Memorial Service

Please join us in a celebration of John's life this Friday March 23rd from noon until 5pm at the Metchosin Community Hall. 4401 William Head Rd [at the cross roads of Metchosin and William Head] Eulogies will be held from 12:30 - 2:00. We will have lots of food, wine and memories to share. There will be a brief screening of John speaking, some music performed by his nephew James and many photos to look through.

Google Map here with directions

NOTE: There is a bridge out on Metchosin Road - Please take Sooke Road and left on to Happy Valley Road. Follow Happy Valley Road until the end.

Comments

[Leslie White]

Hi Moralea and family

I just wanted to tell you how cool it is that you have this site up, so people can share their thoughts and feelings about John - great use of the technology, he would definitely approve!

I know how hard this time is for you right now, but hopefully you can take comfort in hearing (yet again) how amazing John was - you all know that already, in your own experiences with him as a dad, husband and brother - but speaking as a friend, he was an absolutely excellent one. He was extremely supportive, always made time for to talk and was there for me through a few of my own worst life moments. I loved his irreverance and his ability to cut through the many layers of crap that often goes along with a life in the bureaucracy. He was frequently the wonderfully annoying one in the meetings who hated all the hoops and processes, saying "let's just make it happen!". He definitely brought a "do it now, ask for forgiveness later" approach to much of the work we did over the years. It was a joy to watch him in action. He was also all about the people, and that was one of his best qualities - fighting for those without a voice and showing them a way through the intricacies of the "system" - all the while maintaining that great sense of humour and lovely sense of self.

I would describe him as a man who had the fun of many, many different lives within the space of his years, someone who touched us all deeply with his love and his humour and his ability to own the room. At many dinners and parties over the years, he often held court - always telling the best stories and making us all laugh and laugh.

In the past few years it was especially satisfying to watch him settle more comfortably into his own skin - coming into his own with the satisfaction he got from helping drive the project to bring affordable internet access to BC's most rural and remote communities, and more recently to all First Nations communities, as well as his work as councillor for his lovely Metchosin. He loved what he did, whether it was taking on a new woodworking project, baking the best pie ever, or recently experiencing the joy of watching his beloved grandson Max read to him for the first time.

It has all ended much too soon, but at least we know that he loved deeply and wasted very little of his time here. His list of life experiences read like the resume of an extremely well travelled soul, and I'm sure he's smiling with that cheeky twinkle in his eye where he is now.

much love,

Leslie

[Byron Barnard]

Moralea and family: Leslie's comments capture the man. It was a pleasure to know, work with, and travel with John. His work in bringing Internet access to rural and First Nations communities in BC was simply outstanding. A tremendous accomplishment. He is an unsung hero.

I'll never forget the trips we had together in rural BC and especially to South Africa and our encounter with an elephant in Kruger Park. What a guy. Love em and look forward to seeing him again.

Byron Barnard

[Julie]

Moralea & family,

I had the opporunity to work with John on various projects on and off over the years, and it was always a great pleasure.

His pragmatism, humour, and ability (as has already been said) to cut through the crap made our discussions stimulating and refreshing. I was also impressed by his persistence in his work to address the digital divide. I know many, many people who have admired his integrity and his dedication to helping others. I have been in more than one conversation where the mere mention of John's name was enough to light up people's faces.

Unfortunately I will not be able to attend the memorial service, but you will definitely be in my thoughts.

[Hans DeBruyn]

Many thanks to the family for making the blog available for others to comment, very fitting for a man who worked so hard to make technology available to many throughout BC.

I would like to extend my condolences to the family and friends. It’s hard for us who knew John as a friend and as a professional inspiration to face the reality that he will no longer be there as a mentor and “champion of champions”, I can only imagine how difficult it is for you who shared day to day life with him as a husband, father, and relative to fill the void.

For those of us who knew John from his work on rural broadband, we have two wonderful legacies. The first is the progress that his been made in bringing advanced communications to many of BC’s smaller communities, an accomplishment that has John Webb written all over it. The second is the “community of communities” that John brought together to work on these initiatives. Much of the grass roots effort to make things happen has derived from John’s infectious enthusiasm for this cause, and many great friendships have been formed through his efforts to bring us all together.

[Teresa Sande]

Moralea and family:
Thanks for setting up such an appropriate and helpful avenue for people to express their thoughts and feelings about John.

What pleasure it has been to observe many facets of his existence and to hear about some of the others.

Many words come to mind. Admiration of the good fit John made in his relationships, particularly with Moralea and Gala. Immersed himself in enjoyment of family; and dedication to important responsibilities involved. How he worked to make his relationships even better as the years passed.

Beauty, pleasure and the practicality of his skills in woodwork, cooking and baking. What fun to wake up to John and Gala impulsively baking a pie that won at the fair later that day. Feeling quite privileged to enjoy a day together and then be treated to such wonderful meals he prepared and of course the warmth, the conversation and hearing his thoughts on a multitude of topics.

Mastery and accomplishment

The delight of discovering such fun, laughter and admiration for his acting abilities. Then into community politics.

