Thursday, September 9, 2021
Meeting John 31 years ago, he was at first a good neighbour then later a kind and good friend. Over this period I spent many an hour on the Warnica patio in conversation with Jill and John. John was soft spoken, reserved in speech but when he did engage, his comments, while brief, were well thought out.
Above all else, he was always willing to lend a hand. One example was the sharpening my mower blade and Jennifer's shears. John would gather them up, retire to his garage workshop and return them honed to perfection. Soon it became an early spring annual ritual where he would ask if we wanted them sharpened for the season.
One Christmas four poplar trees on my property needed to come down. John told me he would “call in a favour” to have this done. A day or two before Christmas, an elderly guy in rubber boots with a chainsaw appeared then proceeded to take them all of them down. When I inquired about how much this was all going to cost, John replied "A case of beer!" Boxing Day that year was very mild and was spent sawing these trees into smaller, manageable sizes for delivery via John's truck to his friend in north London.
In his own quiet way John was a sentimental person. Seeing my sadness at ruining the engine of my mother's 1984 car, John located a 1985 model with a working engine. The 1984 was fuel injected with a manual transmission, the 1985 an automatic with a carburetor. With my limited assistance (or perhaps hindrance) John spent a number of days exchanging engines, fuel systems, etc. While doing the work, He very patiently educated me on the workings of engines, fuel systems and transmissions. I was in awe at the system John used to remember where every nut bolt and screw fitted. Once done, John refused payment for his work knowing my sentimental attachment to my mom's car. I drove that car for a good number of years thereafter.
I experienced John’s dry sense of humour day when I got stuck on the roof of my house. Managing to attract John's attention, he came over. Seeing my predicament - me on the roof, the ladder on the ground, with a huge smile on his face he proceeded to tell me how a ladder worked before helping me get down!!
These are but a few memories I have that illustrate the wonderful, kind hearted and unselfish John Warnica . You will be missed Sir.
