Obituary of John Rennie

John Stephen Rennie Born October 11th, 1953, passed away suddenly on May 13th, 2017 at the Markham Stouffville Hospital at the age of 63. John was a kind, considerate, warm hearted man whose strong and quiet presence was a great comfort to our family, our friends and others within the Markham community. Like his late father before him, John trained as a machinist and worked tirelessly over the years to perfect his craft. He painstakingly worked on metal parts that were used in many different projects within Canada and around the world, including the intricate metal parts used in the Canada Arm. John loved Canada and was extremely patriotic. Although, he was unable to serve himself due to a childhood illness that left him hearing impaired, he strongly supported the Markham Veterans Association. As a family member of a Veteran- William Alfred Rennie-Gunner RCAF WWII, John diligently devoted a great deal of his time to those endeavors. He volunteered with Scouts Canada and children with disabilities at both Participation House and the Rides for Sight. He also volunteered as a cook at the Islington Sportsman Club which was a real passion for him and showed his selfless commitment to others and his love of the outdoors. John loved life and had many interests over the years including baseball, golf, photography and calligraphy. John was also a serious science fiction fan and considered himself a Trekkie of the highest order. He participated in the Scottish Highland Games hammer throw, the farmers walk and playing the bag pipes. John thoroughly enjoyed cooking and was constantly creating new and exotic dishes as well as the Rennie Family Favorite-Oatmeal Cookies with just a touch of vanilla. John was also a serious lover of all things chili and regularly competed in chili competitions in both Canada and the United States. In later years due to an interest shared by our late mother Joyce Verna Rennie, John became fascinated by the Rennie family history and tracing our heritage. He discovered many things about our family which was truly thrilling for our mum and the rest of the Rennie clan. John was also an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed hunting, fishing, camping and riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle on the open road. He will be most fondly remembered for his love and continued support to our family. His sense of strength, love and giving of himself knew no boundaries and will be cherished by all who knew him. He was always there with a kind word, a funny anecdote and a warm smile. John Stephen Rennie was loved beyond words by everyone who knew him. He will be greatly missed. John I hope your last ride is the best and will take you to your final resting place with mum and dad. Love Always and Forever. John is survived by his sisters Anne Tebbutt (Jim Tebbutt), Peggy Rennie (Perry Gray), Kim Rennie (Brian Wherrett) and nieces Andrea Cassidy (Andrew), Violet Cassidy (Deep), Keanna Gray and Tia Gray. A toast and celebration to John's life will take place at the Markham Veterans Association located 7 Washington St, Markham, Ontario on Friday June 23rd, 2017 at 7pm. Funeral Services will be held at the Dixon-Garland Funeral Home located at 166 Main Street N., Markham, Ontario on Saturday June 24th, 2017 at 3 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Canadian Diabetes Association and the Heart and Stroke Foundation.