Obituary of John Thomas Long

John Thomas Long, P. ENG.

April 23, 1938 – August 11, 2020

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of John Thomas Long, loving husband of Gillian, father of Jane, Sarah (Tom Crichton) and Rachel (Derek Newton) and Poppa to Amelia, William, Sam, Ethan and Jonah. John was born in Birmingham, England. He was predeceased by his two sisters, Pat Gupwell and Ann Jukes.

John was a loyal friend who loved celebrating holidays and special occasions with the Canadian Family, a group of ex-patriate Brits who became far more than friends when John and Gill moved to Canada in 1966. They describe him as someone you could always count on, in good times and bad.

John trained as a civil engineer in England and qualified as a Professional Engineer after he moved to Canada. He loved his work and rose to the head of the company that is now known as LEA Consulting Ltd. He was instrumental in establishing the LEA India operation, which grew to over 2,000 employees, and was very influential in the way transit has developed in the GTA over the past 25 years. In addition to having high professional standards, he focused on social activity and employee engagement to build a positive culture in the firm. He was a strong supporter of keeping the firm employee owned. When he had to retire as CEO of the LEA Group upon turning 65, he immediately set up a consulting company and continued to work with LEA until very recently.

When asked to describe his passions by a tour guide in New York City, he said: “Public transportation and India”. He spent many years travelling to India and other international destinations sharing his expertise and passion for transportation projects. He thoroughly enjoyed matching wits with lawyers when he frequently appeared as a witness at Ontario Municipal Board hearings. He was a mentor to many young professionals and loved solving problems, whether it be conducting a massive transit study in Mumbai, or advising on the construction of a cottage tree house for his grandchildren.

John had an insatiable curiosity for exploring the world and instilled his love of travel in his children and grandchildren. He and Gill travelled extensively and took great pleasure in arranging family vacations and renting houses large enough to accommodate all twelve members of his family.

The family would like to thank the medical professionals who cared for him during his illness including Dr. Sam Babak, Dr. Angelo Vivona, the nursing staff at the Markham Stouffville Cancer Care Centre, and his home care support team, Mehdi and Andrea.

The family will hold a private funeral in light of the current COVID circumstances. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to either the Markham Stouffville Hospital Foundation or YMCA John Island Camp where John’s five grandchildren have learned to explore Canada’s north.

Online condolences may be made at www.dixongarland.com.