John Mccurdy

With great sadness, we are sharing the death of John McCurdy, who died on December 17 in Toronto, ON. He was 48 years old. John was born in 1973 to Gordon and Betty McCurdy and grew up in Burlington, later living in BC and Alberta before returning to Ontario. John was a life-long writer, academic and nature enthusiast, and a deeply spiritual person with a passion and commitment to learning. John earned his Honours BA in English and History, followed by his Master’s Degree in Globalization Studies, from McMaster University. He went on to complete his Bachelor's of Education Degree from the University of Toronto. Beginning in 2016, John began his Ph.D. in Social and Political Thought at York University. He worked as a teacher, researcher and historian. John experienced two cancer diagnoses in his life, his first being Hodgkin’s disease in his late teens, which recurred in his mid-20s. After extensive treatment, he went into remission for many years. However, after many months of investigation in 2020, he was ultimately diagnosed with lung cancer in early 2021, possibly a long-term result of his earlier treatment. Despite surgery, chemo and radiation, the lung cancer recurred in September and John declined quickly. Thank you to the team at Humber River Hospital who took care of him and enabled him to leave on his own terms. John will be deeply missed by his sister, Katherine McCurdy-Lapierre, and his step-mother, Kathie Hibbins, as well as many other family and friends. Donations in memory of John can be made to the Woodland Cultural Centre at woodlandculturalcentre.ca. A Celebration of Life for John McCurdy will be held on Sunday, February 27 at the Joseph Brant Museum in Burlington. Capacity limits are in place, if you would like to attend please contact John’s sister, Katherine McCurdy-Lapierre, at keamccurdy@gmail.com. If you are unable or prefer to not attend in person, the celebration of life will be available on Zoom using this link: https://us05web.zoom.us/j/82002670033?pwd=Mm1lWWthS3puOFdEVktRQjhOK0xqQT09. “Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth.” ― Henry David Thoreau, Walden -----