JOHN BARSBY

Condolences & Memories (16 entries)

• Johny was more than just a neighbour he was a good man, a friend you can always count on and over the years had become a part of our family. He will always be remembered for his kindness and knowledge he shared with our family and deeply missed. We know in our hearts that he has earned a special place in heaven and will be at peace. With heartfelt Condolences, Carmela Alberto and Aiello Family. - Posted by: Aiello Family (Neighbour and Friend) on: Apr 20, 2024

• John had such a wonderful sense of humour. When two RFTT alumni were getting married, he wrote in his card that the children would have the RFTT Super Gene...but he took no nonsense from anybody on school matters. John would have made an excellent English Lit teacher and could quote poetry for hours. He told us once that the decision of math vs English as a university major was the biggest dilemma of his life. My condolences to his family and partner. - Posted by: Irene Ellis (former student) on: Feb 12, 2024

• A brilliant, kind and gentle man, I was lucky enough to be in his math class for two years, the problems we as students struggled over were easy to him and he always had the patience to guide us through them RIP Sir. - Posted by: Derek Goritz (Student) on: Dec 21, 2023

• My parents were friends with Johns parents since I was a little child in the 50’s. There were many visits to see the Barsbys in Dominion City with my family, but there were also visits on my own …. My parents put me on the train to stay with the Barsbys so I could get swimming lessons at their local swimming pool or maybe just to ship me off for a while in summer 😄 John and his sister Pat were older but always kind to the little intruder who stayed in their home. I have such positive memories of John and and hope he is at peace…he was a special person. Debbie Colley ( Kuzenko) - Posted by: Debbie Colley (Family friendship ) on: Dec 13, 2023

• John, thank you for being my friend. I'll miss you. - Posted by: Richard Pattinson (Friend) on: Dec 07, 2023

• Mr Barsby was my math teacher from 1987 to 1990. I came to SJR from a very remote community and he was one of the many people who made a scared 14 year old feel welcome and inspired. I have and will always remember him swinging his arm to make a perfect circle on the chalkboard and his infections Happy Monday greeting which I use out of habit at work and some of our interns pick up taking a quirky piece of Mr Barsby's legacy with them into the future. My deepest sympathies to friends and family who knew and love him for many years. Please take comfort that he is remembered far and wide with a continuing impact on current and future generations. - Posted by: James Anderson (Student) on: Nov 30, 2023

• It is with such sadness that we have to say farewell to my most favourite teacher of all, John Barsby (considering I now approach my 6th decade and have had and continue to have many teachers, this isn't even a fair race). How many of us have his name as a 'hint' for forgotten passwords, I wonder? We shall all miss your kindness and humour. Your ability to make the most complex of problems and concepts clear. Oh, how I gave silent thanks for you when writing my A-Levels and university math/physics exams! I am sure you all recall the day that John got a Rubiks Cube during its' heady days in the early '80s...it was the only day(s) we had a subsitute teacher. He couldn't (wouldn't?) come back to school until he had solved it! I had the opportunities to see him at many homecomings to SJR over the years and the sparkle in his eyes, nay mischeviousness, never dimmed. As with many others, I will miss you, John. "POW!" - Posted by: Godfrey Kim (Former student) on: Nov 29, 2023

• So very sorry to hear of John’s illness and passing. He was a friend in high school and I think I was the first student he tutored in Math. My mother,- a teacher in Dominion City at that time - engaged him to tutor me in Grade 12 Math after his first year of University , when my teacher had given up on me. I passed that exam, when some others who had been doing well all year missed a trick question worth 30 points. I am forever grateful for his gifted teaching, John was kind enough to visit my Mom, Viara McVicar, in Winnipeg in her senior years. Having taught him at one time, she was very proud of his accomplishments in his teaching career, as was I. My sincere condolences to the family. Leona (McVicar) Scobie - Posted by: Leona (McVicar) Scobie (High Schoo friend) on: Nov 29, 2023

• It was my great privilege to be a student of John’s from 1980-84. The comments of Loren, Nancy and Kaveh, all three members of the same class, attest to the impact he had on all of us in those years. I recall his tireless sense of humour. Once, in an act of mock rebellion, we tried to tie him up with some string. I can’t remember who was laughing harder, teacher or students! Though my math skills may have blunted with the passage of time, one lesson has remained, and it has carried me through the years, past challenges big and small, in work, and in life. The perseverance required to solve a problem, the self-sufficiency he taught us as ‘stick-with-it-ness’, was a gift I can never repay. Hopefully, I was able to convey some of these sentiments when I contacted John just a couple of months ago, asking him to sign my copy of his book. I had hoped to bring it to him at the SJR homecoming in 2024. I’m grateful we had this one final communication and will treasure his memory forever. - Posted by: Steven Paraskevas (Student 1980-84) on: Nov 28, 2023

