John Edgar Wilson

John Edgar Wilson passed away at his home in Safety Harbor, Florida, on Friday, July 24, 2015, at 83 years old.  John, the son of Scottish immigrants, Henry Behn and Janet Fraser, was born in Toronto, Canada, on May 13, 1932.  He grew up in Toronto with his brother, Harry, and his sisters, Ethel and Dorothy.  While earning his degree at the University of Toronto, John worked as a navigator for the Royal Canadian Air Force.  His service in the Air Force took him to Montreal, where he met the love of his life and wife of 59 years, Jean Elizabeth (MacKellar).  The two married on August 4, 1956, in Toronto, where they raised their four children, John Edgar, Bevan Alexander Behn, Bartley Stuart Bruce, and Laura Louise.  John was a high school guidance counselor and teacher of mathematics, history, and physical education. 

In 1960, John and Jean bought a piece of vacant land on Eight Mile Point, located on Lake Simcoe, one of the largest lakes in Ontario.  Their dream was to turn it into a place where they could spend the summers with their children.  By 1962, they built a cabin on the property, where they lived over the next eight summers while they constructed a cottage with their own hands (with the help of their children, of course).  At the lake house, John and Jean spent countless hours with their children, and, eventually, their grandchildren, teaching them to waterski, and swimming, fishing, and singing around bonfires on the lake’s shore.  After John retired from teaching, he and Jean made the lake house their primary residence, and purchased a wintertime home in the Briar Creek neighborhood in Safety Harbor, Florida.  In 2000, they started living in Safety Harbor full time to be closer to their daughter, who also lived in the area.  John was a longtime member of the Briar Creek 1 “A” shuffleboard team.  He was an avid reader of books and materials of all types, ranging from classic literature to contemporary works of fiction, and from historical nonfiction to the daily newspaper.  He was also well-traveled, within North America and abroad.  He and Jean particularly enjoyed trips to Morocco and Carmel, California. 

John is survived by his wife, Jean; brother, Harry; sons, John, Behn, and Bart; and 11 grandchildren, Elizabeth, Kristine, Victoria, John, Ritchey, Caroline, Alexandra, Lizzy, Evelyn, Vivian, and Ian.  He was preceded by his daughter, Laura.

A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 30, 2015, at the Holloway Funeral Home, 112 Bayview Boulevard, Oldsmar, Florida 34677. 

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Lymphoma Research Foundation (https://community.lymphoma.org/).

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