Edwin John (John) DICKINSON
Oct. 15, 1933 – March 22, 2024

Our husband, father, grandfather and friend John passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by family after a prolonged illness. A dreamer and lover of life, he remained lucid to the end, giving career advice to his grandchildren and checking to see if he had suddenly become a millionaire through his “wise” investments until the day he died.

All those who knew and loved him will have experienced a different man, but all would agree that he enjoyed the company of others and a good chat with a drink in hand. His life journey from Carlisle in the U.K. to Quebec was an epic one. He survived the London Blitz, evacuation to the countryside as a young child and moving to Canada as part of the postwar Brain Drain (while also chasing Jane). Though the latter decision moved his growing family away from ties in England, it also provided his children and grandchildren with the golden opportunity of living in a country where luck and effort, rather than being part of a certain class in society, allowed for success. An academic through and through, he was proud of his Jesus College Cambridge alma mater, his engineering achievements at Avro in Manchester and his star students at Laval. While unable to solve his great pursuit of the highest Mersenne prime number, he left lots of clues for his grandchildren to follow up on. At the same time, his passion for political science and history never faded, and many of his final days were enjoyed watching and discussing CNN with his son-in-law and buddy Dino. His stories and real-life adventures will be missed by all, whether those were camping in P.E.I. during hurricanes, or us tracking his slow progress across France and Spain on his Compostela pilgrimage while in his mid-60s. Although the technology of the time made maintaining trans-Atlantic contact challenging, John’s greatest possession was his friendships with the many people he considered his adopted family.

He is survived by his wife Jane; three children, Catherine, Claire and Chris; seven grandchildren, Alex, Fay, Vanessa, Antoine, Anthony, Sacha and Viviane; and extended family. His absence while waiting for us in the “happy hunting ground” will leave a void that cannot be filled.

A memorial service will take place at the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Quebec City on Sunday, April 14 at 4:30 p.m.