What follows is a work in progress, as we attempt to encapsulate his life in text and photographs to be forever shared with his family and friends. If you have interesting stories, photos or notes of historical significance to Johnny’s life that you feel are appropriate to add to his memorial, please e-mail them to me at [email protected], for consideration.
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JOHNNY’S OBITUARY NOTICE
JOHN LESLY ARMITAGE
1942 - 2009
John Lesly Armitage, born on Tuesday, June 16th, 1942 in Winnipeg, Manitoba to Les and Edna Armitage, passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, December 3rd, 2009 in Victoria, British Columbia at the age of 67 years. He leaves his loving family: devoted wife, Denise (née Anthonisen); step-children, Pamela Cherish Adye and Christopher (Kimberly) Dorrington; grandchildren, Tiffany (Ian) Belliveau, Danielle Zabel, Jennifer (Ryan) Vallee, Kelty & Karl Dorrington; great-grandchildren, Riley Belliveau, Ella Zabel, Marek & Ronin Vallee. He is also survived by his brother, Richard (Genevieve) Armitage; sister, Dell Spencer; nephews, Les Armitage and James Finlayson; nieces, Connie (Al) Fraser and Amanda Stretch; mother-in-law, Mabel Anthonisen; sister-in-law, Pamela (Gordon) Bates; brother-in-law, Cedric Anthonisen; former son-in-law, Ralph Adye; former daughter-in-law, Karen Furey, and their extended families. He also leaves his uncles, aunts, cousins, other relatives and many good friends in Canada and abroad. Johnny was pre-deceased by his parents, Leslie and Edna Armitage; father-in-law, Gordon Anthonisen, and his great niece, Kelly Fraser.
An Informal Memorial Gathering will be held at the Metchosin Community House, 4430 Happy Valley Road, Victoria, British Columbia, on Saturday, December 12th, 2009 from 1:30 to 4:00pm.
Special thanks to Dr. David Hilton, Dr. David Kinloch, nurse Krista, hospital Social Worker Barbara, and the staff at Victoria General & Royal Jubilee Hospitals, for all of their valiant efforts to keep our Johnny here with us.
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HISTORICAL BIOGRAPHY
John was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba on Tuesday, June 16th, 1942.
His early years were spent moving between various Air Force bases in Canada, where he made some good lifelong friends and had many interesting experiences. As a teenager, John became a champion Archer, excelled at gymnastics and weight lifting. Later, he joined the US Air Force in Texas until he became disenchanted by idle promises regarding his chosen work. Along with some friends, John hitch-hiked his way around the country before heading back to Canada where he was accepted into one of the Art Colleges. Disappointingly, he had to turn this opportunity down due to a lack of funds. Eventually, John settled in Calgary and worked in the draughting department at Shell Oil. Dreams of escaping the Prairie winters in order to build his own sailboat prompted a move to Victoria, BC in 1969, where he acquired a position with the Ministry of Energy and Mines in the draughting office of the Geological Survey Branch. Most of his time there was spent in a supervisory position. John received his Long Service Award at a ceremony at Government House on November 23rd, 1995. In 1997, the entire draughting office was eliminated during one of the first large government cutbacks. The opportunity was taken to retire, followed by a contract to instruct a draughting office in Ghana in the latest mapping methods. That was in October 1997. John found the trip itself rather tedious and exhausting, and the heat at the Equator was difficult to endure. Nevertheless, it was an interesting experience and he returned with some unusual stories as well as a few treasures gleaned in the market places. On returning to Canada, John started his company, ArmitageCAD Computer Drafting in Metchosin, BC, using AutoCAD and 3ds max 5. Several mapping related contracts followed, plus other interesting jobs. Over the last few years, John concentrated more on animation and produced many beautiful renditions. Some of his paintings were accepted into juried art shows as well as for charity auctions. He was a consummate artist and was in the process of upgrading his work to even higher standards. The possibilities were endless.
After moving to Victoria, John began the process of building the 48 ½’ Horseman Tri-Star Trimaran which took many years to build, sometimes with the assistance of family and friends. John’s attention to detail was meticulous and the final product a source of pride and joy. Many happy hours were spent aboard "Ahimsa", whose literal translation from the Sanscrit text means "Compassion for all living things".