Eclectic life experiences
Ability to view issues from multiple perspectives and scrutinize these over time toward highly developed opinions.
Although at times we had differences of opinions, I enjoyed and appreciated the challenge/invitations to express and discuss these freely.

Passion
Provocative discussions
Interest in learning more about his own focus and open to new perspectives albeit with rigorous challenge that was stimulating, nourishing and thought provoking.

Not alien to adversity, he maintained strength and adapted his vision to work around or even with the adversity to make things (or at least something) happen in positive directions. John took what life had to offer and not only made the best of it; he found ways to flourish, grow through mistakes and contribute positively in this world.

I am sad I will not be able to visit with him again.
His positive attitude overall remains an inspiration, but it is the memory of his laughter expressing the wonderful combination of joy, appreciation of irony and challenge that comes to mind most. I cherish my memories of John.

Teresa Sande

[Gregg Drury]

Dear Moralea & Family:

I was truly saddened to learn that John left us. Although I only got to know John during the past couple of years I want to let you know that he had a HUGE impact on me and the work that I do. I live and work in the Cassiar region of BC and am actively involved in bringing broadband connectivity to several isolated communities. John took the time on several occassions to speak with me, provide guidance, and, most importantly, instill that "let's get it done" attitude into me. This coming summer will see the installation of a community wide fiber optic system installed in the First Nations community of Iskut. This is slated to be the first 100% 'fiber-to-the-home' project in possibly all of North America. This project is happening, in part, because of John Webb's encouragement and inspriation. The people of Iskut are poised to radically and positively transform their lives through the use of modern technology that John championed so well. I hope each of you realize just how large an impact John had - with both old and new friends alike!

I will miss him dearly!

Gregg Drury

[Tanner Elton]

Moralea and Family
Let me add this to the comments already made.

In 1994,I was asked by the government of the day to manage a process to determine what BC should be doing to understand and take advantage of the high tech revolution we were in, and the result was the strategic plan called "Electronic Highway Accord".

As we gathered the many organizaions and companies that would become part of the Accord, I came to know a truly remarkable group of individuals within the BC Government with vision, commitment and understanding of the new information technologies that were about to change the world. John was part of that group.

In ways that are not well appreciated, they collectively put BC on the map as a forward thinking jurisdiction that "got it". They still "get it" and most, continue the work that was begun in those early days.

Within this "skunk work", John played the role of father confessor/collective conscience/ rebel with a cause/and morale booster. Always an advocate for the other side of the digital divide, he was not a "careful" bureaucrat and was always prepared to tell all who would listen and some who would not what they needed to hear in a way that was hard to ignore.

He became, during this process, a good friend.

The world, Canada, BC and communities need people who, in their own way, make a difference. John was always one of these rare individuals.

He will be missed.

Tanner Elton

[Dave Nikolejsin]

Moralea, family and friends: this is a very hard message for me to write. I was John's boss for the last few years, and his friend for many more.

As you can see from the postings from John's friends and associates, John really made a difference. He made a difference in how we made our plans for solving the digital divide, he made a difference in holding us all accountable to those plans, and he made a real difference as a human being, a work confidant and a friend.

John was a truly excellent public servant. He was about the task and believed passionately in what he did. I can remember many, many discussions with John that went along the lines of:

John: Hey Dave, I was thinking last night about this new idea to help with the problem of connecting communities.

Dave: Well John, let me tell you why that might be hard.

John: Ha Ha Ha - I thought you might say that so I just went and did it already anyway!! Surprise!

Any you know what. He had the somewhat annoying habit of being right a whole lot more often than he was wrong. And I can still picture him slapping his thigh and his big open-mouth laugh while he pointed his big sausage finger at me. We were a good team. I sure miss him.

The world is a better place for John having been in it.

Dave Nikolejsin

[Linda Thompson]

Dear Morlea and family,

This is a sad and hard time for your family, but John would have loved to have so many friends and family together celebrating his life. I wish we could be there to honour him. His grace during his illness was an inspiration for me on how to live life. I am grateful to have known him.

In 1970 I ran a hippy craft shop in Maine with a friend Daina Savard. She always spoke about how wonderful Canada was,so we both moved there. She moved to Toronto and I to Montreal. She married a man from DC named Sid Tabac and always talked about having an old dear friend in Toronto named John Webb. He was a card shark and almost always won at poker with Sid. He was involved in the NDP and worked hard to bring social change to Ontario. One day Diana called and asked if John could build the stores I was designing for April and Chris. The rest is history. I finally got to meet the man who knew where every Bar-B-Que on the Eastern seaboard was. He was a fantastic woodworker, loved and knew about music, cooked like a God, and could make anyone smile.

The best thing that happened out of that long work relationship was his meeting Morlea and falling, and I do mean falling in love. He told me he was going to sell his business, and move three thousand miles to be with her. He really had it bad when he stopped smoking for her. We knew Morlea was the One.

I am so glad that he had the chance to have such a warm and wonderful family from which he could branch out and give to the world his wit and wisdom.

The only sad part for me is that he seldom came back to Montreal.

We will miss him, but his jokes and zest for life will never be forgotten. We are laughing and clapping and really sucking it up, just as John would have wanted.

