Albert John Loughton

Born in 1939 to Jack and Mona Loughton, Jack and his older sister Phyllis grew up across western Canada. His parents were both ministers in the Nazarene Church who instilled in him a sense of social justice and service to others that were the guiding principles of his life. Ever a rebel, a noteworthy performance playing football on a Sunday earned him both a spot in the Monday paper and a one-way ticket to boarding school, where he then got himself expelled for openly challenging the institution’s religious overtones. He enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force and received his wings two months shy of his 19th birthday, serving as an interceptor pilot flying CF-100 and Sabre jets.

Still without a high school diploma, he left the Air Force to pursue further education. After graduating high school in Edmonton, Jack earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in education at the University of Calgary and taught junior high school.

Jack moved to Ann Arbor to pursue his PhD at the University of Michigan, driven by his belief in education as a catalyst for social change. That belief led him to work with an affirmative action program supporting inner-city African American students in Detroit, a decision that would profoundly shape his career. After completing his PhD, Jack returned to Canada to join the Faculty of Education at Brandon University, where he directed a teacher education program to train more Indigenous teachers in Manitoba. Later, he worked on education reforms in the NWT to grant communities greater autonomy over cultural education.

Jack went on to be one of the founding partners and president of Salasan Associates, a consulting firm that specialized in international development. Over time, he became a trusted advisor to CIDA, leading the design, management, monitoring, and evaluation of projects across the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia. Integral to his ethos on development was his focus on building local capacity and strengthening institutions. His work took many forms: supporting the establishment of faculties of science in eastern Indonesia, advising on institutional partnerships between Canadian and Thai universities, strengthening the education system in Kenya, and contributing to reforms of intergovernmental systems in the nascent Russian Federation following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Jack was driven by the belief that sustainable change begins with empowering people.

While working in Barbados, Jack met the love of his life Renate. It was a case of third time’s the charm. They spent two incredible years in Zimbabwe, before relocating to Victoria, BC and marrying in 1993.

A gifted athlete, Jack excelled in baseball, volleyball, football, and hockey during his youth, but it was golf that became his true passion. You could find him on the golf course several times a week, and he loved to plan golf trips with his friends. He also had a talent for woodworking, happily spending time in his workshop on his latest project. At the end of the day, he enjoyed unwinding with a game of cards, shooting pool, or watching sports.

Jack was a natural storyteller, known for captivating family gatherings with his tales of working as a swamper on a boomcat in the Alberta oilfields, flying under a bridge in Saskatoon, or the time he narrowly escaped from a plane that went through the ice upon takeoff in northern Manitoba.

Jack never missed an opportunity to deliver one of his trademark ‘sermons,’ which he would affectionately number for emphasis. Some of the more memorable ones included: “You finish what you start” and his well-known philosophy on work: “There are four qualities to a good job: do something of social value, work with good people, learn something new every day, and pay the bills.”

Above all, Jack was a family man. He is remembered as a loving husband and a caring father whose leadership, positivity, and mentorship continue to inspire the hearts and minds of all who knew him. He is survived by his wife Renate, his children Jacqueline, Scott, Krista, Jonathon, Danial, Nicholas, Emma, and Sarah, eight grandchildren, and a great granddaughter.

A celebration of Jack’s life will be held at Sea Cider, 2487 Mt. St. Michael Road, Saanichton, on August 17. We invite you to arrive at 2:00pm for a 2:30pm celebration, followed by a reception.

The Celebration of life can be watched here: https://evt.live/jackloughton