John Charley Luetchford

Peacefully at the Queensway Carleton Hospital on Saturday, December 21, 2025, following a brief illness, John Charley Luetchford passed away just three days shy of his 94th birthday.

Born in Ealing, England, and raised in Canterbury and Margate, Kent, John lived a life marked by curiosity, adventure, and devotion to his family. He was married for 52 years to his beloved wife Barbara Elizabeth Luetchford, who passed away in 2006, and for the past 16 years shared his life with his devoted wife, Christiane.

John was a loving father to Beverley Wade (Rob), Andrew (Karen), and Donna LeGrow (Ian). He was a proud grandfather to Alex (Sara), Reilly (Britta), Kyle (Alyssa), Elisabeth (Colten), Chloe, and Megan (David), and a delighted great-grandfather to Ender and Ailo. John warmly embraced Christiane’s children, Pascal (Danielle) and Freddie, and was the loving step-grandfather to Felix, Beatrice, and Oscar.

John began his career as a telecommunications engineer with the British Post Office and spent two years serving in the Royal Air Force. John and Barb’s shared sense of adventure took the family abroad in the late 1960s, first to Fiji and later to the Bahamas, before settling in Ottawa, Canada in 1977. There, John joined Bell-Northern Research (BNR), later Nortel, where he continued his career in telecommunications.

Known for his boundless energy, humour, outgoing nature, and love of debate, John was very often the life of the party. Vocal, personable, and endlessly engaging, he had the rare gift of being able to strike up a conversation and connect with anyone, anywhere in the world. His curiosity never waned; even in his 90s he took up guitar lessons simply for the joy of learning something new. At 93, he even flew a plane for the first time (with help). He remained sharp as a tack and independent, taking on major home projects well into his later years and driving until his final days.

John continued his love of travel in his later years with Christiane; exploring countries around the world, always eager to experience new places and meet new people. He was endlessly handy, generous with his time and skills, and deeply interested in how things worked – whether people, machines, or the world at large.

Above all else, family mattered most to John. He will be remembered for his humour, energy, and genuine interest in everyone he met, and most especially for the love, pride, and presence he gave so freely to his family, who adored him.