Paul Johnson

1950 - 2021

February 25, 1950 -March 1, 2021 "To live in the hearts of those we leave behind is not to die." Thomas Campbell If you were introduced to Paul, you would be guaranteed of a conversation. It may have been about politics, music, arts, current events, family or simply anything. We used to tease and call him a Chatty Cathy doll...remember the old-fashioned doll where you could pull a string, stand back and hear her talk? That was Paul. Paul's voice has now been stilled after a battle with brain cancer. Growing up in the Burlington\Hamilton area in a large musical and boisterous family, Paul was number four of eight children and apparently his mother's favourite. His father Bernard was an opera singer and his mother Margaret....a saint. Paul chose the path less travelled after high school meandering through different jobs, a stint at university, going to and remembering being at Woodstock and a backpacking trip through Europe with his brother Johnny before following his best friend Doug Dunford to Georgian College in Barrie where he found his true calling in ceramics. Setting up his own pottery business, Studio Pottery, specializing in a Japanese style called Raku and later expanding into stoneware, Paul sold his work direct to the public, attending many craft shows in Ontario as well as selling wholesale to different stores and galleries across the province and to customers at his studio located at our home. Paul continued making pottery for 35 years before a stroke affected his abilities to create. His love of being on stage and music saw him being involved in many local community theatre productions with groups such as the Kempenfelt Players and Little Hills Players as well as singing for many years with the Hawkestone Singers which gave him much joy and where he made numerous strong connections while occasionally getting the stern eye from the musical director for talking instead of singing. Throughout his health battles, Paul remained positive and just got on with things, which we think kept the negative thoughts at bay. If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes that same village to help someone leave this world. Paul's family, his wife Christine, son Colin, partner Kim and her sons Charlie and Chase, daughter Tara, her husband Nate and their daughters Norah and Lucy and son Jared, his wife Jenni and their daughter Veila and son Carter, have been struck by the depth and breadth of care and compassion in the health care industry. Thanks go to our family doctor Dr. Daniel Ozimok who always took the time to talk with Paul about music and their shared hometown, St Mikes Hospital in Toronto where Paul's initial brain surgery took place, the Cancer Care Centre at RVH in Barrie, the visiting nurses from Bayshore, PSW staff from Happy at Home, PSW Tracey Parks, Hospice Simcoe volunteer John Porter who paid regular visits to Paul, the Palliative Care program, our care coordinator Krista Hastings and the rest of the LHIN team of North Simcoe Muskoka and Catherine Greenhalgh and her amazingly caring staff at Paradise Shores where Paul spent the last four months of his life. Our thanks also extend to our community of family and friends who helped with rides to treatments, visits, delicious food, telephone calls and words of support to us all. Along with his family, also missing Paul are siblings Joanna, Billy, Bern (deceased), Johnny, Jude, Jan and Jennifer, their partners and children as well as his sister-in-laws Jane and Nancy, her husband Gord and their family. In lieu of flowers we are asking you to consider this. When the world rights itself and we can all go out and about again, find a way to support your local artist. Shop in a craft person's studio or stop at their booth at a craft show. Purchase a piece of their work, talk to them about how they made it and think of how Paul did this very thing for many years. Or perhaps, buy tickets for live theatre, a concert or support a local musician by buying their music and think of the conversation you would have with Paul about it. Paul from your family...while our world is now quieter without you, no one is lost who is not forgotten. Arrangements have been entrusted to Peaceful Transitions and cremation has taken place. Paul's ashes are resting inside one of his handmade pottery jars...which we felt was very fitting. Down the road when gatherings are permitted again, we'll plan a get together in celebration of Paul's voice.