Obituary of John Charles Stanger

It is with grieving hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved John Stanger at the Queensway Carleton Hospital on November 7, 2024.

Predeceased by his loving parents, Laura May Harris Stanger and Charles Thomas Stanger (2015 and 2019 respectively), John leaves to mourn his adoring and devoted wife, Sandy; his beautiful sister, Judy Hendershot (Rick); his amazing children, Amy Stanger Ferguson (Scott) and Aaron Stanger; his devoted step-son Corey (Johnny) father-in-law Robert (Ann), Sister-In-Law Diana (Dave) and his three incredible grandchildren, Cameron, Jamie and Leah Stanger. John’s life is celebrated by a large contingent of Harris, Stanger, Hendershot and Miller family members, friends, colleagues and neighbours.

John was born in Pembroke, Ontario in July 1949. His parents and sister were living in Carcross, YK, at the time, and had traveled to Beachburg, ON to visit John’s grandparents, Lola and Tom Harris. Having resided in Carcross, YK and Brocket, AB, John was raised with strong ties to the Indigenous Community. It was in Brocket that John was first introduced to horses. This may account for his lifelong passion.

From an early age, it was obvious that John cherished the companionship and comfort of his family. Major influencers and sculptors of the amazing man that John became were his beautiful and inspiring mother, Laura and his highly respected and cherished father, Charles. John cared and provided for his parents well into their senior years until God called them home. John often said, “Our parents are our best friends.”

John shared his childhood adventures with his beautiful, energetic and light-hearted sister, Judy and his best friend Paul Beesley. John enjoyed the company of his brother-in-law Rick Hendershot and the many wonderful members of the Hendershot / Miller clan. John enjoyed spending time with and researching the genealogy of his vast extended family on both the Harris and Stanger side. More recently, John authored a history of the Stanger family which we hope to publish on his behalf.

John became an Agrologist by profession. He was accepted for early registration at the University of Guelph in April 1968, thereby skipping the last three months of Grade 13.  He majored in Dairy and Food Science.

While attending university, John married his high school sweetheart, Anita Green, and together they raised two beautiful children, Amy and Aaron. Summers were spent at the Marshalls Bay cottage with Grandma and Grandpa Green. There were also frequent visits to John’s parents' (Nana and Papa's) house on Muskrat Lake near Cobden where Nana encouraged her grandchildren to search for Mussie, the monster reportedly spotted in the lake by locals. 

After graduating in 1972, John’s first job was as Quality Control Manager at Silverwood Dairy, a company renowned for its ice cream. John would bring home ice cream for special occasions: i.e. eggnog flavored ice cream for Christmas. John's family often served as informal taste testers for Silverwood Dairy's newest flavours.

In 1975, John moved his family to Ottawa where John accepted a position with Consumer and Corporate Affairs. In 1993, the federal government reorganized, and John’s group moved to the Food Production and Inspection Branch at Agriculture and Agriculture-Food Canada. In 1997, the branch name changed to the current Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).  John had a long and interesting career in consumer fraud prevention and enforcement. John was highly regarded in the workplace. He loved his work and had a strong admiration and appreciation for his boss, Gerry Reasbeck who described John as someone who “enjoyed his work, was totally competent, a team player, a pleasure to work with and someone who will always be remembered as an outstanding man and friend.” John retired from the CFIA in 2009. 

Throughout his lifetime, John held a fascination for horses. John was thrilled when Amy, at the age of 9, expressed her desire to ride and show horses. Together, and for the next 20+ years, John and Amy were a force to be reckoned with in the Trillium Circuit, first with Cinders and then Top Gun.  In 2003, John discovered Winsome K (Winnie) at Ashland Farm and picked her from a herd of foals. If truth be told, Winnie picked John. Together, John, Amy and Winnie enjoyed many adventures and much success in the show circuit; locally, inter-provincially and at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. John always said, “There was nothing prettier than Amy on a good horse!”

John was highly regarded in the horse industry for the exceptional way in which he cared for and provided for his horses. John had the utmost respect and appreciation for professionals in the industry and was always the first to jump in and lend a hand, if only to make their work a little lighter.

