John Joseph POPELAS

Passed away peacefully, at St. Joseph's Health Centre, Toronto, on Monday, July 29th, at the wonderful age of 98. Beloved husband of Joan (2008, nee White). Loving father of Ken (Christine), Kathy, Jane (Harvey, 2001), Greg, Michelle (Grant, 2021), John (Noreen). Cherished grandfather of Celeste (2024) (Rob), Jessica (Mark), Kendra (George), Alexander (Joanna), Grace (Kathryn), Jack, Holden (Cassandra), Will, Ava (Sam), Louisa, Joseph, Mia and Leo. Adored great-grandfather of Paige, Luca, Ethan, Shawn, Brett and Annie. John was born on November 5, 1925, in Budkovce, Czechoslovakia. John's father immigrated to Montreal in1926. It was not until 1936 that John and his mother came to Montreal and his family was reunited. Shortly thereafter, his mother passed away. It was the nurturing and love of his mother's family in those early years in Czechoslovakia, that set his character and provided him the strength to make a life for himself in his new country. At 17 years old, John worked for Noorduyn Aviation in Montreal making the Harvard aircraft for the British Commonwealth. This led to his next job at Fleet Aircraft in Fort Erie, Ontario. There they made the wings for the Lancaster bomber planes. A hearing impairment kept John out of the war. After the war, John moved to Aylmer, Ontario to work on a tobacco farm. Eventually John relocated to London, Ontario, and started working as a Lineman for Ontario Hydro. A company transfer brought John, Joan and the family to Kingsville, Ontario. During this time, he was elected to the Kingsville Public Utilities Commission where he served for 20 years. His involvementin that role led him to become a member of the Board of Directors of the OntarioMunicipal Electric Association.John retired from Ontario Hydro after 29 years of service. Charitable work came naturally to John. He was a longtime member of the Knights of Columbus, the St. Vincent de Paul Society, involved in countless Goodfellows' food drives, canvassed for the Ontario March of Dimes, drove cancer patients to treatment appointments and was a founding member of the legendary Wild Game Dinner. Retirement afforded John the time for two of his passions, fishing and golfing. John was a long-term member and past Board member of the Kingsville Golf and Country Club where he made many friendships that spanned over 35 years and golfed until the age of 95. In addition to being very involved with his church, community and charitable works, nothing brought more joy to him than spending time with his family. Raising six children and his love for sports led seamlessly into coaching minor league hockey and baseball for many years. John was a master storyteller, keeping us all engaged and entertained with stories from his past, whether they were from his early upbringing in Czechoslovakia, his adolescent years in Montreal or his time on the tobacco farm in Aylmer where he met his true love, Joan. Friends are invited to share their memories of John with his family at Kendrick Funeral Home, Kingsville, ON, on Wednesday, August 7th, from 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. A Funeral Mass will be held at St. John de Brebeuf Catholic Church, Kingsville, ON, on Thursday, August 8th, at 11:00 a.m. The family would like to thank the staff of St. Joseph's Health Centre for their kind and dedicated care during his stay. Those wishing to donate in memory of John can make a donation to the charity of their choice.