FAIRCHILD, John Winter
August 18, 1924 - August 23, 2013
The ninth of 10 children, John was born in Quebec City to Stuart Lemoine Fairchild and Sarah Marjorie Boomer. At seventeen, John joined the Royal Canadian Navy and served on the HMCS Athabaskan during WW2. He was a prisoner-of-war in Germany when he was 19 until he escaped towards the end of the war. Following the war, he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force and served for many years but his love of the sea remained throughout his life and he always insisted that he had never swallowed the anchor. He was a dedicated member of the Royal Canadian Legion and supported the survivors of the Athabaskan throughout the rest of his life.
John was a loyal and proud man. He was a jack-of-all-trades, an avid sailor, reader and cat lover. He was a great story teller with a wonderful sense of humour and a twinkle in his eye.
John will be greatly missed by his wife, Pam; his sons, Peter and Richard; and his adopted daughters, Tracy and Sian. He was predeceased by his first wife, Pat and his eldest son, Michael. He is survived by his older sister, Annabelle and his youngest brother, Bobby. He leaves behind eleven grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, many nieces and nephews, relatives and friends across Canada and throughout the United States.
A memorial gathering to celebrate John’s life will take place in Ladysmith on November 2nd at the Royal Canadian Legion. Those wishing to make a charitable contribution in John’s name, may do so to the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital, Palliative Care Unit.
Telford's of Ladysmith
250-245-5553