John will be forever missed by all who loved him. Rest in Peace my love. - Denise
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8 December 2009 - By Richard D. Armitage ( John's brother)
John Lesly Armitage Born: 16 June 1942 – Died 3 December 2009
REMEMBRANCE OF A BRAVE BROTHER
John was born at home in the old farmhouse Grandma and Grandpa Swann rented out in Charleswood in Winnipeg, Manitoba on the 16th of June 1942. He was called a miracle baby because he survived. John was born with many complications, double pneumonia, double hernia, both ear drums ruptured and the list went on. Then on top of everything Dad was transferred to No. 5 Technical Training School in Moncton New Brunswick.
Dad was an Aircraft Instrument Technician with the Royal Canadian Air Force. He was sent to the training school in Moncton as an instructor. Mom wanted to go with him so we packed everything Mom needed to look after John and we moved to Moncton.
Mom looked after John 24 hours a day and it was through her efforts that John survived. I was 4 to 5 years old at the time and I remember holding John down on my lap to keep him from moving while Mom syringed out his ears every few hours.
Diets were not the best in those days of food shortages and rationing, but everyone worked together to ensure that John had whatever food he needed. Even the people we rented the rooms from in a big old house helped to make sure there was plenty of food for him.
We moved back to Winnipeg in 1945 and shortly after sister Lorraine Dell was born. The immediate post war times were hectic. Dad was transferred to Springfield Ontario at that time and the whole family moved again. We kids of the RCAF were known as “Air Force Brats”. There were possibly good reasons for that name. We were a little different from other Kids who lived in one town all their lives. We moved every two years or so and saw much of Canada from Coast to Coast and even the USA because they had better roads for travel.
We moved to Trenton Ontario in 1947. That’s where John and I first learned about frogs legs being good to eat. We were always interested in anything good to eat. We became expert frog catchers.
In 1949 we moved to Camp Borden Ontario. There were no Permanent Married Quarters so our family and another family rented an old farmhouse. There seemed to be one adventure after another. One day John and I were walking through a field of wheat that had just been cut and stooked. We saw a mole run across the ground from stook to stook where upon we decided to catch it. The plan was for me to lift the stooks and John would dive in and grab the Mole. Everything moved according to plan, I lifted the stooks, John saw the Mole and dove in to grab him. The ground was very dry and a cloud of dust puffed up into the air. When the dust settled John was sitting on the ground looking for the Mole. Suddenly he jumped up and started dancing, and then he threw off his trousers and out of them ran the mole. We were laughing so hard we decided to let the Mole go.
In 1952 Dad was transferred to Comox to reopen the Instrument Section. Comox Air Base had been mothballed in 1947 along with many other Air Force Stations the Canadian Government thought they would never need again. However when the Cold War started in 1950/51 it was decided to reopen some of the camps.
Lessons in life usually come hard. One lesson John learned when, after we had built a house on Anderton road, I rode my bike into Comox with John on the cross bar. We were gliding down Anderton Hill to Comox Road, picking up good speed when John swung the heel of his left foot into the front wheel spokes. I wish I could have seen what happened next. The Bike went end over end into the ditch; John screaming his head off and I went sailing through the air. That wasn’t so bad it was that sudden landing that was uncomfortable.
One day Dad and I were back in the bush on our 20 acres when we started to hear Lorraine Dell shouting our names. We located her and listened to her tearful story about John cutting off a piece of his leg and she was crying because she had looked but could not find the piece. Mom then sent Dell into the Bush to find us. That in itself was a great act of bravery for a six year old girl who did not usually go into the bush by herself.
We drove back to the house to find John with a bandaged leg all ready to be driven to the Hospital. The story was that John was cutting cedar kindling at the chopping block and his mind must have wandered because he missed the cedar block and the hatchet he was using buried itself in his right calf. Dell had never seen muscle cut before and did not know that the muscle tissue pulled the wound open. It looked to Dell that John had cut out part of his leg and that was what she was looking for.
John made friends with a young boy who lived down Anderton Road on a Chicken Farm. One day John was watching the Farmer sorting new hatched chicks into which were hens and which were roosters. The Roosters were of no value to the Famer so they were dispatched. John watched this for a while and finally asked the Farmer if he, John, could have some of the rooster chicks. The Farmer grabbed a cardboard box and threw the next 25 roosters into it for John. So John shows up at home with a cardboard box with 25 newborn chicks. Mom and Dad talked it over and decided it would be a good lesson for all of us kids to learn the responsibility of looking after animals. So John was in charge and with help from everyone we put 25 plump chickens in the Deep freeze for the winter.
