John David SMART

1939 - 2021

JOHN DAVID SMART May 27, 1939 - August 29, 2021 It is with profound sadness that the family of John Smart announces his passing on August 29, 2021 at age 82. John was the loving husband of Patricia (Purcell), brother to Claire and Reginald (both predeceased) and Bill (Mary). Beloved father of Mary Ann (Daniel Brownstein) and Michael, and the doting grandfather of Clara and Thomas, John graduated from St. Michael's College, University of Toronto, in 1961 and in 1963 married Pat, the love of his life. In 1968 John and Pat, then Ph.D. students at Queen's University, were among the founders of the Waffle movement, a left nationalist group in the New Democratic Party devoted to the creation of an independent socialist Canada. Many of the connections they made during the Waffle years became warm, sustaining lifelong friendships for John and Pat. John worked for 18 years as an archivist at the Public Archives of Canada and in 1992 founded the Archives Technician Program at Algonquin College, where he taught until his retirement in 2000. He was on the executive of the Professional Institute of the Public Service, an NDP candidate in 1979, 1980, and 1985, and an Ottawa school board trustee from 1980 to 1988. In 2004 he completed the PhD in History at Queen's that he had abandoned during his years in the Waffle. John's great loves were his family, politics, history, books, and his cottage at Lac Bataille. His children and grandchildren will always be grateful for the interest and support he gave to all their ideas and projects. Many friends and relatives have been enlivened and changed by conversations with John and by the books he so eagerly recommended and lent. We will miss his bottomless generosity and his dry sense of humour. A Celebration of Life will be held at the Canal Ritz, 375 Queen Elizabeth Driveway, Ottawa, on Friday, September 24, 6:00-8:00 p.m. A funeral Mass (by invitation, due to COVID-19 restrictions) will be celebrated at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 25, at Canadian Martyrs Catholic Church, 100 Main St., Ottawa. In lieu of flowers, a donation to the Archives Association of Ontario or the New Democratic Party would be appreciated. The family wishes to express its gratitude to the wonderful staff at the Ottawa General, especially the doctors and nurses in the Coronary and Intensive Care Units.