John W. DesRochers

1933 - 2022

June 20, 1933 - July 23, 2022

It is with heavy hearts that we mourn the passing of John W. DesRochers, of Penetanguishene, Ontario. John passed away at age 89, on June 23, 2022 unexpectedly at Georgian Bay General Hospital after a brief hospitalization. John was predeceased by his loving wife of nearly 60 years, Annette (Martin) DesRochers, and by his son Tom (survived by Katherine), whose passing left a huge, indelible void in his parents' hearts. John is survived by his son Michel (Kathy), his daughter Rochelle (Phil), his grandsons James, Zachery, and Alex, and his brother Fred (Cherrelle). He was preceded in his passing by his sister Jeanne (Oliver) and his parents Alcime and Aurore DesRochers. John leaves behind many relatives on both the DesRochers/Lacroix and Martin/Beausoleil sides of the family, including many nieces, nephews, and godchildren. We know he will also be missed by many dear friends. From an early age, John demonstrated a love for art and spent much time developing his natural talents. Growing up on the shores of Georgian Bay undoubtedly inspired much of his work. He graduated from The Ontario College of Art (now O.C.A.D) 1950-1954, in Toronto, and went on to study footwear design at Institute Crepin in Montreal. From there, John spent many decades as a designer for numerous Canadian and American footwear companies. John also did freelance commercial work and was an instructor with the Penetang Art Club during the 1960's-1970's, as well as being an instructor in serigraphy. Ever proud of his Metis and Ojibwe heritage, John spent a great deal of time exploring this part of his ancestry, which he expressed beautifully through his Indigenous-inspired artwork. John and Annette travelled extensively, particularly in their retirement, visiting: Israel, France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Cuba, Mexico, Denmark, Finland, Poland, Russia, as well as across Canada. These travels renewed John's desire to express himself through fine art, including his series on the Holy Land, and his West Coast Indigenous pieces. Throughout his life, John was always an active member of his community in various ways, including: founding president of the new Penetanguishene Curling Club, O.C.A.C alumni, Scouts Canada, Penetang Tennis Club, the Knights of Columbus, St. Ann's church Finance Committee, The Penetang Sports Hall of Fame Committee (where he was also an inductee in 2017), and the Champlain Waterfront Park Committee. After losing his son Tom to leukemia in 1999, he and his family never missed a single new recruit graduation class, where they presented the Tom DesRochers Academic Achievement award, and he also become involved in the York Regional Police Association Annual Tom DesRochers Bonspiel. John loved to curl, play tennis, and to go on fishing trips to Dorset and elsewhere with the same group of friends for many years. He treasured his friendships with his closest family and friends from his childhood and university days onward. Genealogy was a passion of John's and he spent years researching and compiling our family's lineage. He was a wonderful storyteller, who could always keep a crowd engaged. His creativity was evident in all he did, from doing natural table scapes on holidays, to spending time in the kitchen trying out new recipes he'd discovered online. John was a quick study and became technologically savvy in his senior years, enjoying his computers, iPads, and even exploring social media! He loved how easy it made it to keep in touch, or reconnect with family and friends. While John will be sorely missed by his family and friends, he lived a long, full, independent life until the end. He never really lost his 'joie de vivre' and was always interested in learning new things, meeting new people, and spending time with his family. Despite this, he missed his wife Annette terribly, and often told his family that he was so lucky to have "married the sweetest gal in the world", and that he couldn't wait to be with her again. John joined Annette just in time to be together for what would have been their 64th wedding anniversary (July 28th). Visitation was held at the Penetang Funeral Home on Tuesday, August 2nd from 5-8 p.m., and Wednesday, August 3rd from 12:30-1:30 p.m. A Funeral Mass was celebrated at St. Ann's Church on Wednesday, August 3rd at 2p.m. Donations may be made to The Catholic charity of your choice: https://ccat.ca or the fmdsa.org

"As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so a life well-spent brings happy death."
Leonardo da Vinci


Visit his online gallery at des-rochers.com