John William Somerset

It is with great love, and heavy hearts, that we share the news of John leaving our world, to be reunited with Grandma Wanda (Mother), Pa (Father), and Cyrle (brother). Although sudden and shocking, John passed away peacefully, on January 15th at South Muskoka Memorial Hospital.

John was fondly known to his family and friends as Old Man, Pops, Poppa John, Uncle John, and John Boy. John was a country boy, raised in Port Sydney, and “the village” will forever be his home.

John was fiercely loyal, gentle, kind, and quick to joke around. Family and community were the things John held closest to his heart, and he would be the first to help out a friend. John came from a generation where a handshake was a promise, and John was a man who kept his word.

John was a skilled carpenter, and building and creating, was his life’s work. He took pride in his craft, and he gifted his son Trevor with these traits and his handyman skills. John was a long-time Member of the Hill and Gully Snowmobile Club, a volunteer firefighter, and loved trips to the hunt camp.

John always kept busy, and could often be found cursing in his garage, while working on one of the several projects, he would have on the go. He was often seen mowing the lawn (his own and others), hauling brush out of the bush on his four-wheeler, or a having drink with the boys down at Jim’s.

In his younger years John attended many of the notorious dances at the Port Sydney hall, and liked driving around the village with his brothers and friends, getting into trouble and having too much fun.

John was a fixture in the Port Sydney community, and the village will never be the same. John will be forever missed by his family and many life-long friends, but especially by his children Amanda and Trevor.

We ask that you raise a glass (preferably cheap rum, with a splash of coke), put some Willie Nelson on, and give a toast to one of the greats - one of the good ones! Keep John’s legacy alive by remembering the good times, and never stop telling stories about John Boy and the good ‘ol days.

A celebration of life for John, will be held sometime in the Spring.