John DEMARSH

We are saddened to announce that Dr. John Gordon DeMarsh passed away, on April 11, 2024, at 71, from Frontotemporal Dementia. John was born in Toronto on November 17, 1952. He was the son of Edna DeMarsh (Ward) and the late Rev. Dr. Roy DeMarsh. In addition to his mother, John is survived by his wife, Kathryn DeMarsh (Saunders); his children, Alex Demarsh (Lauren Reid) of Ottawa, ON, Stephen DeMarsh (Eva DeMarsh) of Yujia Wan, Jiaxing, China, Andrew Demarsh of Toronto, ON, and their mother, Rosemary Hood; Lily Forsythe (Ben Mercer) of PEI, Thomas Forsythe (Drew Forsythe) of PEI, and their mother, Shirley Forsythe; his grandchildren, Nathan, Elijah, Roslyn and Mae; his sisters, Barbara deMarsh (Greg McGuire) of Lower Sackville, NS, and Helen deMarsh (Maury Miloff) of Chelsea, QC; his sister-in-law, Jean Burgess of Taymouth, NB; seven nieces and nephews; and seven great-nieces and great-nephews. We celebrate John's remarkable life and contribution to the wellbeing of countless individuals. He graduated a year early from highschool at Jarvis C.I. in Toronto as Athlete of The Year in 1971, and completed a B.Sc. at the University of Guelph, followed by McMaster University Medical School, graduating in 1977. He is fondly remembered as a gifted Family Doctor in PEI for over 40 years, often relieving pain with Osteopathic treatments. His original practice was in Montague, where he was instrumental in starting the Hospice of Southern Kings in 1985. He learned basic Spanish to better communicate with his Hispanic patients and took a language-learning trip to Spain, where he also explored his passion for Romani folk music. His treatments became a verb in local parlance, as people spoke of the wellness improvements from "getting DeMarshed." John's expertise in Occupational Medicine was valued by patients and professionals alike. He served with the PEI Workmen's Compensation Board in various capacities for over three decades. Wanting always to be a better doctor, John became a spokesman for adequate regulation of chemicals in the agricultural industry to protect population health. John was a talented lifelong musician, playing first the viola, later the fiddle, mandolin, harmonica and even the didgeridoo! His large organic vegetable garden was a great source of joy, as were the many cats that were family to him over the years. John was predeceased by his father, and his brother, Peter deMarsh. A Celebration of Life is planned. According to his final wishes, his brain was donated to medical science and will contribute to research to identify and treat rare dementias. Donations may be directed to The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration (www.theaftd.org/get-involved/ways-to-give/). Arrangements have been entrusted to Brunswick Funeral Home, Perth-Andover and Plaster Rock, NB.