John David Skillen

John began his career with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in 1951 and retired in 1990, receiving a plaque for his distinguished service. He was rehired to supervise the moving of equipment into the new CBC Toronto headquarters at Front and John Streets, a new position that lasted until 1995.

Part of his CBC career was as a senior radio technician, and as such he received plum assignments, among them:

-The opening of the St Lawrence Seaway by Queen Elizabeth II, and President Dwight D. Eisenhower, near Montreal in 1959. The CBC Crew was invited onto the Royal Yacht Britannia, where John was introduced to the Queen.

-The Democratic and Republican Conventions in Los Angeles and Chicago in 1960, where John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon were the chosen presidential candidates.

-The sounds of Centennial across Canada in 1967. As part of the crew, John received a Centennial Medal awarded by Judy Lamarsh, Secretary of State.

John was the technician for CBC recordings of world-renowned pianist Glenn Gould, who was so impressed with John's work that he asked him to be his personal recording engineer. John declined and remained with CBC, advancing to supervisory and management positions.

John's main interests were as follows: He joined the Toronto Professional Fire Fighter's Association Box 12 in 1994 and was a very active member for over two decades. Previously he had been a member of Support 7 for over two decades also. He was nominated by his peers to receive the Barry White award, which he was given in 2013 for outstanding and dedicated service to the Toronto Professional Fire Fighters Association for his work with Box 12.

He was a founding member of the Ontario Fire Buffs Association founded in 1971, and was made an honorary member in 2016.

He was a member of the Ontario Electric Railway Association, which runs the Halton County Radial Railway Museum, where he was a very involved volunteer for close to five decades.

John had an interesting, active, and productive life. He was well respected and spoken fondly of by all who knew him. He will be greatly missed by family and friends.

The funeral will take place on Tuesday January 7, at the Jerrett Funeral Home 1141 St. Clair Ave W, Toronto. Visitation will be at 10:00am, Funeral at 11:00am, followed by a reception and then interment at St. James Cemetery.