• John was one of my grade 9 students in my first year of teaching at Dominion City. In my very first class he stood out as uniquely intelligent and positively different. He raised his hand and asked me if he could go to the the blackboard. When I asked why, he answered that he could not see what I had written there, and with my permission granted, he went to front of the class and proceeded to scan the black board up close 4 to 6 inches apart, left to right. It was obvious that he had a vision problem, even though he wore glasses with very thick lenses. So a few days later I went to se his parents to inform them that Johnny needed to see an optometrist in Winnipeg as soon as possible. His father, the railway station master, was aware of the issue, and agreed to take John to Winnipeg as soon as financially possible. John was a super, good student and a pleasure to teach, and we became life-long friends even though we did not cross paths for many, many years until 4 -5 years ago, and a long conversation with him 4-5 months ago. I spend a lifetime in education, retiring as a Superintendent of Education, and but stil John stands out mot only as an outstanding student, but also as great, and caring people person. He shall always be one of my most memorable and cherished person that I had the privilege and honour to know. I’m sure he must now be with the Good Lord and held “in the palm oh His hand”. - Posted by: Frank Fiorentino (Former teacher) on: Nov 28, 2023

• I’d like to share my sincerest sympathies. I worked with John in Snow Lake and he was one of the easiest people to work with and had a gift for teaching. We remained in touch and I followed his career and successes over the years and I am proud to have known him. John was an inspiration to us all and an example of what a teacher should and could be. - Posted by: Raymond LeNeal (Colleague) on: Nov 27, 2023

• It's impossible to calculate, even estimate, the impact that Mr. Barsby had on us, those privileged to have had him as a teacher, mentor and friend. At Gordon Bell in the 70's, John's success with our Reach for the Top and math competitions was legendary, igniting in many of us a lifelong interest and fascination in math and learning in general. From GB, we could see that John was headed on a highly successful journey, establishing himself as one of Canada's premier math educators. I'm so glad that a year ago, a dozen of us GBers had a wonderful virtual reunion, where John read from his new book and immensely enjoyed sharing memories and reconnecting with his GB students. Although saddened by our loss, I'm forever grateful to have been profoundly influenced by Mr. B - Thank you John, Thank you infinitely. Dennis Bayomi, GB Class '77 - Posted by: Dennis Bayomi (Friend & Gordon Bell Student (1970s)) on: Nov 26, 2023

• A truly remarkable man! I, too, was honoured to be a student of his between 1980-1984 and also share Kaveh's regret of only staying in touch with John for only about a decade after graduation. His influence on me has been profound and immense; from my love of math to the selection of my career in electrical engineering. His impact on my life cannot be understated. I still think fondly of him every time I encounter a problem that requires what John would refer to as "Stick with it -ness". - Posted by: Loren Berg (Student) on: Nov 26, 2023

• I came to SJR as a Grade 9 student. Back then, girls were still pretty new to the school, and only represented 1/3 of the total class. I was coming from public school and was quickly aware of the expected decorum in the classroom (I.e. stand when an adult entered the room, no talking out of turn, addressing teachers as Sir or Madame). I was assigned to Mr Barsby’s math class, and was a little intimidated by his genius! One day, early in the year, he was teaching how to solve an algebra problem by cancelling out the X on either side of the equation. He said, “Here’s an X. There’s and X…”. Before I could stop myself, I shouted out, “everywhere an X X”! The classroom went silent, and I prepared myself for eternal detention….My Barsby didn’t even turn around to face me…and I was shaking…until I realized that he was shaking even harder! He finally burst out laughing! He went on to finish the problem and nothing further was said. From that day forward, I loved him for his humour, his humanity and his warm welcome to a new student!! When I returned 10 years later for a reunion, he welcomed me into his classroom and introduced me to the class. Mr Barsby, thank you for making such a difference in my life. You gave me confidence and made me believe I was smart in math! Rest in peace, Sir! - Posted by: Nancy (Fenwick) Vamvakas (Student 1980-84) on: Nov 26, 2023

• Mr. Barsby genius along with his co-genius Mr.Johnson brought clarity of mathematics to so many students at SJR including a strange sort of lunch time club which involved working on math problems for fun. Not something I could ever imagine doing during my leisure time! My memories of Mr.Barsby are of a good and gentle man with a super superior intellect. Lucky for SJR Mr. Barsby gave his best years to the school.Heaven will never be the same with this gentle genius in the fold. RIP Sir. - Posted by: Trevor Porritt (Student ) on: Nov 26, 2023

• I had the great privilege of having John (“Mr Barsby”) as a math teacher from 1980-84. He was a remarkable teacher and person, and I enjoyed staying in touch with him after graduating—regrettably only for the first 10 years or so, though I continued to think of him often in the years since. I know many other students who did the same and are similarly grateful for the impacts John had on their lives. - Posted by: Kaveh Shojania (former student) on: Nov 26, 2023