John David Maloney

In Edmonton, John David Maloney, age 54, passed away through Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID, Track 2) on March 27, 2026, at the University of Alberta Hospital. He was born on October 5, 1971, to Barbara Maloney, and was predeceased by her and his younger half-brother, Jason. Much of John’s life was shaped by the loving care of his grandparents, John, and Helen Berg, who have also passed. He is survived by his older sister, Patricia Maloney.

John also loved his two favourite feline friends, Scarlett and Stryker who miss him dearly.

Friendships were of prime importance for John. Starting with his best friend and lifelong companion, Paul Verreau, their relationship dated back to their early school days, and they graduated from St. Joseph Catholic High School together. John requested being buried at Holy Cross Cemetery so he could be near Amber, another childhood friend.

This same devotion to friends and his enthusiastic dedication in his work, volunteer and gaming communities continued over two decades. He rose in the ranks at Catholic Social Services (CSS) and at other group homes. In 2023, as a Settlement Practicum Advisor at Norquest College, he became very involved in the newcomers’ world and empowered women and their families, when he served for two terms as President or Vice President at New Hope Resettlement doing job creation and community orientation in their mentorship projects.

Like his grandfather and mentor, the multi-patenting inventor John Berg, John David also had an engineering and visionary mind. As an innovator, he always sought to improve services in youth care and became an inspiration in both blind and sighted communities. For example, through the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB), he launched a children's audio Easter egg hunt, and opened the door to newcomers, with his large and very fertile backyard vegetable and apple garden for a season helping struggling recipients dealing with trauma and food scarcity.

He believed in a balanced life and as an avid gamer, still played pool in his grandparents' home until he could no longer see. He loved doing “deep dive” research and encouraged the application of newer technologies, such as Be My Eyes and ChatGPT. He was always a deeply compassionate advocate. Like his pioneering grandfather, John never accepted norms or limits for himself or others. When he was told he wouldn’t graduate from high school, he stated that not only would he finish it, but he was going to college too. And sure enough, despite being blind in one eye, at the age of six and struggling with deteriorating vision in the other eye throughout life, John completed a Child and Youth Development certificate from Grant MacEwan College. This often required excessive time to read and study materials.

A big fan of Abraham Maslow, he asserted he was a self-actualizing man and proved it through his many accomplishments. In 2022, he received a Master of Arts in Leadership from the prestigious Royal Roads University. John always claimed to be a pragmatist but one with a big heart and capable of taking on challenges. Despite the limitations with his blind state, he became very competent at many things including cooking, laundry, and attempting to keep up the Berg three-bedroom family home after moving from an apartment.

John earned a lifetime of respect, love, and admiration of so many students, youth, teachers, gamers, colleagues and community leaders as represented here today. We are now the John Maloney Legacy team, and we hope to continue the determination, vision, and tenacity of his great inspiration to our communities. John Maloney will be remembered for many years as a principled, practical, compassionate man who spoke his mind freely advocating for the underdogs. He was both an intelligent but humble example of a cheerful person who could overcome obstacles.

John could see more being blind than many could with sight, and his wisdom was astute. Now he’s followed his lifelong and closest friend Jesus to heaven. He wanted to die in the springtime, during a time of renewal and the best of beginnings, in heaven where his visions now have taken on sight. After all, here lies a man who could say, “the sky is NOT my limit” as his photo shows…

Note: Although this is a Celebration of Life event and limited to invited guests only, others may please enjoy the livestream. To watch online, click the "Join Livestream" icon under "Services" below at the time of service.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/edmonton/article/3-days-before-his-medically-assisted-death-this-alberta-man-is-reflecting-on-his-right-to-die/

In lieu of flowers, please consider donations in John's honour as per his wishes to:

Dying with Dignity Canada - https://www.dyingwithdignity.ca/get-involved/ways-to-give/

or The MEOW Foundation of Calgary- https://meow-foundation.givecloud.co/product/E6E653E/donate-to-meow-foundation