Obituary of Mr. John Rowland Sayman

John was born and raised in Toronto and in his youth was a motorcycle riding, mechanically-inclined individual. He parlayed his curiosity and handiness into a millwright degree and in his post-retirement days from Warner Lambert, John was the man to call if you needed anything fixed. He loved working on VCR’s, cable boxes and anything that required hand repair. No machinery was too tough for John to fix or build. 

Did your circa-1920 General Electric vacuum tube radio sound static-y? No problem. John would fix it. 

Your 1972 reel-to-reel tape deck running half a second slow? No problem. John would fix it.

1983 Cutlass Supreme with a leaky transmission? No problem. John would fix it.

A 3 foot high skateboard ramp with two different angled inclines? No problem. John would build it.

John’s time at Warner Lambert included meeting Jeanette, who would become his wife of 27 years and best friend through thick and thin and everything in between. His proposal to her was so passionate and persuasive that she never ever forgot it. They married in February of 1992 and in retirement toured Asia and lovingly raised too many cats to name in this space. They were always on each other’s minds until Jeanette’s untimely passing in March of 2019. 

While at times John could be shy, once you got to know him, you got to know a clever, smart and opinionated man who loved his British comedies, Woody Allen films and marksman competitions. John was fond and appreciative of his long-time neighbours, the Evertsen family, whose kindness and generosity continues to resonate even after John’s departure. 

John was a character in the truest sense of the word and was always generous with his time and resources. He is already dearly missed by those closest to him.

Memorial donations to the SPCA in Peterborough or the Northumberland Humane Society would have been appreciated by John.