Memories of John Wood -- Laurie Davis

For John

It is never easy to say goodbye.  But that is what we must do today, say goodbye to John.

Some of you may be angry or trying to understand why.

Some of us can’t stop asking what we could have done to prevent it.
For me, I’m simply devastated. 

This final act does not define who John was and can never change how I felt about him, the person he was or his accomplishments.

We are all here today to not only say good-bye but to show John’s family that we will support them in any way we can. 

Some of us are struggling to find answers.   We won’t.  All we can do is accept that John was simply, in his mind, heart, and soul
Alone, Lost, Overwhelmed, and Helpless. 

But if we honor the wonderful memories that we have of him and cherish them his legacy will endure.

My name is Laurie Davis and John was my mentor, my boss, my business partner and my friend.

I knew him for more than 25 years and he was a deeply passionate, honest, ethical and compassionate man.

John had no ego.  He was a man that had a sense of humour and could laugh at himself a gift that many don’t have.

He had a strong sense of fairness and would fight for what was right no matter what, no matter whom.

I remember the first time I met John I was an auditor at the firm administering his newly launched funds and we had messed up so badly we had to suspend his sales for a month.  I couldn’t believe he wasn’t angry with us.  He just asked us to explain what happened and what the plan was to fix it.

Eight months later John offered me a job and when he told me I could have my own computer I said yes, and so began our partnership.

I learned that John was a fierce competitor, an innovator and a reasonable man.

We built 20/20 with a great team of people that became a family and John was the centre of that.  You don’t get the opportunity to work with someone like John very often and I was thankful that I did.  He mentored me and I was able to reach a potential that I would not have achieved if not for him. 

John treated everyone with respect and kindness.  It didn’t matter to him who you were or what you did or where you came from.

John was the type of person who connected you to someone if you needed something and let me tell you he had a lot of connections!

When my son James wanted to learn to snowboard at 7, no problem, John’s son Michael could teach him.

When my daughter Von showed a talent for sprinting, John set up an introduction to Molly Killingback a sprinter and an Olympic gold medalist.

John was fun to be with and easy to get to know we became a part of his family and he became a part of ours.

We all have great stories about John and his adventures.

I remember when John would take the Go train home and when he got off he’d realize that he had left his car in Toronto. 

Once he took the train and couldn’t find his car at the station…turned out it had been stolen but he only knew that for certain when he noticed his self-help tapes on the ground where his car should have been.

In the 26 years that I knew John I saw him truly angry only twice.

John loved his family; Deb and his kids were all he spoke about.  He was so proud of all of them.

John was truly happy when he was building something, he was definitely an entrepreneur!  He was full of ideas and Alasdair, Deb and I were able to sort through them and get the best ones executed.

As we say goodbye, please believe me when I say:
One act. One choice, does not define a life.
One act. One choice, is not a legacy

Our memories, his wife Deb and his children are his legacy

In conclusion I would like to share a Scottish poem with you:

“When I come to the end of the road, and the sun has set for me,
I want no rites in a gloom filled room, why cry for a soul set free,
Miss me a little, but not too long, and not with your head bowed low,
Remember the love that we once shared, miss me but let me go,
For this is a journey that we all must take, and each must go alone,
Its all a part of the plan, a step on the road to home.
When you are lonely and sick of heart, go to the friends we know,
and bury your sorrows in doing good deeds,
miss me, but let me go.” – Archie Miller

Goodbye John … I will miss you.