. (and I am not talking about my brothers.) He would bring home injured birds, cats, dogs, rabbits and even a turtle. I didn't know if he worked at the zoo or the SPCA. The only issue was how tender would a 7 year old, a 5 year old and a 3 year old be with a scared animal. They survived.

We eventually moved away from the animal farm and moved to our new house on 42nd and Clarendon. Things also changed with dad. Instead of bringing home stray animals he was bringing home Led Zeppelin albums, bicycles, leather jackets, rings and gold. I know what you are thinking. Santa Claus? No, it was from customers dad did business with when working for Acme Alarm. I think it is called the barter system. Even though dad did not work on the weekends he would inevitably get a call at night from the jeweler or furrier asking to fix a problem they usually created. They appreciated Dad's time and effort and the Singer boys reaped the benefits of his labour.

Years later dad was putting in an alarm in a pub and they were auctioning off their pool tables. Dad got a deal on one and brought it home. This was plan initiated by Mom and Dad in order to keep my brothers off the streets and in the home. It worked out great for everyone. This was a meeting place for all our friends and allowed Dad to relive his youth. We would have friends over and dad would be having a beer with them. We could have left for an hour and no one would have missed us. Dad could hold court with anyone.

Dad was a big part of our sporting lives as he coached John in hockey at Killarney and Rob and I in baseball at Victoria Drive. Dad never had a chance to play sports as a kid even though he had a lot of athletic ability. Dad had a limited knowledge of the nuances of these sports but he was always there trying. An experience that John and I both had while pitching to dad was his inability to catch the curve ball. To make a long story short because they are both the same, Dad took two pitches below the belt and decided it was in his best interest not to catch for us anymore. He later left coaching and went into umpiring. Dad and his fellow umpires at Victoria Drive were some of the best umpires I have ever seen in Little League and Babe Ruth. Dad was fair and honest and never took sides.

I would like to end this with a quote from What Makes a Dad

God can see strength of a mountain,

The majesty of a tree,

The warmth of the summer sun,

The calm of a quiet sea,

The generous soul of nature,

The comforting arm of night,

The wisdom of the ages,

The power of the eagle's flight,

The joy of a morning in spring,

The faith of a mustard seed,

The patience of eternity,

The depth of a family need,

Then God combined these qualities,

When there was nothing more to add,

He knew his masterpiece was complete.

And so,

He called it... Dad

Eulogy by Rob:

Hello, thank you for coming. My name is Robert Singer

You heard my brothers say how my Dad volunteered his time to coaching, umpiring and many other activities.

As a kid, I thought that's what Dads do! But as I grew older I saw that it wasn't always the case.

We were fortunate to have a father who wanted to spend time with us regardless of what the adventure may be.

Dad taught us how to ride a bike, how to play ball, how to fish (except for Adam - he was scared of the worms.)

I could go on and on about the things he did for me and my brothers, but you probably know most of them.

What you don't know: is the way that Dad made me feel like I was his favorite son any time we were alone together.

John and Adam recently told me they felt the same way when they spent time alone with Dad.

Dad wasn't perfect. He had his faults like the rest of us.

There are times I can remember when someone in the family would say "You're just like Dad" and I would feel hurt and upset but I don't know why.

In the past few months I was able to spend more time with Dad. I began to see things that I had taken for granted in the past.

His unconditional love for his family.

His courteous and polite manners towards his friends, neightbors, doctors - even when he was in pain.

Most of all I could see the great respect he had for my Mom.

It would be an honor to have someone say "Rob, you're just like your Dad"

Love you Dad.

Eulogy by John Singer Jr:

I'm John Singer Jr

I would like to introduce you to our dad; if time permitted I'd love to talk all day about him.

Unfortunately we don't have that kind of time today.

This is our Dad

He came from a small town in Hungary called Paks.

You could probably write a book or make a movie about his incredible journey through life. Enduring trials and tribulations that most could only imagine.

My father moved to Canada as a very young man, he met my mother and they married. My mother was also from Hungary.

They would have been married 54 years this year

(In case you are doing the math)

They then started their new life and family

They had three sons

John

Adam

Robert

Now the fun began

For my Dad

Family was first priority

He was a loving and caring husband

He was our dad, our father

He was our hockey, baseball and soccer coach

He was our umpire and referee through sports and life

He was our number one Fan

When we all married, our wives were like daughters to him

Then once the grand children came, well they were like his own

children

If you had a chance to look at some of the pictures out front you know what I mean

He was so very proud of his family

My Dad worked hard

He was honest and caring

He had a sense of humour

He laughed and he cried

He had many friends

It didn't matter what nationality or colour you were, if you took the time to talk to him you had a friend

When my father found out that he was ill he never complained about the pain he was in or why this happened to him. He was more concerned that his family was not suffering because of him.

