John Brearley

John Richard Brearley

January 16, 1954, to August 6, 2021

It is with great sorrow that we announce the loss of John Brearley at the Ottawa General Hospital on August 6, 2021, after a 12 year battle with CLL leukemia.

John is survived by his wife of 40 years, Catherine Kelly, his sister Carole Brearley of Toronto, and brother-in-law Jim Kelly of Kingston. He also leaves behind many friends and members of the community  who knew of  his generosity.

John was born in Ogdensburg New York, the son of Reg and Gloria Brearley, and moved with his family to Arvida, Quebec, where his father worked for Alcan,

He kept in touch with his Arvida friends who  remember his passion for building and fixings all things mechanical and electrical.   He was a great tinkerer and loved to build and operate all sorts of contraptions.

He was as a determined problem solver and a friend ready to help whenever needed.

After graduating from McGill University and the University of British Columbia with degrees in electrical engineering, John worked for several IT companies in Ottawa and California.

During this time, he spent many summers sailing El Gatito out of Kingston, eventually heading south in 2005 and eventually reaching the Bahamas.

After retirement in 2012, he moved to Lanark Village from Ottawa and  began a new phase in his life.   He became active in community work, helping to resettle Syrian refugee families and teaching coding to  students at a local elementary school.

He was an active supporter of several organizations including Habitat for Humanity, the Lanark Food Pantry, the Middleville Museum as well as the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technology and Algonquin College (Perth Campus).

His latest project was to convert his home to solar power, doing almost all the work himself. He also maintained a website, Canada Indigenous Skills Training Resources. which provided help to First Nations people all across Canada.

A Celebration of Life for John will take place at a later date in Lanark. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the charity of your choice