John Maybee

MAYBEE, John Ryerson (Jack) Peacefully on May 20, 2009 in his 91st year. Beloved husband of Nevitt (nee Black), cherished father of John (Alies), Maylanne (John Whittall), Brenda (Val Zanin), Chris Ryerson (Michele) and Alan (Peggy); grandfather to Ryerson (Toni), Spencer, Christian, Richard, Andrea, Benjamin, Joshua, Mark, Katie, Hayley and Jocelyn and great-grandfather to Addison. Born in Moose Jaw, SK, educated in Alberta and BC and at the University of Toronto, Jack obtained his PhD in Letters in 1942 from Princeton University. He joined the Navy as a lieutenant in 1943, making the shift from letters to numbers and serving as a navigator patrolling the North Atlantic. He married Nevitt on Aug. 4, 1945, and joined the Department of External Affairs in 1946. His early career included postings in China, Australia and Washington DC. He was Ambassador to Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and later Ambassador to Nepal, and rose to the rank of High Commissioner to India. Upon retiring in 1978, Jack studied journalism at Carleton University before becoming editor of Crosstalk, the newspaper of the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa, converting its production to computer-based technology. Jack shared his Christian faith as a chorister, sidesperson, warden, Sunday school teacher and member of the Brotherhood of Anglican Churchmen over the years. Jack was an avid gardener and lifelong patron of the arts, and continued to enjoy nights at the opera and being read to despite failing vision and the onset of Alzheimers. In 2006 Jack became a resident of the Perley-Rideau Veterans' Health Centre, where Nevitt visited him daily, and where staff and residents appreciated his continuing warmth and gentle nature. Friends may call at the Westboro Chapel of Tubman Funeral Homes 403 Richmond Road (at Roosevelt) on Friday, May 22 from 7 - 9 p.m. Funeral Service will be held at All Saints Anglican Church, Westboro on Saturday, May 23 at 11 a.m. Cremation to follow. Those who wish to may support the Perley-Rideau Veterans Health Centre or Operation Eyesight Universal. Condolences, tributes or donations may be made at www.tubmanfuneralhomes.com .