John Edward Treloar

John Edward Treloar left this world at 80 years of age the same way he lived: exactly how he wanted to, and much to the heartache of his wife and children surrounding his bedside at the end of a brief illness on December 21, 2024.

Born on April 10, 1944 in Toronto, Ontario he was the blissfully spoiled only child of John Henry Roland and Malinda (née Harding) Treloar. From an early age, mainly thanks to his mother Malinda, John learned that a mischievous smile combined with just the right glint of the eye would get him off the hook for just about anything.

A staunch believer in his right to a cigarette, family lore has it that he learned to smoke before he learned to drive, possibly even before learning how to walk. Once he mastered putting those things together it was over, at least for one girl visiting Toronto from Windsor. In 1960 at just 15 years of age this tall, lanky boy with a flop of dark brown hair lost his heart to the sparkling blue eyes and blonde hair standing in front of him.

Three years later, on September 11, 1963 John made the single best decision of his life by asking and marrying Jacqueline Pennie Oliver. For the next 61 years they set an incredible example of just what a marriage can be when combined with a healthy dose of patience, on Pennie’s part, and John was the rock that kept them together and grounded, always working as a team.

Together they had two children, Jacqueline Tami arrived in 1964, followed by Timothy John in 1966. Between their hockey and figure skating John clocked more hours in arenas, coaching teams, and driving buses than any person should, and he loved every second of it.

As the years rolled on John’s family continued to grow. 1982 saw the arrival of Tami’s daughter Jacqueline Katrina Treloar, his first grandchild. A few years later in 1988 Tim married Jennifer Archer, and together they welcomed John’s grandson, Jacob Wesley into the fold in 1991. In 2008 Katrina married Bo Kajganic, and in short order welcomed John’s first round of great-grandkids: Oliver Edward (2009), Anna Jacqueline (2011), and Sophie Kate (2014) Kajganic. Ten years later, in 2018, Jake married Alex (Dencsak), and two more great-granddaughters filled out the family tree, Josie Alexandra (2020) and Evelyn Amelia (2022).

John started his career as a lithographer at Bomac Batten, but life has a way of making other plans. After the death of his father in 1976 he and Pennie took over Trehaven Golf & Country Club in Hawkestone, Ontario, becoming legendary fixtures in the community thanks to the many tournaments and banquets held there. In his late 40’s, feeling somewhat nostalgic for his earlier career and with a newfound entrepreneurial itch, John decided to start his own company. In 1992 he founded Acustep Inc. which he successfully ran for 20 years before retiring in 2012.

As proud as he was of everything he accomplished career wise, John was happiest in the mundane, everyday moments. The nucleus of any room, he was guaranteed to elicit an equal number of laughs as eyerolls depending on who he was currently poking fun at. Whenever he left the house you’d eventually find him talking to someone he’d just met at the mall, restaurant or pool, laughing at something he himself probably said. John could and would talk the ear off of anyone who would listen, and rushing him away from one of his “chats” was never a viable option because his new found friend was hanging on every word.

In his later years he spent as much of winter as possible traveling back and forth to their Florida house with a truck full of dogs and a trailer with his Harley, his biggest concern making sure he could still watch his beloved Ottawa Senators play; especially against Pennie’s Toronto Maple Leafs. His Florida crew will be missing his antics this winter just as much as we are.

When he was home, John always made sure to catch a few of Anna, Sophie, Josie, and Evelyn’s soccer games, even though he never understood any of the rules or why any of the girls liked playing it. A part of his heart always seemed to belong to the ice, so more often than not you could find him sitting in the stands at Oliver’s games, chirping at the refs with the other parents; much to the playful annoyance of his soccer loving great-granddaughters.

What John loved to do more than anything though was head out on his Harley, wind blowing through his often too long locks, alongside his son on some backcountry road, or with his Floridian friends. His family was eternally grateful when his ponytail phase came to an end a few years ago.

John Edward Treloar was a larger-than-life character with a heart of gold and a stubbornness unmatched. He lived on his terms, died on his terms, and will be memorialized on his terms: without the fuss of a funeral, together with his loving German Shepherd, Maggie.

Seeing as he had such a soft spot for dogs throughout his life, it seems only fitting that Papa John will be lovingly remembered as the man whose bark was exponentially bigger than his bite.

I will love you forever and always, Pennie