Obituary of Deacon Johann (John) Alois Schwarzbauer

Deacon Johann (John) Alois Schwarzbauer
July 25, 1937 - June 29, 2025

It is with profound sadness that we share the news of Deacon John’s passing when he entered eternal life on June 29, 2025. He is survived by his loving wife, Léa (née St. Michael), his daughters, Nancy (the late J. Greg Steffan) and Dawn, as well as his two grandchildren, Thomas and Mae. John is also survived by his brother, Franz (Louisa), and his nieces, Lisa and Joanna (Tony van Ham), and his great-nieces, Gloria and Molly, of Calgary, AB. He is predeceased by his parents, Johann and Hermine, and by his son-in-law, Greg.

John was born on July 25, 1937, in Guntramsdorf, Austria, and immigrated to Canada in 1957. In his working life, John was a tool and die maker/designer, and a plant manager in various companies. John was a highly intelligent man and fiercely determined. Throughout a period of 10 years (in the evenings), John earned his Bachelor of Economics degree at York University. John was also the president of his own tool and die design company, J.S. Bauer & Associates, designing and creating automotive parts until his retirement.

John was ordained to the Permanent Diaconate in 2002 and served faithfully as the first deacon at St. Mark’s in Stouffville. He served there for 20 years and had a deep faith and commitment in service to his community and the members of his parish. John’s ministries included Chaplaincy at Markham Stouffville Hospital with being on-call, Pastoral Care at Parkview, Bloomington Cove and many others as well as visiting the homebound. He also provided funeral services at Dixon Garland Funeral Home, O’Neill Funeral Home, and Chapel Ridge Funeral Home, as well as Holy Cross and Christ the King cemeteries.

John had a wonderful sense of humour and loved to make people laugh. His clever wit, warm personality and friendly demeanor are what drew people to him. He enjoyed socializing with family and friends, and he loved to play cards and any kind of board games – often challenging his children and grandchildren to win against him.

The visitation will be at Dixon Garland Funeral Home in Markham on Friday, July 4, 2025, from 2-4 pm and 7-9 pm. The funeral will be held at St. Mark’s Church in Stouffville on Saturday, July 5, 2025. Following the funeral and reception, interment will take place at Christ the King Cemetery.

The family would like to express their deepest gratitude to Dr. Babak at Markham Stouffville Hospital, Dr. Mulhern and the staff and volunteers at the Margaret Bahen Hospice for their dedicated care for John.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in John’s name to the Margaret Bahen Hospice, or Diabetes Canada.