John Charles Clare Gain

1924 - 2021

John Charles Clare Gain, (97 years old) passed away suddenly on March 23, 2021 in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Clare was born March 12, 1924 in Toronto, Ontario to Mary Ann (Burke) and Johnson Frederick Gain. He married the love of his life Sheila Marjorie Russell and they enjoyed 73 wonderful years as “Best Friends” together.

Survived by wife Sheila; sons Patrick (Nancy), Jim (Roxanne) of Nanaimo BC; daughter Anne (Mike Brusletten). Also survived by grandchildren Ryan, Tim, Matthew, Erin, Adam, Kevin, David and great-grandchildren, nephews & nieces. Predeceased by father Johnson Frederick, mother Mary Ann (Burke); his sons John (Judi) and Stephen in 2019. Clare was predeceased by his siblings Irene, Lillian, Nicholas, James (Jim) Basil, Ursula (Urs), Ruth, Gerrard (Bud) and Joan.

As a student, Clare excelled & was awarded a full scholarship to the prestigious St. Michael's College School in Toronto. He was then accepted into the University of Toronto and graduated (with honours) in 1946 with a Chemical Engineering degree.

He married in Toronto in 1948 and began his career at the paper mill in Sturgeon Falls, Ontario. He further advanced his career by moving to work at the CIP paper mill in La Tuque, Quebec. For the benefit of his family's future, he accepted a position in 1965 at the Great Lakes pulp & paper mill in Fort William, Ontario (now Thunder Bay). Later, he was promoted to Kraft Operations Manager and played a crucial role in the twinning of the paper mill (one of the largest mills in North America).

Clare retired in 1990 as a very well-respected manager. Many of his fellow workers & staff have shared how much he was appreciated for being so caring & kind to all he worked with, no matter their position.

He had a passion for baseball & the Blue Jays. As a young man he played on the O'KEEFE fastball team in La Tuque and was on La Tuque's 50th anniversary team that took on the visiting Montreal Canadiens team that included Henri & Maurice Richard, Tremblay, Plante & others. He had the privilege to ride in the convertible with Henri and enjoyed a post-game beer together with the “Rocket” and son Pat. He also enjoyed curling and was on various men's and mixed teams with Sheila.

Clare & Sheila loved being “snowbirds” in Florida. They drove down each year after Christmas till the end of March and made many “snowbird” friends. Dad loved the outdoors, watching wildlife and in particular — birds. His family was amused at the 1000's of photos of ducks he took — but in recent years his camera discovered Florida pelicans! Another love of his was driving. He didn't need much of an excuse to grab the keys and even in the last few years, he could still be seen taking “his Sheila” out for a country drive.

He was a great father to his kids and taught us all how to be kind, respectful & caring towards others. Dad's sparking blue eyes & warm smile, his positive attitude & cheerful good nature, and his chuckles & laughs from enjoying one of his own jokes, will be missed by all — but we are all happy that his life was so well lived!

Clare (& Sheila) have been longtime members of St. Agnes Catholic church. No service was held at the church. Plans for a Virtual Service or Celebration of Life are being considered. All condolences will be acknowledged, & can be emailed to: jamesgain@yahoo.com