John Richard MacDermid was born on Sunday, December 27, 1931 in Walkerton, Ontario to parents John Sheldon and Mary “Aileen” (Tanner) MacDermid. He was the eldest of three children with his younger brother Donald arriving in 1936 and sister Susan joining them in 1947.
The MacDermid family originally settled on the 15th of Elderslie in 1868, when John’s great-grandfather, also named John, purchased the Crown land. John was the fourth generation to own and operate the family farm.
John attended public school at Gillies Hill before heading onto Continuation School in Paisley. He was a very intelligent young man and was often encouraged to head off to University to pursue further education. Don recalls his brother’s disappointment when John received a 96% on his final math exam, imagine he expected better results! John however had other plans and returned home to help on the family farm. It was during this time that John and Don also played quite a bit of baseball. First, it was in Dobbinton and in later years they moved to Chesley to play under the lights. The family were members of Williscroft Baptist Church until its closure, whereby John started attending the Paisley Baptist Church.
In the early days, the MacDermids mixed farmed however John soon got into feeding western calves. In addition to the animals, John also had 375 acres to maintain. His quiet, easy going demeanor was perfect for life on the farm as it was usually just him, the land and the animals. Year after year he perfected his trade, living and working alongside his parents, until his father’s death in 1972. His mother, Aileen, continued to live with John on the farm until her health declined and she was forced to move to Parkview Manor in Chesley for more care. In later years, John rented much of his land to other local farmers and his daily routine changed. John did not want to retire so he just started to slow down a bit. Each morning usually started with him heading into Marty’s in Paisley for coffee were he caught up with the boys and got the latest local gossip. John would then stay for lunch and return to the farm after lunch.
In his younger years John played a little guitar and the mouth organ. In his spare time, he enjoyed a good game of cards, with his favourites being Cribbage, Euchre and Rummy. John loved to read, especially fictional books, complete crossword puzzles and who could forget sudoku! Interesting enough John always completed these puzzles in ink, boldly leaving no room for error. He enjoyed his TV and could often be found watching hockey. Maybe it was Paul in his Hartford days, the Attack or even his great-nephew and the Saugeen Shore Winterhawks. John was also able to do some travelling later in life, were he was able to go on several trips and visited the likes of China, Russia, Argentina and Hawaii to name a few. Interesting enough while in Hawaii, John was asked to perform the Hula on a couple of different occasions. He kept photos of those performances and often joked that he was proof that lightning could strike twice!
John was a simple man, honest as the day is long, dependable and never complained. He never smoked or drank and always enjoyed the company of friends, family and neighbours. In 2014, John moved into Elgin Abbey in Chesley as his physical health started to decline. This move however did not prevent him from returning to the farm. Many days while in Chesley, John would jump into his truck and head back to the farm for a visit. In fact, it was only a couple of weeks ago that he made his last visit.
Sadly, John Richard MacDermid of R.R. #3 Paisley, passed away at Elgin Abbey, Chesley on Sunday, July 9, 2017 in his 86th year.
Loving brother of Donald and his wife Georgina of Sauble Beach and Susan Diggins of Collingwood. John will be sadly missed by his niece Megan Diggins and nephews Peter (Terri Lyn) MacDermid and Paul (Pamela) MacDermid and their families. He was predeceased by his parents John and Aileen (Tanner) MacDermid.
Visitation will be held at Rhody Family Funeral Home, Chesley on Wednesday, July 12, 2017 from 1 p.m. until the time of the funeral service at 2 p.m. Rev. Lynda Janzen officiating. Interment in Chesley Cemetery.
Memorial donations to the Heart & Stroke Foundation or Paisley Baptist Church would be appreciated as expressions of sympathy.
