JOHN HUGH GODDARD

JOHN GODDARD Obituary

GODDARD, JOHN HUGH At the age of 78, John Goddard died peacefully on June 28, 2022, after a lengthy illness. Many thanks to all his doctors (Dr. Giolma, Dr. Moric, Dr. Kalra, Dr. Prica) and the staff on the 14th floor of UHN for their compassionate support. John was the beloved son of the late Glen and Margaret Goddard; loving brother of Linda (Ron), Bruce (Carolyn), David (Teresa), Roger (Lynne) and his late sister, Donna; and wonderful uncle to 10 nieces and nephews. He will be greatly missed by his friends, David, Jack, Timothy, Bob, Margaret, Betty, Bev, Rufus, Michel, Robert (Iowa), and countless others. Special thanks to his friends, David Logan and Jack Brannigan, who made John's life more bearable in the last few months. John learned the value of hard work growing up on the family farm in Iowa, helping his dad. At the Emmetsburg High School, he was the Salutatorian for his success in academics, music and sports. Later, he graduated from the University of Iowa, majoring in Spanish. He later learned Portuguese which served him well as a volunteer in the Peace Corps in Brazil for 2 years. In 1969, John moved to Canada, by borrowing $400 from the Quakers in the US, and promptly paying it back in full once in Canada. He then took courses in court reporting with his dear friend, Rufus. He worked as a court reporter in Seattle and Vancouver, later followed by serving as a court reporter in the Superior Court of Ontario. There, his reporting competence, together with his calm and unflappable nature, made him the first choice of judges all over Ontario. Throughout his court reporting career, John was well respected by all his peers. John's interests were in opera, ballet, live theatre, films, as well as a variety of political issues. He appreciated the finer things in life in his personal life, while showing care and compassion for others less fortunate. John will be deeply missed by his close friends. John and Jack Brannigan were regular companions in and around the Village and at cultural events. In his last year, John also developed an interest in baseball. After his death, John was cremated, and instead of requesting a funeral, opted for a Celebration of Life later this year. We all look forward to sharing our stories about John at that event.

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Published by Toronto Star on Jul. 23, 2022.

Memories and Condolences
for JOHN GODDARD

7 Entries

Eva Smith

October 29, 2022

John was one of the kindest, sweetest persons I have ever known. I had the good fortune to become his colleague when I started court reporting at the University Avenue courthouse in Toronto in the early 1990s. Not only was his professional advice always invaluable and encouraging, his keen sense of humour and our many shared interests also led to our having a lovely friendship, the memories of which I will always cherish.
My deepest condolences to all who knew and loved him.

Eva Smith

Elizabeth and Ron Whiting

October 26, 2022

John was a good friend of ours in college and was a groomsman at our wedding. He and Ron spent time
together in school in Mexico and we have colorful letters from his time in Brazil. His language talent was impressive. We are so sorry to hear this sad news.

Shirley Graham

August 30, 2022

I knew John through our mutual friend Jack Brannigan. Often when I was in Toronto, Jack would host dinner parties where we would have a lovely meal followed by a rousing game of Crazy 8's. John was a gentle soul that was well informed, cultured and always made one feel welcome and appreciated. He will be missed. My condolences to his family and friends.

Betty Butterworth

July 26, 2022

I met John in 1970 in the Citizenship Branch of the Ontario Government. John accomplished many things there, including writing a landmark report on the American community, mostly draft dodgers like he was, and on the organization formed they formed at the time, called, I think, Americans in Exile (AMEX). He also wrote the Handbook for Counsellors and Teachers of Immigrants, the first detailed information manual covering all the programs and services, at all levels of government and the community, written from a thematic, rather than an organizational point of view. (It had appendices for all the cities in Ontario with relevant addresses and other information.) He then worked on studying telephone information services, which became a forerunner of 211. John had the writing qualities and organizational approach that stood him in good stead when he became a court reporter.
He spent four years with the Peace Corps, two in Mexico and two in Brazil, and in the process, became fluent in both Spanish and Portuguese. He also had studied Mandarin at university and when he started the process to be designated 'bilingual' in French and English in the Ontario Government, he tested into term 15, the last one of a five-year, three-term process. In a few months, he was designated bilingual. His language abilities kicked in with the court reporting as his final language learned! And then he could edit his reports well because he was also a good writer!
I not only worked with John, but lived with him almost four years, split between when he started studying court reporting in San Francisco, Seattle, and I think finally in Minnesota, where he lived with Linda, and when he came back to Toronto, after living briefly in Vancouver. I visited him in Seattle, San Francisco, and Vancouver.
When I moved to the boonies in eastern Ontario, John came almost every year for a visit on the Big Rideau Lake, usually bringing with him the best steak and wine for one of our dinners! Last summer, he and Cheryl Creatore came for five days and we old colleagues and friends from 1970 walked, ate, sat out, swam, and reminisced endlessly about the 'good old days.' That is how Cheryl and I will forever remember John!
I never met John's Dad or Bruce, I think, but I met all his other siblings over the years, as well as his Mum, whom I always loved. When she died, we sat for four hours in the dark corner of a Chinese restaurant just talking about her and crying together.
I will miss John and his quiet humour, intelligence, and empathetic nature until the day I die. To all his many family and friends, I pass my sincere condolences on his passing. May we keep our memories of this very special human being in all our lives in our hearts forever.

Marg Wiebe

Planted Trees

Bob Kraft TO

July 24, 2022

I had the pleasure of being a friend of John since the early 70's. My thoughts and condollenses to John's friends and family.

John Montague

July 23, 2022

May the love of friends and family carry you through your grief.

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JOHN HUGH GODDARD

JOHN GODDARD Obituary

Memories and Condolences for JOHN GODDARD

Memorial Events for JOHN GODDARD

Memories and Condolences
for JOHN GODDARD

Memorial Events
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