Obituary of John Sumner

John Sumner Our world is forever changed as we announce, on the morning of March 30th, in Fredericton, New Brunswick, the peaceful passing of our father John Sumner at the age of 90. Born on November 8, 1926 in Blackrod, Lancashire, England, the son of William and Elizabeth, John was an officer in the British Merchant Navy, a gifted draftsman and carpenter and, for all of his life, noted for his beautiful and powerful singing voice. In 1963-64 he, his wife Audrey, and his young family emigrated to Canada where they were amongst the early pioneers of the fledging northern mining community of Carol Lake (Labrador City), Newfoundland and Labrador. It was here that John played an active role in the community’s sports programs, including helping to run and facilitate soccer, minor league hockey, figure skating, curling and tennis. He and his wife were instrumental in creating and editing the first community newspaper, The Carol News which, in the early days, they produced using a manual printing press, out of their basement. John and Audrey were also long-time members of the regional drama group, The Carol Players, contributing to production, set design and decoration, and acting. In later years, John took great pride and comfort in his role as a lay minister for the United Church of Canada where his gifted sermons and great story-telling were enjoyed by congregations across the province of New Brunswick. Along with his wife, John also worked at the historical village of Kings Landing, just outside of Fredericton, where for a number of years he enacted the role of village cooper. We are blessed to have shared our lives with such a loving father and honorable man and are greatly comforted in knowing that he is now with our Mum, who he has missed so very much. John is pre-deceased by his wife Audrey (née Dickins), by his sisters Clarice Haslam and Ellen (Nellie) Collins of Blackrod, Lancashire and by his step-grandson Matthew Dicus. John is survived by his loving sister Doreen Garstang, brother-in-law Bill and family of Lancashire, England. He is also survived by his children Michael John of Labrador City, NL, Linda Victoria Dicus (Harvey) of Hope BC, Kerry Elizabeth of Fredericton NB, Dale Christopher (Véronique) of Montréal PQ, Tracey Alexandra of Chicago IL, and David Lyndon of Vancouver BC as well as by his grandchildren Sean Anthony, Callie Jane, Audrey Quinn Gisèle, step grand-daughter Jenny (and family) and his great-grandson Roman Alexander. John’s memorial is planned for August, 2017 in Fredericton, New Brunswick with his and Audrey’s final resting place being Blackrod, Lancashire, England. To the congregation of Keswick Ridge United Church, thank you for your friendship and prayers throughout the years. A special thank you to Ruby Holt for her kindness and commitment to caring for our Dad. To the team from Extra Mural, our profound appreciation for working to keep John at home with his family. Finally, we would like to extend our deepest and heartfelt gratitude to Roma Lavigne, his caregiver, who was devoted in countless ways to the care of our father. Personal condolences may be offered through www.yorkfh.com