Following his retirement in 2009, it was suggested to John that he “needed a project”. That project arrived early one morning when John assisted with the birth of a beautiful long-legged filly, "Chantilly K" (Tilly), a half-sister to Winnie, born at Ashland Farm. John fell in love with Tilly and bought her on the spot. With two girls to care for, John dedicated every morning and every night over the next 15 years to his horses. Sadly, Winnie left us in 2023. Now reunited with Winnie, there is no doubt that John will continue to watch over Tilly from beyond the Pearly Gates.
 

John loved nothing more (well, maybe horses) than sharing his passion for dirt bikes, motorcycles and cars with his son, Aaron. From a young age, Aaron enjoyed owning bikes and competing in trials with his dad. As a dedicated father, John supported Aaron, throughout his childhood, who played hockey at the highest competitive level for the Nepean Raiders. John almost never missed a game or practice and was the medical trainer for many of Aaron’s teams.

John was extremely proud of his son. Traditionally, John and Aaron enjoyed Sunday morning brunches which consisted of sharing newfound research on cars and bikes and discussing their latest acquisitions or their next viable prospect.

John was also very proud of his son-in-law Scott, his stepson Corey and Corey’s partner Johnny with whom John spent many hours at family gatherings, doing projects around the house, maintenance in the yard and work on their cars. 

John adored his grandchildren and took every opportunity to spend time with them and contribute meaningfully to their lives. 

John met Sandy at Four Leaf Farms in Richmond, ON in 2013.  They both knew it would be a tall order for John to compete for Sandy’s attention, given her horse (Isis), son (Corey), dogs (Charlie & Alfie) and cats (Stinky & Rowdy). It would also be a tall order for Sandy to compete for John’s attention given his horses (Winnie & Tilly) and his love for and commitment to his extensive family. As it turns out, they couldn’t have been a more perfect match! For the next 11 years, they were joined at the hip, unless there was an expressed agreement to “divide and conquer”. They enjoyed early mornings and late nights at the barn, caring for their horses and helping where needed. They enjoyed sitcoms, photography, making photo books and calendars, celebrating milestones, family gatherings, day trips, genealogy, The National Arts Centre, and Elvis. John and Sandy adored each other and often expressed how they wished they had met earlier in life and had more time. Little did they know that on November 7, 2024, John would pass peacefully in Sandy’s arms.

John's family would like to extend their sincere appreciation for the exceptional medical care afforded to John by Dr. Sumitha Ramachandran and her wonderful staff at Walkley Medical Clinic, Dr. Lindsay McMullen, Valley Spine and Sports Rehab the amazing staff and Pharmacists at Richmond IDA; Dr. Arget and RN Cathy Comerford, Queensway Carleton Hospital (QCH) Palliative Team; Dr. Kimberley Creaser, QCH Emergency Room; Dr. Gaudet and MRT Kelly Linden, Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre, Dr. Foster (QCH); and the C4 Nursing staff: in particular Meleisha, KC, Madison, John and Mahad. Thank you also to Chris Pasma and the wonderful staff at Cole Funeral Services.

We are grateful for the incredible support that we received from family, friends and neighbours during John’s brief illness and since his untimely passing. Thank you to Michaila and Ed Stewart and Florence Daviat for taking such great care of Tilly. Our gratitude goes out to Darlene Mitchell, Paul Beesley, Corey Andrews, Johnny Alexander and Nicole Hendershot who showed an incredible display of courage and support and who went over and above during this very difficult time.

Visitation will begin on Saturday, November 23, 2024, at 11:00am until 1:00pm with a Memorial Service to begin at 1:00pm at Cole Funeral Services, 2500 Baseline Road, Ottawa, ON. Reception to follow. A private family inurnment will take place at a later date. 

In lieu of flowers, John's family would welcome a donation to the Canadian Cancer Society, the Irving Greenberg Family Cancer Centre (Queensway Carleton Hospital) or a charity of your choice.