Memories of John Wood -- Bruce Laidley

Debbie,

I was shocked to hear of John’s death and was immediately filled with all of my memories of the times that he and I had spent together. Forgive me if my reflections seem a little muddled but there are literally thousands of little snippets of my past in which John plays a role.  Here are just a few.

• Grade 6 & 7 class pictures at Riverside Public School. We were in the same class and participated in the school’s new paddling program directed by Jim Renton. We paddled before school, at lunch and sometimes after school. Many of us (including John) joined the Mississauga Canoe club at that time.
  
• Teen years as members of the club. A lot of hard training, successes/failures and good times
  
• Alpine skiing - John and I skied frequently at Collingwood and spent a week at Killington, Vermont at a time when the state was closed down because of receiving 5’ of snow in 3 days. We both learned that we were not good powder skiers but we sure had fun.
  
• That same year – John and I went to a Finnish shop on Yonge St and purchased our first pairs of xc skis / poles / boots. We spent the rest of the winter driving around central Ontario in his Mini looking for snowy places to ski. We fell in love with xc skiing.
  
• Going to the A&W in his dad’s Bentley. Eating burgers, fries and shakes in the car using the fold down rosewood trays that were part of that gorgeous car’s interior. John’s threats…if we ever spilled anything.
  
• Day… after day… after summertime day at the canoe club – training, playing handball, laughing, joking, earning “pun-of-the-day” recognition. Summers seemed endless!
  
• John bringing back a beautiful wooden kayak paddle from Hungary for me after having spent time training and competing in Europe.
  
• Picture on the front page of the Mississauga News showing my son, Brian, in a tug of war with John and his medals
  
• Laughing hysterically at John wearing his lederhosen but he wore them often.
  
• Intense training cycles in preparation for Mexico, Munich and Montreal. We all witnessed John’s incredible work ethic and desire for improvement
  
• John and the other Olympic paddlers returning from Mexico and Europe with a new way to paddle that changed Canadian paddling forever.
  
• We shared many war canoe victories and the celebrations afterwards. I vaguely remember a bunch of us circle dancing and singing to James Brown in John’s rec. room.
  
• Montreal Olympic trials…I filmed John’s entire 500m race on my dad’s super8 movie camera. I still have the reel.
  
• John’s 500m C-1 final in Montreal. I ran down the side of the course on the side opposite the main grandstand, sprinting from marker to marker so that I could see John’s position at every stage of the race, sprinting to the finish line to see him cross in second place. I vividly recall Mac standing up, turning around and asking me how John did. Mac’s view of the finish had been blocked by a film truck at the moment John crossed the line. What a moment!!! What an accomplishment!!! My friend had just won an elusive silver medal.
  
• On the eve of John’s silver medal, I celebrated with John and others as we visited different places in and around Montreal. John received “Royal Welcomes” wherever we went.
  
• And of course you, Debbie, were part of his life then and it was clear that John was head over heels in love with you. I remember the happiness and joy at your wedding.

It seems that busy lives and new directions result in the natural drifting away that we all experience with respect to friends we grew up with. I saw John only a few times in the years that followed, but continued to follow developments in his life with the help of the internet. It would have been easy (at anytime) to just call him up and say Hi. I’m convinced that we would have carried on as if no time had passed. Sadly…I did not call him.

The news of John’s death has been a total shock. He was always a friend despite the different directions our lives took and now he is gone. His significant role in the lives of so many will never be taken away.

On a personal note – I decided to return to school in 1977 in order to complete my education so that I might become a teacher. I was seeking admission to a couple of universities as a mature student. I asked two of my closest friends (at that time) to write letters of recommendation to help me gain admission. One was written by Mac Hickox and the other by John. Needless to say, I was admitted, completed my education and enjoyed a wonderful teaching career. I retired in 2009 but I still have those letters.

In 1998, we started a family business on Manitoulin Island to keep me busy in the summers. Of course, it’s a canoe and kayak shop called Manitoulin Wind & Wave and it is remarkable just how many times people ask about my canoeing / kayaking background. Each and every time they do ask, the Mississauga Canoe Club comes up and often John’s name, and what he did, is discussed.

Canoeing and kayaking remain a part of my life and the people associated with the sport (today and in the past) continue to occupy a significant place in me.

I will always treasure the memories of John (his big laugh, his drive and persistence, his successes, his friendship, his inspiration)….He will be missed.

Bruce Laidley