Obituary of John Jepson
JEPSON, John
Passed away on October 14th, 2018 at 67 years of age after 18 months of courageously battling with pancreatic cancer. John leaves behind his true love and wife of 42 years, Linda Jepson (nee Cooper) who was at his side throughout his struggle and especially during his last days at Hospice Niagara in St. Catharines.
John grew up in Park Extension in Montreal and moved to Toronto in 1970. He never forgot his Montreal roots and was a devoted lifetime fan of his beloved Montreal Canadiens. He started his working career with Merit Insurance and progressed to a very successful career over many years in national sales with Quaker State Oil and later with Castrol. John and Linda travelled extensively and vacationed annually in Fort Lauderdale by the Sea until they officially became snowbirds in 2013 when, in semi-retirement, they bought their winter home in Venice, Florida. They moved to the Niagara on the Lake area from Toronto in 2015. His other lifetime passion, for over 50 years, was organized baseball - as a player from peewee through junior ball in his youth in Montreal - and later as a successful coach in the 80’s and 90’s in Toronto with the North York Blues where his teams won two national championships. He co-founded the Toronto Mets of the Toronto Baseball Association in 2004 and moved to the Burlington Terriers organization in 2016. Along the way, he was a Board member and, ultimately, President of the Premier Baseball League of Ontario. In 2018 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the PBLO; in the citation he received it was noted that “John Jepson has touched thousands of baseball lives“.
John is predeceased by his father John Jepson Sr., his mother June Jepson (nee Honiball), his stepfather Duncan Mitchell and his stepmother Rachel Cheabotar. John is survived by his sister Gale, who stood vigil at the hospice for the past week, brothers-in-law Mike (Debbie) Cooper and Steven (Liz) Cooper, his brother Jeff (and partner Debbie) and stepsister Kim. John will be missed by his immediate and extended families in Montreal and Toronto, his nieces, nephews and so many friends across Canada and the US, including lifetime best friends Dan (Barbara) Amadori and Larry (Sue) Carriere.
A Celebration of John’s Life will be held on Sunday October 21, 2018 at the GEORGE DARTE FUNERAL HOME, 585 Carlton St., St. Catharines, Ontario. Visitation begins at 10:30 a.m. followed by a reception at 12:30 p.m. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Hospice Niagara - Stabler Centre, 403 Ontario Street, St. Catharines, Ontario.