John Ypma

John passed peacefully on October 25, 2024, with his wife Carine and daughter Dawn by his side.

Survived by wife, Carine Risberg, daughter Dawn Minnesma, siblings Ella (Don) Tenhave, and Cye (Cathy) Ypma, grandchildren, Carla Minnesma and Mark Minnesma (Brittany), great grandchildren, Ezra, Zoey, Isabella and Liliana Minnesma, stepson Shawn (Lena) Richison, and grandsons Jack, Will and Miles Richison, stepson Karl (Melanie) Richter, and grandson Roman.

Predeceased by his parents, Lieuwe and Gerardina Ypma; sister Ann and her husband Harold Bolt, sister Betty and her husband George Ypma, and his sons, Rodney Ypma and Jonathan Ypma, and mother of his three children, Henny.

Born May 31, 1937, in Drachten, Friesland, Holland.

John immigrated to Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada with his family in February 1951.

John worked for most of his life as a heavy-duty mechanic, in Thunder Bay and in Dryden. He changed his career path when he successfully took Microsoft A+ certification and started his own mobile computer repair business - Uma Computers - in his 60s. He continued doing that until he chose to retire in his early 70s.

He was a pedigreed cat breeder and showed his Tonkinese cats in the American Cat Fanciers Association (ACFA) from 1995 through 2005 under the name of Klahz Korats & Tonkinese, alongside Carine. Although the Korat was Carine's chosen breed, John took equal part in the breeding and showing them. He showed the last Klahz bred Korat kitten to 6th best kitten in 2005, one year after showing his own bred Tonkinese girl Misty Too to Inter American Best Alter in ACFA.

John supported and encouraged Carine to do the things she enjoyed and wanted to pursue. He never chose to ride motorcycle, as Carine did, but he never suggested Carine should give up that passion. He even tried it in order to show his support, but it was just not something he wanted to pursue.

John had many interests. Reading (he would effortlessly read through book after book) hard cover or paperback made no difference. Science Fiction was his favourite genre. He loved music and had many CDs as well as music tour DVDs, a very eclectic collection. He sang one season with the Thunder Bay Men's Choir and would often sing to those on his bus when he was driving charter trips. He designed and built his own surround sound system which he built into the entertainment area on the new main floor. The system he created from scratch integrated music, CDs, DVD's and television, to enjoy a complete audiovisual experience.

He was an armchair sports enthusiast but only for certain sports, Formula 1 racing (Hamilton was his favourite driver for the last years he was able to watch it), NASCAR, Tour de France, and British Premier League Soccer, with Manchester United his favorite team. He never missed any of them if they were televised.

He discovered he also loved to travel, by car or by plane.

As a charter bus mechanic and driver, John drove many charter trips, for Happy Time Tours in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

He made three trips to Abu Dhabi in the UAE while Carine worked in a school improvement project there.

John and Carine also took a month-long trip to Japan to visit their friend and "brother" Ian.

Due to John's work, he was also able to visit Holland and Belgium.

Upon Carine's retirement, John and Carine traveled to California by way of Michigan.

Another interest was carpentry - he built his own A frame home in Thunder Bay with the help of his brother Cye. On moving to the Dryden area, he began to complete the home where he and his wife Carine resided in Minnitaki in NW Ontario. His work was amazing. He was innovative in what he designed and built. He never worked from blueprints or plans other than those in his head, with the occasional scribble on a tiny bit of paper. He finished the main floor of the three-story home, from the vapour barrier in, doing most of the work - flooring, ceilings, walls, cabinetry, interior doors - everything - himself.

He bought a Triumph TR8, fixed it up and drove it for a while. He was good at finding a deal on cars, never buying new, but repairing and then driving for many years the cars others gave up on.

John had never aspired to being a baker like his father, but he decided he would try his hand at it. He took to it so naturally, baking pastry, cake and bread alike. He had his favourite recipes including Dutch Butter cake and a recipe he found (and tweaked) for Incredibly Crisp Ginger Cookies - they became his two go-to baked treats. He baked bread.

He cooked, using his imagination often in cooking, coming up with a variety of meals likely never heard of - spaghetti pie? chicken macaroni with cheese with his made from scratch cheese sauce? Absolutely. His shrimp fettucine alfredo was so good, and he served it often. Everything he cooked was delicious, whether it was his own experiment or following a recipe (occasionally). He mastered cooking while using mostly small appliances in the unfinished area we lived in until he completed the kitchen on the main floor around 2016.

Fly free John. You are dearly missed.