John Douglas McPhedran
John, 65, died suddenly on August 7th, 2015, of a heart attack in Manila, Philippines.
John was born in Fergus, Ontario on September 17th, 1949. He is survived by his three sons, Duncan, Simon and Geordie. He leaves behind his sister Mary-Lou McPhedran. He is also fondly remembered by Jocelyne Lepine, his ex-wife and the mother of his children.
John worked for CNR for 28 years. He did not enjoy the crazy hours working for the railroad entailed, however this job gave him the chance to spend time with his children, let him enjoy nature and the great outdoors with his family, and allowed him the freedom to devote himself to coaching wrestling.
Since his teenage years John was passionate about wrestling. He garnered several national and international awards in this field. At the 1975 Pan-American Games in Mexico, John received a bronze medal; he represented Canada in the Greco-Roman style, and was team captain, at the Montreal Olympic Games in 1976. He later coached wrestling at the high school and international levels in Edmonton, Smithers, and in Thailand. He was generous with his time, and dedicated to developing young talents.
John was an avid outdoorsman; he enjoyed hiking, paddling, climbing and cycling throughout his life. He shared this passion with his family. In his younger years he cycled from Vancouver to Toronto, and from Rome, Italy to Athens, Greece. As an international traveller John has been to many countries and remote regions of the world. After retirement he settled on a small farm in Thailand with his current partner Aem. From there he travelled to China, Japan, Laos, Uzbekistan, and many other places.
A memorial will be held on Saturday, October 3rd, at the Old Church Hall, corner of First and King, in Smithers at 2 pm. We hope many of you will join us for John’s celebration of life.