This was our Dad

I would like to share a personal moment with you

I was given a gift a few weeks ago; this gift I will never forget.

It was a day with my dad.

It was a gorgeous sunny Saturday. We drove. We went to some of his favourite spots. We saw mountains and the ocean. We walked and we talked.We smiled and we laughed. We had a late lunch together.

I will never forget the look of joy on his face that day

Thank you God for giving me that day

Thank you Dad for the life you have given us

I love you dad

I will miss you.

Eulogy by Kelsey (Grandchild)

Throughout the years, all of us "Singer" cousins have had some amazing memories with our Opa. From the Life Savers we ate when Opa picked us up in his van, to his signature "hello" when he answered the telephone. Some of the best memories come from the times we made pickles or sausage with him and getting to see what he caught when he went fishing or hunting.

Opa was always the one to give us the little knick knacks that cluttered our rooms: Pins, change he found on his many walks, or even mini radios in Leah's case. There were those few memorable times like when he found that $20 bill or the time he found a cell phone that Aidan was determined to use.

Hanging out at Oma and Opa's literally meant there was never a dull moment. Opa would sit there in his favourite chair with Maddy combing his non-existent hair and Leah playing hairdresser, putting Opa's hair in ponytails and barrettes.

Sleepovers were an exciting time, too. We would play Chinese checkers and crazy eights until bed time and Opa would always let Tianna win. Mornings would consist of Leah crawling into Oma and Opa's bed, demanding pancakes and bacon and even the salty porridge. Unfinished breakfast was always fed to Opa's "chickens", more commonly known as crows.

A main event at Oma and Opa's was getting to watch TV. Usually it would be a Disney movie, and usually that movie was Atristocats, much to my dismay. If Opa was watching TV, we would spend countless hours watching Judge Judy and Judge Joe Brown or watching Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune. All was well as long as none of the kids touched the remote.

The upstairs TV was a whole different story. Grandchildren were pretty much banned from that TV room, though Maddy, Aidan, and I usually broke that rule. Apparently we weren't capable of switching a channel without breaking something.

Opa was always there for all of us, especially when it came to sports. He loved to watch baseball and attended as many sporting events as he could for his boys and his girls. Whether it was a dance recital or a baseball game he always made us feel like we had done an amazing job.

We will forever miss Opa's encouraging words, hearing his voice over the phone and his many quirks. We will especially miss seeing his smiling face when he answered the door, and how he always waved us off as we drove away. Most of all we will miss the Opa who was always there for us whenever we needed him.

Eulogy by Aidan (Grandchild)

We all have different memories of our Opa, but the one thing that we all shared was his love. Opa was always the first one to pass down his knowledge to us, especially in cards when he would help Tianna try to win. Opa would reward Daniel when he got important hits in baseball by giving him money,ironically Opa was the one who was the most protective of his money. Opa used to make frequent trips to the mall, and when he did he would always come visit me when I was working, but he would never come into the store. I guess he didn't want to disrupt me when I was hard at work. When Opa was dealing with some of his most severe pain, he made it out to watch Daniel in his provincials, he could barely walk and he stayed for all 3 hours of the game. Thanksgiving was always a festive time in the Singer household, Opa would be carving away at the turkey, and there would be Tianna trying to get a little slice of turkey much to Opa's dismay. When I was in elementary school I was in a special program outside of school, and twice a week Opa would pick me up from school and take me back. He was always on time and always put others before himself. Before we went on any vacation, Opa would always give us money as a little present so that a little piece of him would always be with us no matter where we went. We all have different things that we remembered Opa for, but the one thing that all us grandchildren shared was his undying devotion, love and care for us. We will always remember how much he cared for us and we will never forget our Opa.

Eulogy by Alex (Grandchild)

My Opa was a very special person to both my sister Madisen and me. My Opa was the type of person no matter rain or shine he was there for you. He loved every one of us equally and we were his pride and joy. I feel that I have always had a very close relationship with my Opa. When my mom passed away my Oma and Opa moved up the street from me and came to our house everyday for about 2 years. My Opa would take us to school and as soon as school was over he was right there waiting for my sister and I to finish class. He would always ask us about how our day was and would tell tell us about his and all the "discounts" he found in different stores. My Opa would always tell us that he bought donuts or chocolates but would then say"oh but those are not for you" and then would laugh and say "well maybe I could share one with you" Like Kelsey said my Opa was quite the coin collector. I remember when I bought my second hamster Opa came with me and gave me two dollars. As we were walking home he told me that I had to pay him back and for every day I didn't, he was going to charge me 15% interest. I, of course, was not to interested for the fact that I got another hamster and I had no idea what interest was. One of Maddy's fond memories with Opa was when he would let her dance on his feet. He would guide her around the living room and Maddy feels that Opa will always be supporting her, through good and bad times with Maddy standing on his feet with him, letting Opa guide her and help her through all of her years to come. My Opa will always be missed by each and everyone of us and we will always love him.

