Jack Currie
John William "Jack" Currie (10 June 1915 - 24 January 2009) was a heating salesman who grew up in Manitoba and spent much of his adult life in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.
Early life
He was born 10 June 1915 in Port Arthur to Alex and Anna Currie. He grew up around Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Marriage and family
He married Lucy Cooke on 3 June 1939.
Together they had had three sons:
World War 2
Currie was in a motorcycle accident before the war (he was in the Army at the time). He enlisted in the Air Force about 1942/3 and was posted as a radio operator in the Queen Charlotte Islands till war's end. His wife Lucy took her two sons Bill and Doug for a visit in spring 1945. (There are photos - available from Bill Currie.)
Move to Port Arthur
In 1954 he moved the family to Port Arthur.
In about 1954 he invested in his brother-in-law Charles Heylar's business, "Furnace Man", and set up a store, but unfortunately the business went bankrupt after about one year.
Jack was somewhat annoyed that his eldest son Bill just missed having his wedding on 3 June 1964, which would have made it exactly 25 years after his own, and exactly 50 years after his father's. Instead, Bill married Eleanor Isabel Jibb 17 days too late, on 20 June 1964.
He and his wife lived on Surprise Lake in the 1980s. In the 1990s they moved to Academy Towers (now called Bayview Towers) in Thunder Bay. In the 2000s they lived in "The Heritage" (part of St. Joseph's Care Group). His wife Lucy died in May 2003. He remained at The Heritage for a few more years. Finally, as his health failed in 2008 and 2009, he lived at Dawson Court Home for the Aged.
Personality
Currie was known to the end of his days for his sharp wit and undiminished libido. He was on his deathbed in 2009 and being visited by his three sons at his bedside. A young nurse came into the room and asked if he needed anything. His immediate response: "Yes - I'd like less of them, and more of you!"
Obituary
John William Currie, aged 93 years passed away January 24, 2009 at TBHSC [Thunder Bay Health Sciences Centre]. He was born in Port Arthur on June 10, 1915. He grew up and was educated in Manitoba where he met his future wife, Lucy Cooke. They were married in 1939, a marriage that lasted for nearly 63 years until Lucy's death in 2003. In 1954 they moved with their three boys to Thunder Bay. "Jack" spent his working days in the heating industry in Winnipeg and Thunder Bay, first in coal-fired furnaces, then oil and finally in natural gas. When he retired he was the sales manager at the Northern Central Gas Company in Thunder Bay. He was a past president of the Port Arthur Gyro Club and of the Thunder Bay Home Builders Association as well a director with the Kiwanis Club of Port Arthur. For many years he and Lucy sang in the choir at Trinity United Church [1]. During the 1980's they lived at Surprise Lake and were a central part of the social life there. Jack was predeceased by his parents, Alex and Anna Currie, his wife Lucy, his sisters Marian and Flora, and his brothers Clyde and Neill. He is survived by sons Bill (Eleanor), Doug (Loraine) and Ron (Mary Ann), grandchildren Janet (Owen), Dave (Jackie), Ian (Jasmine), Jeff (Bonnie), Michael and Carolyn, and eight great-grand children. Many thanks for the kind and considerate care given by the CCAC [Community Care Access Centre] as well as the wonderful staff at St. Joseph's Heritage and Dawson Court. Cremation has taken place and a family memorial service is being planned for a later date."