John Lewis Mosgrove

Last Thursday evening, September 6, John Mosgrove passed from this earth to be with his beloved wife, Christine Mosgrove, in heaven. John was 89 years old and died from complications related to recent health issues. His family (daughter, Elizabeth her husband Herb and grandkids, Caroline and Brad, son, David his wife Crystal, and grandkids, Mike and Matt) were all able spend golden hours with John in his last weeks, recounting a wonderful life and saying good-bye in a peaceful, comfortable setting at WakeMed Hospital in Raleigh, NC. John was well cared for and passed in peace.

John, (aka “Grampy”), lived a full life of overachievement. He was born June 20, 1929 in Iroquois Falls, Ontario, Canada. His father Cecil and mother Mary had 2 other children, Ozzie and Helen. Life in Iroquois Falls was humble, and John enjoyed hunting, fishing, hockey, and good times with his many friends there. Eventually John became a semi-pro hockey player, and while traveling for hockey, he met Lois Christine Harvey from Grand Manan Island in New Brunswick, Canada. The two married on August 27, 1954 in Seal Cove (Christine’s home), and facing a life in Northern Ontario working at the paper mill, they instead chose to strike out on a huge adventure, heading to central Florida for a new life. Chris nursed, and John got a plant job with Continental Can in the citrus packing industry. John would work 35 years for Continental Can, moving and gaining multiple promotions, before retiring in Atlanta at age 55. While in Florida, Elizabeth was born in 1959 in Lakeland, and David was born in 1962 in Winter Haven. John was always active in his kid’s lives growing up including scouting, sports, band, church, and many other activities.

Through the years, John and Chris raised and educated 2 kids, traveled the world, developed many friendships where ever they were, and enjoyed 57 years of married life together. They evolved into Nana and Grampy when Michael, their first grandson was born in 1991, followed the same year by granddaughter Caroline. Grandsons Matt and Brad would come 3 years later. Grampy was always a big part of his grandkids lives, a regular attendee at sporting events, graduations, and even weddings (Caroline to Corey Baldwin, Matt to Amy Thornburg)

One of the places Nana and Grampy most enjoyed on earth was Grand Manan Island in New Brunswick. It is a picturesque island of fishing villages, where the main activities are fishing, lobstering, berrying, and enjoying peaceful good times with family and friends. This quaint, rustic setting perfectly fit Nana and Grampy, and the family vacationed there for many decades at the family home, perched on a cliff overlooking the Bay of Fundy. Grampy loved taking his kids and grandkids fishing, teaching them about life, keeping things simple, doing things right, and never taking life to seriously……so many life lessons. Grampy always had a crusty sense of humor, no doubt developed while sewing oats in Northern Ontario. Nana liked to say, “You can take the man out of the bush, but you can’t take the bush out of the man!”

In their later years, Nana and Grampy left their home Dunwoody, GA and lived in Raleigh, NC until Nana passed in 2011. Grampy then moved to Peachtree City, GA. where he lived until 2015. Then, he moved back to Raleigh.

A graveside service will be held at 3pm on October 20, 2018 at Raleigh Memorial Park, 7501 Glenwood Avenue, Raleigh, NC.