March 24, 1932 – December 21, 2013
Sydney
It is with broken hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved father, John after a long and courageous battle with cancer.
John was the son of the late Lawrence and Mary (nee Gillis) Brewer of Whitney Pier.
Johnnie or Brewer, as he liked to be called, was a hard working retired steelworker. Our dad was a very private man. Even though he could be a little bit "Grumpy", as his grandchildren fondly called him, our father was fiercely protective of his family. We knew that he loved each and every one of us by his actions, however big or small. Our dad was very kind hearted and only those close to him got to see this side of him.
Dad was a diehard Montreal Canadiens fan and enjoyed watching the games with his daughter, Michelle. He also enjoyed reading and was quite knowledgeable on many topics.
Our Dad was an excellent storyteller and everyone loved hearing him tell his stories. Johnnie loved to have a drink and a dance; he was known to have the gift to gab and he passed this gift on to many of his family members.
Johnnie is survived by his daughter, Michelle (at home); sons, Lawrence (Lynn) and John Wayne (Beryl); son-in-law, Dana Seppola; 12 grandchildren, Wade (Johnna), Anna (Todd Harrison), Jon (Ashley), Nicole (Ron Mullin), Chris (Chandra), Natasha (Jason Higdon), Cheryl, Crystal (Daryl Imrie), Darcie (Kelly Coulter), Joel (Lisa), Amy and Jordan Baker; nine great grandchildren, Jackson, Jorga, and Jay Imrie, Nicholas Confiant, Charli and Kylie Coulter, Jolie Seppola, Fiona Andersen and Jackson Baker; a beloved sister, Mary Colbourne, to whom he was very close; special sister-in-law, Rose (Bosco) Harkin; and brothers-in-law, Simon (Margie) and Michael (Elaine) Arsenault; as well as many nieces and nephews.
Besides his parent, Johnnie was predeceased by the love of his life, his wife, Cecilia; a son in infancy and just recently his beloved daughter, Debbie Seppola; a very special brother-in-law, Reg Colbourne; a beloved aunt, Sadie and her son, Francis ‘Rocky’ MacDougall. Dad also was broken hearted by the passing of his cat, Smokey, last year.
He is now in heaven with all the people he loved and missed dearly. Our loss is Heaven’s gain.
The family would like to extend a very special thank you to Dr. Chris Lawand for the kind and compassionate care that our Dad received.
As per our father’s wishes, cremation has taken place. The family will have a celebration of life on Friday, December 27, 2013, from 7 – 9 p.m. at the Pier Community Funeral Home. Please join us and tell us one of the many stories you remember about our Dad’s incredible life.
No flowers, donations can be made to the An Cala Ward at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital.
"Rest easy Dad, you will be forever in our hearts!!!"
Online Condolences
To The Family:
May the love of those around you give you strength. And may you find comfort in the promise Jehovah God made in the Bible in that "he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away" ( Revelation 21:4). We can look forward to the time when our tears of pain will be turned into tears of joy when we see our loved ones again.
From: Diane Lafontaine