Obituary of John David Pasley

September 20, 1945 – Batley, England

December 8, 2022 – Calgary, Alberta

John Pasley, beloved husband of the late Bernice Pasley (nee Horan), of Calgary, AB, passed away on Thursday, December 8, 2022 at the age of 77 years.

John was born in Batley, West Yorkshire, England, on September 20, 1945 to Mary and Eric Pasley. He attended college at age of sixteen and began his culinary career shortly after. His trade took him from riding the trains of British Rail, to hotels in the Canary Island, London, and Montreal before finally moving and settling in Calgary in 1977 with his wife Bernice. John is survived by his son Warren and his kids Nathan (10) and Grace (8); and his daughter Erica and partner Brad, and their two kids Jake (5) and Lila (3).

John will be most remembered for his zest for life. He was a proud member of the Legion where he could be found drinking beer and playing pool or snooker with friends or strangers. He fell in love with camping in the early 90s and spent many weekends in “no power” sites in a small Combi-Camp tent trailer with his wife and kids. Near retirement they upgraded to a real trailer and spent a few months a year traveling around Arizona and area. All past times were accompanied by music. He was a Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, Jethro Tull, AC/DC, and Tragically Hip kind of guy. He liked watching the Flames, Leeds United, Shoot’Em Ups, Tarintino, cooking shows, and a good British mystery drama. To celebrate some milestone birthdays, he went Bungee Jumping at 40 and Skydiving at 50. At sixty-something he retired and was able to enjoy one of his favorite pastimes: the Horses. He would spend hours studying the Daily Racing Form just to place elaborate $1 bets on the wrong horse.

After the passing of his wife, and nearly not surviving COVID in 2020, he decided to get busy living. John and his childhood friend, also a widower, went on several international pub-crawl type trips. They spent weeks in England and Canada with an Alaskan Cruise, Mexican resorts, and Las Vegas hotels in the mix. John would be pleased to know that his last day of life was spent drinking beer and shooting pool with his son.

In lieu of flowers, please raise a glass of the cheapest drink you can find, to celebrate him. A celebration of life will be held at a Legion sometime in the spring of 2023. Condolences, memories, and photos may be shared and viewed here.

In living memory of John Pasley and Bernice Pasley, a tree will be planted in the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area by McInnis & Holloway Funeral Homes, Eastside, 5388 Memorial Drive NE, Calgary, AB T2A 3V9, Telephone: 403-248-8585.