Memorial Sermon for John Singer

by Rev. Peter H. Fischer

Grace and Peace

to you from the God of all

comfort, compassion and love

Amen.

Life is full of partings.

No matter how close our relationships with our loved ones might be,

there comes a time when we part from each other.

Sometimes parting can be very painful.

The closer the bond we have with someone,

and the longer the period of separation is likely to be,

the more we feel the pain of parting.

Often, it is only when we have to part with people

that we realize how much

we love them.

As the poet Kahlil Gibran once said –

“Love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation.”

This may be true today, when we think of John Singer.

For what is true of ordinary partings is even truer of the parting we call “death”.

Death is, seemingly, the most irrevocable parting of all.

In the case of sudden death,

we are not even given a chance to say goodbye.

to say all that was in our heart.

to tell the loved one

how much he meant to us.

The bible shows us that Jesus shared with us

the pain of dying

and the pain of parting with his friends.

His friends, for their part,

were plunged into gloom at the thought of Jesus leaving them

because, like all of us, they too, believed that their parting

was permanent - forever

But Jesus said to them –

“Let not your hearts be troubled…

I will come again and will take you to myself

that where I am you may be also.”

In other words, death, despite all appearances,

would not be an everlasting parting.

Jesus loved them

and promised to be with them not only throughout life

but always even into death.

Dear friends, we are here to remember John Singer

but we are also here to remember Jesus Christ.

John and Jesus together.

John and Jesus in light of each other.

To remember one without the other

is to leave this place

shrouded in the despair

that our parting with John is final

To remember them together

is to live under the light of God’s promise

that we will all be together again,

in the loving presence of Christ.

As we remember the life of John who was born on January 23, 1933 in Hungary

and who died last Wednesday October 27,

we are uplifted by the varied and fond memories we hold of him

- as a husband to Kathy,

as a father to John, Adam and Robert,

Grandfather to Alexandra, Madisen,

Aidan, Daniel, Tianna,

Nicole, Kelsey and Leah

and as a good friend to so many.

Throughout his 77 years of life

John was most happy

in the company of family and friends.

He enjoyed work as well.

He was tireless, meticulous and devoted to his work

whether it was in a logging camp,

at the Cascades Drive In,

Acme Protective Systems or

when he started his own company—Singer Security.

But his best times were always with family and friends—

hunting or fishing,

coaching baseball and hockey,

umpiring at little league games,

playing bocce ball

watching all his grandchildren

during holiday gatherings, like at Easter,

running around the backyard

hunting for all of the painted Easter eggs that he and Kathy had hid.

For all of his beautiful gifts of love and service and grace to all,

John will be missed

and forever remembered in your hearts.

And so we gather today to thank God for John Singer

But we are also gather to give thanks for Jesus Christ—

for the good news of Jesus Christ, who, in his own death,

destroyed the power of death

and, on that very first Easter morning in his resurrection,

established a victory in which all of us now share—

those who have died, like John

and those of us who, as yet,

live in anticipation of the gift of life eternal.

What God did in Jesus he did for us, he did for John.

Dear family and friends, be encouraged.

Do not despair. Do not be afraid.

We are not alone in this life and in the life to come.

We are here to remember John

We are here to remember Jesus.

John and Jesus together.

John and Jesus in light of each other.

Jesus in light of his deep love for John

and John in light of the deep peace he now has in Christ.

Thanks be to God.

Amen.

Angler's Prayer

God grant that I may live to fish,

Until my dying day,

And when it comes

To my last cast,

I then most humbly pray,

When in the Lord's

Safe landing net,

I'm peacefully asleep,

That in his mercy I be judged,

As big enough to keep.

* * * * * * * * * *

SINGER, John

January 23, 1933 - October 27, 2010

It is with great sorrow that we announce the passing of John Singer beloved husband, father and Opa. John was born in Paks, Hungary and came to Canada in 1950. He will be missed by his loving wife of 53 years, Kathy, sons John (Cathie), Adam (Sia) and Robert (Julie) and grandchildren Nicole, Alexandra, Kelsey, Aidan, Madisen, Leah, Daniel, Tianna and many friends. A Funeral Service will be held on Tuesday, November 2, 2010 at 10:00 am at Fraser Heights Chapel, 14835 Fraser Highway, Surrey, BC. Burial to follow at Ocean View Cemetery , Burnaby, BC. In lieu of flowers, donations to The Cancer Society would be appreciated. Condolences may be offered at www.mem.com.

Arrangements under the direction of First Memorial Funeral Services, Fraser Heights Chapel, Surrey, BC. - 604-589-2559