John David Knowles

1940 - 2013

John was born in NDG, son of Charles Noel

and Gertrude Knowles and youngest brother

to Peter, Charles and Elisabeth. As a boy,

John loved the Laurentians and the discovery

of boats and the winding North River. After

enduring Lower Canada College for several

years, he was grateful to escape into a more

bohemian identity at Dalhousie in Halifax,

where he studied engineering physics. During

three decades of work at McGill University

designing research instrumentation, John

was always planning the next iteration before

the initial product was delivered. He was

passionate about alternate energy and quite

despairing about the future of the

environment. After retirement, John

continued to design innovative medical

devices. As one of his McGill colleagues

commented, “John’s art has a following - and

international appeal.” John's singing and

guitar playing were unique and riveting. Until

the end of his life, he took great pleasure in

musical sessions and performances with old

friends in their group The What Four. Nobody

could match John for storytelling. He kept

listeners mesmerized with his tales of

youthful adventures and his speculative

meanderings about alternative lives often

instilled wonder in listeners. His voice was

unmistakeable and unforgettable, and his

humour was quirky, expansive and

contagious. John’s reaction to a sobering

medical diagnosis twenty years ago was, as

always, thoughtful and creative. He proved

the two-year prognosis wrong, parlaying his

search for solutions into trips and adventures

in the two decades that followed. Sailing with

his wife Audrey was a great solace. He

described how his shoulders relaxed as the

shore receded. It was spiritual for him;

dropping anchor one evening after navigating

into a remote harbour on Nova Scotia’s

Eastern Shore, he looked around and said,

“It’s like coming home to a room in my

mansion.” Despite a reflective and somewhat

reclusive nature, John had close relationships

with many lifelong friends. He cared deeply

about his two granddaughters and watched

their progress attentively. John died

peacefully at home on December 16th. His

presence will be sorely missed by his family,

especially his wife Audrey, sister Elisabeth,

son Peter, and daughter-in-law Julie,

grandchildren Erin and Caitlin, and nieces and

nephews Wendy, John and Glenn. He will be

missed by his musical circle and by his many

friends in and out of the fellowship that gave

him strength and inspiration, for which he was

profoundly grateful. A memorial service will

be held at the Unitarian Church of Montreal

(5035 de Maisonneuve West, Montreal, QC,

H4A 1Y5) on Saturday, December 21 at 2 p.m.,

with a reception afterwards. In lieu of flowers

donations can be made to Friends of

Canadian Broadcasting or to the charity of

your choice.