Joshua Kenneth Janes

Joshua Kenneth Janes was born in London, Ontario on July 13, 1985 and passed away on June 18, 2023, at age 37 in Toronto, Ontario. He is survived by Alison O’Brien (wife), Lori McNee (mother), Ken Janes (father), Candace Janes (sister), Crystal Leal (sister), and is uncle to Emile Leal, Mia Leal, Logan Polak, and Lylah Polak.

Josh will forever be remembered as an inquisitive, extremely intelligent individual with a knack for mechanics and engineering that began in early childhood. He was regarded as a gifted mechanic and his abilities were appreciated by friends and all members of his family, particularly his grandmother, Dolores. Josh graduated from Centennial College a straight A student of the Heavy-Duty Equipment Technician program. He was very modest about his accolades and not many knew that he was awarded a scholarship earned in his first year of college. Josh was regarded as someone who was detail-oriented, hard-working, and excited to share his knowledge with others. He was a valued, passionate mentor to his peers in the workplace, and encouraged others to achieve their full potential.

Josh’s love of fishing began early on with fishing trips with his late grandfather, Donald, and his father, Ken. In addition to ice fishing with colleagues later in life, Josh spent every summer fishing in cottage country with this childhood friend Derek up until his final years. The times he spent with Derek were among his happiest moments in life and he regarded Derek as a brother.

Josh enjoyed rich experiences while travelling throughout Canada and Ireland. He found beauty in the northwest provinces of Canada where he eventually settled and found work in the Alberta oil fields. After relocating to Toronto, Josh began a courtship, fell in love, and married Alison O’Brien whom he truly regarded as the love of his life. Josh travelled several times to Ireland with Alison and quickly became a beloved member of the O’Brien family whom he enjoyed spending time with and sharing his quick wit and sense of humour. Josh was always very clever and funny. With the O’Brien family, Josh fell in love with the beautiful Irish countryside and got to embark on a new, positive chapter in his life.

While living in Toronto, Josh worked for several equipment rental companies in the Toronto area and eventually landed his dream job working at the Diavek diamond mine in the North West Territories. While working at Diavek, Josh’s colleagues praised him as a hard-working individual who was pleasant to work with and made everyone feel comfortable and welcome. He began a few close friendships with co-workers whom he would spend his down time with ice fishing. His team members at Diavek reported that they will miss him dearly.

Josh had unique, diverse interests and was passionate about many things. Among his greatest passion project was the restoration of a beat up 1982 Shovelhead Harley. Along with Harleys, Josh also was a whiz at building computers from scratch and he had excellent technical knowledge and capabilities.

In addition to tinkering, Josh loved music and supporting local music scenes. He was an enthusiast of rap and metal and attended many live concerts with his wife and friends. He enjoyed movies, particularly the Evil Dead series, had an encyclopedic knowledge of films, television, and actors, and he could always be relied upon to make excellent recommendations. Josh greatly looked up to Arnold Schwarzenegger both as an actor and role model.

Josh had a sensitive and caring soul that he demonstrated through adopting, rescuing, and caring for animals such as his beloved cats Butch, Ollie, Ralph, and Kiwi. He loved to hang out with friends old and new and was regarded as someone who was extremely charismatic and a great conversationalist. Josh also could be regarded as someone who valued quiet, alone time. He was an avid reader, particularly of the works of Stephen King, and enjoyed spending his alone time writing.

While Josh’s life was tragically cut short, he was a very special person. He seemed to connect with almost everyone he met. He had a very soft side and if you were lucky to see it and feel it, you were held dear to him for life. He helped everyone without judgement, especially people in unfortunate circumstances. He was truly generous and sincere. He touched the lives of many in a very positive way and made a significant impact on those he was close to. Josh will be forever missed in the hearts of many.

The family is asking for donations, in lieu of flowers, made to the Centre for Addictions and Mental Health (CAMH), link provided below. CAMH is an invaluable resource to many individuals and families suffering with addictions and mental health challenges. It is with hope that contributing to the excellent services CAMH provides will help others struggling.

The family will not be having a public ceremony. We ask that you respect these wishes. Please feel free to celebrate Josh in your own ceremonies and tributes.

Memory of Me
I'd like the memory of me,
to be a happy one.
I'd like to leave an afterglow,
of smiles when the day is done.
I'd like to leave an echo,
whispering softly down the ways.
Of happy times, and laughing times,
and bright sunny days.
I'd like the tears of those who
grieve,
to dry before the sun.
Of happy memories I leave behind,
when the day is done.