Obituary of John David Stewart

John "David" Stewart, aka "Grumpy" at the age of 77 passed away peacefully at Scarborough General Hospital on Wednesday September 3, 2014. Devoted husband and best friend, he will be sadly missed by his wife Irene (nee Laukys), loving father of Helen (Claudio DeFranceschi); Paul (Janet); and Laura-Lynn (John) and their mother Shirley. Proud Papa to grandchildren Sarah (Scott Taylor), Derek and Laura and Ellen Boyanowski and great-grandchildren Lily, Aaron and Jesse Taylor; also his mother-in-law Prane Laukys, sister-in-law Nijole Laukys and brother-in-law Edward (Janet) Laukys and nieces Amanda, Kathryn and Samantha Laukys. Dave grew up in Kirkland Lake, Ontario and over the years he resided in Elliott Lake, Thunder Bay, Elk Lake and finally settled in Toronto. He was a lifetime member of the Masonic Lodge in Elk Lake, Shriners and was also a member of the Kidney Dialysis Peer Support Group at SGH which brought him a tremendous amount of satisfaction. His outgoing personality made him a natural at giving information and confidence to all who visited his home for advice and support. Dave spent over 27 years in the Safety and Mining business which took him all over the world, and he loved to travel both for business and pleasure and has had many adventures along the way. He had a varied career working for Bell, De Beers, Link Belt and Denison Mines, and finally retired from Laginha Logging in Elk Lake, Ont. Dave, was an animal lover and will be sorely missed by his furry friends. He was a real people person who had a very positive outlook, a tremendous sense of humour and was happiest when surrounded by family and friends. Dave loved a good cigar, the northern wilderness, a challenging game of crib and loved to talk politics with anyone who was up for a good argument. He will be sadly missed by his friends and neighbours, especially "Dave's Angels" … Carol #1 and Carole #2 who brought sunshine and happiness to his days. Thank you to the many doctors, nurses at Scarborough General Hospital and the Odette Cancer Unit at Sunnybrook hospital and the VON nurses and personal support care staff who helped Dave at home. Family and friends invite you to share their memories of Dave with his family during a Celebration of Life being held at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, 115 St. Andrews Road, Scarborough on Sunday, September 7th at 2:00 pm. There will be a private interment at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Scarborough General Hospital Dialysis Unit, any animal rescue group or a charity of your choice. Tributes may be made online at: www.humphreymiles.com