Love Linda, Mark, Sasha, and Natasha

[Carey Diggon]

To Kirsten & Family,

Although I did not have the opportunity to meet John, I feel that I have been blessed by his influence on his daughter Kirsten. Our hearts go out to her and her famliy at this time. What a wonderful women he has helped raise and a true testament to the man he was. Our thoughts are with all of you.
With all our love the League of Ladies.

[Lynda Jane]

Moralea and Family

The first time I met John was at a lunch meeting in April 2005 at the White Spot near the Vancouver TELUS office. Although John came to Vancouver several times a month, he had so many people demanding his time, it was near impossible to book a meeting during office hours. It was to be the first of many breakfast and lunch meetings where we collaborated on the TELUS/Provincial Government Connecting Communities Digital Divide initiative.

John and I did our best work during breakfast at the Waterfront Fairmont Hotel. I always bought breakfast - apparently public servants can't expense breakfast - well at least according to John! With our WIFI laptops and blackberries humming, we would bang out power point presentations, legal agreements, tactical plans and strategies to bridge the Digital Divide.

John was unique. He was the consummate Public Servant - he really did walk the talk! John traveled extensively throughout the province, meeting with Community Leaders, Internet Service Providers and Community constituents to share his vision on broadband connectivity. When he spoke, they listened and when they spoke, he listened. And more importantly, when he returned to Victoria, he championed their efforts and made a difference to the citizens of British Columbia and their communities.

John had an absolute talent for diffusing volatile situations. He was elected Councilor for the District of Metchosin in 2006. John embraced his new role with his usual zeal and tenacity. He recounted one meeting where his fellow Councilors were rather vocal in their disapproval of his actions. Sensing the increasing hostility, John ended his speech with the adlib, "Well, my wife Moralea learned to love me, so you can too!" He was right - we all learned to love John.

My last Fairmont breakfast with John was in March 2006, shortly before he was diagnosed. Each time I met with John during the last year, I reminded him that I still had one more Fairmont gift certificate. The gift certificate is still in my desk drawer at home and I expect that I won't spend it. Like the MasterCard commercial, "Gift Certificate: $25, Memories: Priceless!

Moralea, much love to you and your family. John will be missed but his legacy never forgotten.

Lynda Jane

[Florence and Jan Janbroers]

John came into our lives in 1989. He made a big impression on me the first time that he came to visit. I had just fnished baking a pan of walnut squares, John polished them off in about half an hour, and then announced that he was going to be around our family for a long time. After seeing him look at Moralea, I realized it wasn"t my baking. It was his way of telling me that he loved Moralea. And after seeing him with Moralea I never doubted it for a moment. John has been a true blessing in our family. He has loved my family and has been the greatest Dad to all of our grandchildren.
Jan, Joel and John enjoyed a love of sports and every week they caught up on the latest soccer matches. Jan and John were looking forward to seeing all of the under 20 world champion soccer matches in Victoria this summer. For the past 18 years we shared all of our birthdays, anniversaries, Christmases, Thanksgivings, Easters, Metchosin Days, and parties- together. There were many brunches, lunches, and dinners. Always jokes about our cooking contrasts, I never hestitated to enlist the aid of Thrifty Foods - and with John everything was from scratch.
John built us a beautiful wooden wall unit - and an art center, it will always be a memory of John and a part of our family for many generations.
All of our get togethers wil be bitter sweet now.
But John will always be there with us.
We loved you John. You were more than a son in law. You were a son in every sense of the word. We will miss the handshake, the hug and the kiss every time we met and said goodbye. So for now John, a handshake, a hug and a kiss.
love,
Florence and Jan

[Lee Cornell]

Dear Moralea and the rest of the gang,

Although I haven't seen John in quite a few years, I still have clear memories of his time spent on the East Coast.

He was the first person to make me aware of the crazy drivers in Montreal as well as the man who pounded into my head that staying in front of the ball was the most important thing in baseball. I remember my little brother's infatuation with his "buddy" aka John.

I am sad not only for losing John but also for not having the chance to see him and the whole west coast family very much over the past 10 years.

I look forward to hearing more stories about John and all the amazing things he and Moralea have done.

Lots of love to everyone...
Lee

[Louise M. Kidney]

I just wanted to take a moment to let you know that John had impacted my life -- even though we never met. I worked on a similar project in Alberta connecting all rural communities and First Nations. His fine worked reached out in a gentle wave in Alberta -- I heard about him from individuals in Treaty 6, 7 and 8 - and he was fondly thought of. We moved to Vancouver Island late last year and I was trying to look him up to meet him. Unfortunately, that was not meant to be. Now I am working as a public servant in a new role here in Victoria and am most fortunate to discover this site. What a wonderful man! God Bless.

[Erica M]

Just wanted to say that its 7 months today that we attended John's funeral and I still think about him often and really miss him... he had a huge impact on my life and I will never forget him..

[Erica M]

Today is the one year anniversary of John's passing and it still breaks my heart thinking about it.. John was a wonderful man and my thoughts and prayers go out to his family...