Obituary of John Dallas McArthur

John Dallas McArthur, P.Geol., passed away suddenly but gracefully and surrounded by his loving family, on May 13, 2006, at the age of 71. Along with the love of his life, Audrey, adoring daughter, Kerry (Mark Wolfe) and grandchildren Megan, Kathryn and Miranda, John is survived by brothers Lewis of Lytton, B.C. and Dan of Sandy Lake, Manitoba, and his sister Pauline of Brandon, Manitoba, and their families, and was predeceased by his sister Jean Kenyon of Toledo, Ohio. He is also survived by his stepchildren: Kim (Brad) Ballance, Cathy (Richard) Gotfried, and Jeff (Nancy) Newcommon and their children: Adam and Michael Ballance; Jordan, Justin and Georgia Gotfried; and Andrea, Brandon and Madison Newcommon. John was born October 3, 1934 in Dauphin, Manitoba, the youngest of five children; he received his B.Sc. in Geology at Brandon College in 1957. A member of APEGGA, CSPG and CAPL, he spent the first part of his career with Suncor (then known as Sun) in Calgary; later, he became a consulting geologist in 1960, working mainly in the shallow oil fields of Saskatchewan and Manitoba. His office assistant, Anne Marie Fesik, worked with him for twenty-three years; she will miss him dearly. John was a consummate outdoorsman: he spent much of his leisure time fishing the Bow River and at one time was part owner of Skitchine Lodge north of Kamloops. He was an avid deer and pheasant hunter, and raised numerous German Shorthair Pointers over the years as hunting companions. John was a fine musician who loved playing the clarinet, saxophone and piano. He was an early member of Calgary’s big band, the Hippocratic Oath (now The Oath) and a local Dixieland band. John loved to cook, specializing in Chinese and Japanese dishes, and learned to make wine later in his life. He and his wife Audrey traveled to many destinations during their time together: Mexico, South America, Bali, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Hong Kong, Spain, Portugal, Great Britain and France. John was a true renaissance man, who lived every moment of his life to the fullest, surrounded by dozens of friends and loved ones. He often remarked that when the Big Moment came, he’d had a wonderful life and had no regrets. Funeral Services will be held at Deer Park United Church (77 Deer Point Road S.E.) on Thursday, May 18, 2006 at 1:30 p.m. with the Rev. Dr. John Pentland, Presider. Forward condolences through www.mcinnisandholloway.com. In lieu of flowers, friends wishing to remember John may make donations in his memory to the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Alberta, 200, 119 – 14th St. N.W., Calgary, AB T2N 1Z6 Telephone: (403) 264-5549, www.heartandstroke.ca or directly to the charity of the donor’s choice. Special thanks go out to the fine medical team at the Cardiac Unit of the Foothills Hospital: we appreciated all you could do to help our beloved husband and father. In living memory of John McArthur, a tree will be planted at Fish Creek Provincial Park by McINNIS & HOLLOWAY FUNERAL HOMES Fish Creek Chapel, 14441 BANNISTER ROAD S.E. Telephone: (403) 256-9575.