John told me that he always looked up to me as his older brother. However there was one time when that relationship was slightly strained. Dad bought a1939 Touring Packard in I953. That summer holidays we decided to drive to California. On the first day we sailed across to Port Angeles. Dad parked the car while we were getting out of the Car I thought John was getting out on the other side and I closed the door on my side. Of course John was just exiting and the car door struck him on the top centre of his head to the tune of 7 stitches and the admonition from the Doctor not to get the stitches wet for seven days. Dad had brought along floatation gear and that was what John used while swimming to keep his head dry. I do not know if he ever forgave me for preventing him from swimming during that vacation.
In 1955 Dad was transferred to the Central Experimental and Proving Establishment at Uplands Air Base in Ottawa.
John flourished but he was determined to build up his health. He had to be very careful because he was susceptible to pneumonia if he let himself get run down at all.
He started body building exercises using the Camp Sports Facilities available at whatever Camp we were on. When we were at Uplands in Ottawa John decided that while he was bodybuilding he might as well have a goal, so he entered the Mr. Montreal Contest. He would have had a shot at the title except he over did it and tore the Pectoral muscles across his chest and was not able to compete.
To help strengthen his chest muscles while they were healing he took up Archery. He went on to become Junior Dominion Champion.
John decided after completing school to try the American Air Force. Don’t ask me why but it seemed the thing to do for Air Force Brats. I, myself tried the RCAF Navigator School before becoming a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Anyway John did not find what he was looking for in the American Air Force. He and two of his friends left the USAF at the same time and started hitch-hiking across the southern states. Eventually their money gave out and ever present hunger made them look for employment. Reading a newspaper in a Restaurant one day, one of them saw an advertisement for employment by a Pharmaceutical company. Applying for work they found that the Company was looking for enterprising persons to go out into the desert, hunt down and capture Rattlesnakes live; then milk the venom into containers and bring the venom back to the Company for manufacture into anti-venom injections. The Company supplied them with tools and containers covered with surgical rubber. The idea was for them to go out into the desert, find Rattlesnakes, capture them, pick them up in such a manner that the jaws were wide open, insert the two top fangs of the snake through the surgical rubber covering the empty container then milk the venom sacs on the side of the head until the venom ran out of the fangs and into the container. When one was done, go get another. They had no idea how many snakes they would have to catch, milk and let go before they had the containers filled and they would be paid. One of the fellows suggested they could eat one of the snakes; they had heard that they were good eating, but the consensus was that they would be eating their profit since they would no longer be able to get venom from that snake.
Although they managed to make enough to eat, the job soon paled and they started hitch-hiking across to California. They would take turns standing on the road side hitch-hiking while the other two slept in the Ditch. One morning John and his friend who were sleeping in the Ditch awoke to find their buddy had been hit by a vehicle and was dead on the side of the road.
That decided John to come back to Canada and after a visit in Ottawa to see the folks and out to see Genevieve and me in BC; he ended up in Calgary working for a Petroleum Company drawing Oil Mining Maps.
We went out from Mica Creek to visit with John on a few occasions. On one of them our Daughter Connie was picked up by the Calgary City Police for “walking the streets”. I think she was 4 or 5 years old at the time and had just walked away from the apartment. John was always a great host.
Denise can pick up the story from here. John moved out to Victoria around 1969 and began working for the Ministry of Mines. Denise was employed there in 1974, and they eventually married. John continued to make the most beautiful maps of mineral deposits and mines in BC.
When John and Denise retired, John traveled to Ghana to instruct mining engineers in mapping mines.
On his return home, John entered the world of virtual reality by starting to convert Architects ideas into virtual reality on a computer using powerful CAD programs.
He began building his great 48 foot Horstman TriStar Trimaran, the “Ahimsa” in 1970, and had the mast fitted in 1981. The pride and workmanship he put into that boat was obvious in the finished product.
John was a natural artist and created many beautiful pictures by hand and on the computer.
I believe John had a good life. I know he enhanced my life and for that I am grateful.
Richard D. Armitage (B: 31 Jan 1938)
Courtenay BC
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