John William Grindrod 1928-2023

John (Jack) William Grindrod passed away on November 9, 2023 at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops at age 95.

Jack is remembered by Ruth, his beloved wife of 73 years and his sister Lillian Wray. He was a loving dad to Bob (Anne), Rick (Mara), and Lisa, and a proud Grandpa to Kelly (David), Lynn (John), John (Aya), Kim (Jon) and Alicia (Brian) and Great-Grandpa to Orin, Brynn, Rowan, Alya, Kallea, Brayden, Bria, Jack, Grace and Carsen and nieces Lynn and Carol.

Jack was born June 3, 1928 to William (Bill) and Norah in Revelstoke, BC and he grew up in Kamloops. After moving to Edmonton with his family at age 16, Jack started to work for Canada Pacific Railway as a Telegrapher, and followed in the footsteps of his grandfather Edmund Holden Grindrod, who was the first telegraph inspector in BC. Jack found himself in Dawson Creek, Drumheller, and Cranbrook in the ensuing years, until he met Ruth Larsen, a bank teller in Nelson, BC.

Jack and Ruth were married on August 26, 1950 and started their lives together in Kamloops, BC. Bob came along in 1952 and a couple of years later Jack started to work for Trans Mountain Pipeline. The family moved first to Jasper for a short stay in 1955 and then to Edmonton where Rick was born in 1956 and Lisa in 1966. The family returned to Jasper in 1966 and then back to Kamloops in 1977. Jack always said those years in Jasper were some of the most satisfying of his life. Jack retired from Trans Mountain in 1986.

Having spent most of his life in the mountains, Jack loved the outdoors. He especially loved visiting the old Grindrod Homestead and Goose Lake near Kamloops, and the Valley of the Five Lakes near Jasper. Jack was an avid nature photographer and has left his family a tremendous legacy of print and film photos. He was also a lifelong student; he completed his high school diploma by correspondence over 20 years after leaving school and then never stopped learning. When Jack started a new hobby, whether it be photography in his 40s, woodworking in his 50s, or computer sciences in his 60s, he jumped in with both feet, setting up a darkroom or a woodshop and spending hours learning the craft.

Jack made the most of his retirement years (often on the golf course) and enjoyed a full life with many friends. He loved to travel with Ruth along Vancouver Island and the Oregon Coast. He also set his mind to learning French and Spanish, which he practiced on trips abroad to Mexico and Europe and continued to learn even into his 90s.

Jack and Ruth loved to dance and in 1991 they joined a Square Dance group called Happy Squares (later Kamloops Square Dancers). In those years they travelled with the group and made many lasting friendships.

Jack was an adoring husband and loving dad and Grandpa. He excelled at pretty much anything he set his mind to and left behind beautiful works. He set a wonderful example for his family, showing us that our lives have many chapters, and that each can be rich with new experiences. We will miss him greatly.

Memorial contributions can be made to Nature Conservancy of Canada.

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