John BISHOP

1924 - 2022

JOHN BISHOP 1924 -2022 It was important to John to make the world a better place for future generations - and he did. John was an active citizen who got involved to influence things he believed in. He advocated for the creation of more parks because he believed in the importance of green space, including proposing the creation of Meadowbrook Park in 1990; in 2015, the Mayor of Montreal declared that the 140 acre Meadowbrook Golf Course would remain a greenspace. He was an active member of Rotary for over 30 years and was honoured with The Founder's Award in 1995. He was a fierce champion for the environment and influenced change by supporting initiatives at MIT and McGill focused on generating cleaner energy and promoting sustainability, spearheading various Rotary initiatives, and being an early promoter of carbon taxes, bike lanes, cottage sharing and optimizing train transportation. He had profound concern for the planet and had deep convictions for a life of sustainability. As a committed environmentalist, he walked lightly on the earth and led a minimalist lifestyle of refuse, repair, reduce, reuse and recycle. He graduated from Mechanical Engineering at McGill in 1947 and continued to stay very connected and supportive of McGill, including attending his 70th reunion. John was President of P. Riopel from 1961 to 1979. He designed an optimized apartment mailbox that became ubiquitous at the time. He was Vice President Sales and Engineering at Accessories Manufacturing Limited from 1972 to 1982. John was extremely athletic and loved being outdoors. At 5, he would climb up Westmount mountain and ski to his back door. Skiing would continue to be a lifelong passion. He won slalom races and downhill skied into his 80s. At his cottage on Lake Sir John he created a cross country ski trail, Le Grand Heron, that he maintained into his early 90s and is now included on the map of Canada. He was still cross country skiing at age 96. He sailed his Sunfish in Lake Sir John Sunday races until age 94. He was an avid golfer at the Royal Montreal Golf club, golfing for 84 years - still playing 18 holes - at age 93. He played hockey including with the Montreal West Old Boys and did 5BX exercises daily. Family was extremely important to John. His parents and ancestors were all very considerate, principled and active citizens, and he was a similar role model for future generations. He was a constant example of leading a principled life where what you do in life and how you treat others came above all else. John was mathematical and analytical. He was a thinker. He was the ultimate good Samaritan, always a gentleman, generous and kind. John was active in Boy Scouts, Westmount High School, McGill, St. Philips Church, Rotary, the Montreal West and Lake Sir John communities. He paid attention to politics at all levels and tried to influence things he believed passionately about. He loved being a boy scout, so he tried to foster that same experience by facilitating a summer camp for the children at Lake Sir John with his late wife, Martha. He loved canoe trips, including one he took along the Thelon river near Hudson Bay in his 70s. John loved board and card games, especially bridge and chess, which he played regularly with his children and grandchildren. John lived an amazing 98 years, remaining active and healthy in his later years when he moved to Christie Gardens in Toronto. There, he was able to spend a tremendous amount of quality time with his daughter Susan, her boyfriend Paul and especially his granddaughter Jodie. A special thank you to the staff at Christie Gardens. John passed away July 20, at age 98. John was predeceased by his wife, Martha in 2012. Loving father of Susan and Anne (Charles Marion). Predeceased by his son Ian. Devoted grandad of Miri (Brian King) and Jodie Makin and Jesse and Jake Marion. Brother of Jane (Jim Schissler) and Donald (Dr. Catherine Milne); and predeceased by his brother, Allan (Sue Boomer). Proud uncle, great uncle and cousin. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations would be gratefully received by Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society www.cpaws.ca .