John Buchanan Milne

John Buchanan Milne, 87, of Gibsons BC

John Milne, son of Gertrude and John Milne, husband of Sue Milne, passed away the evening of January 19 surrounded by his three children and listening to Jelly Roll Morton. He is predeceased by his wife of 52 years Sue and survived by his son Chris (Liz), and his daughters Alexa and Margie (Ben). He is also survived by four grandchildren: Andin, Liam, Kalina and Natascha, all of whom inherited his unique sense of humour.

John was born in Vancouver, BC and went to UBC to study chemistry. After graduation he moved to the UK for a time to work, before returning to Canada to start a PhD with Ron Gillespie at McMaster University, where he met his future wife Sue Milne. Upon graduation he and Sue spent time in Germany, where he completed his postdoctoral studies before starting a new job as a chemistry professor at the University of Ottawa in July 1967. This marked a period for John and Sue where they renovated a hundred year-old stone house outside Ottawa, accidentally raised several generations of cats, had three children, explored the rivers and lakes of the Ottawa Valley in various kayaks and canoes and spent two sabbaticals in Germany and France. In 1999, once they’d managed to convince their kids to move out, they wasted no time in buying a house in Gibsons where John proceeded to grow a ponytail to fit in with the locals. They immediately became part of the Sunshine Coast by joining various clubs and arts organizations, often with a focus on music, food or wine, and quickly made many excellent friends. Reconnecting with his west coast roots and family was a particular joy in John’s later years.

In June of 2020, John moved to Christenson Village in Gibsons where the staff went above and beyond to make his stay enjoyable. Thanks especially to Reverend Sprinkles and the Holy Dollers for helping Brother Long John live out his donut dreams. John will be remembered for his dry, sly wit, his insatiable sweet tooth, his piano playing and his love of wine, both the making and the drinking of it. His friends and family will be holding a memorial at 2 pm on July 7th at the Sunshine Coast Golf and Country Club in Roberts Creek, BC. We wish he could join us.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Coast Recital Society at https://coastrecitalsociety.ca/support-us/