We Remember

ZERBIN, John

It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to John Zerbin. He was a husband, father, Opa, brother, friend, and “the funniest guy we know”.

John passed away at Kelowna General Hospital on January 8, 2022, at the age of 72 after a short battle with cancer. Born in Winnipeg, MB, he was the late Emil and Wanda Zerbin’s youngest of five children; he came after Ed (d.), Adolf, Henry and Trudy. In early 1970, John moved to Vancouver, BC and on November 16th of that same year started working for CP Air (later known as Canadian Airlines International, then merged with Air Canada) he stayed with them until he retired in 2000. He helped to form the Training & AV Department for the company. Audio Visual work became a lifelong passion for him; managing the department really let him express his creativity at work. In 1976, he met Carol, the love of his life. They married in ’79 and later welcomed two daughters, Lindsay & Kristin, into their family. Work took them to Calgary, AB (or as they would say on the job “YYC”), where they stayed for 25 years and made many special friends.

John found a way to balance his love of working, spending time with his family, and pursuing his many passions. One such passion was music. While in Calgary, John was part of a garage band, he played guitar, and he was a good singer too. He also took up wine & port making with his “brother from a another mother”. John loved playing darts, and he became very skilled at building surrounds for dart boards; he made thematic ones, some he gave away as gifts, others were custom orders from his friends. And, travel was a large part of John and Carol’s lifestyle, as might be expected when working for an airline. Enjoying different experiences in exotic locations, as well as spending downtime on cruises, were some choice moments.

After retirement and then relocating to Lake Country, BC, John was really able to bring his creativity to one of his best-loved activities, spending time with loved ones – his family and his friends. He found more “Amigos” to make wine with, and his bottles of fine port became coveted by friends and family. Organizing and cooking for gatherings were a joy as he was a natural host, and he created delightful dishes. He and buddies in the neighbourhood would host “Ladies Nights” to spoil the ladies in their lives, everyone would have an excellent time. Not to be missed were the New Year’s Eve Theme Parties, the unforgettable “Rockstar NYE” was a favourite. He continued growing musically, and he had his own band in Lake Country. John loved life and was grateful for all the people that he was lucky to become friends with in all the places he went. The last 7 years he was alive was icing on the cake of life for him, it was as sweet and as wonderful as possible.

John leaves behind his beloved Carol, his wife of 45 years; his children Lindsay (Colin) and Kristin (Liam); his granddaughter Emily; and his siblings Ad (Barb), Henry (Megan), and Trudy. Each of them will miss his unique soul.

A Celebration of Life will be held on July 27, 2022 in Lake Country.

If you wish to send a condolence, post photos, or share a memory, please scroll down the page to the area called “Condolences”. You are also welcome to send them directly to jzerbintribute@gmail.com.

In John’s words… “No More Mr. Nice Guy”.

Service
July 27, 2022

Location
Lake Country

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