John Grace Mayor Obituary, Goderich, John Grace Mayor Has Died At Age 64 – Death
John Grace Mayor Obituary, Death – Residents of Goderich stood at attention as the strains of bagpipes rang out across the town square as a mark of respect for their much-loved mayor John Grace, who passed away two weeks ago in a sad boating accident in Northern Ontario. Businesses in the area also shuttered their doors in his honor. “A friend to each and every member of the community.
He had an impact on the lives of everyone in some way. According to Grace’s friend and Goderich Coun. Matt Hoy, who played the bagpipes in Grace’s honor today, “it was a pleasure to do this for him and the family.” On Tuesday, the body of Grace, who was 64 years old, was laid to rest in Goderich. The town was filled with pictures and placards bearing messages of love and support for the community member who had passed away.
Doug Fines, who has known Grace for more than 30 years and considers her a friend, claims that Grace is a self-made man who adored his hometown and enjoyed serving as the leader of it. “When he was 16 years old, he up and left town and went off on his own. “He came back 25 to 30 years later to rebuild his life here in town, and he made such a wonderful impact on this town,” adds Fines. “He also made such a positive impact on the people who live here.”
Grace had the ability to make you feel like a friend no matter how long or short your relationship with him was, according to Kerry Kucharenko. “On the street, you always greeted me with a “Hi.” I was spoken to and treated like a friend. Would run across him in all sorts of random places. I just don’t know what else to say about the guy. “He did so much for this town of Goderich,” recalls Kucharenko, who only recently relocated to Goderich from Oakville. “He was a huge asset to our community.”
Since 2018, Grace has served as the Mayor of Goderich, and in October of this year, she ran for re-election. He has served on the town council for the past 17 years, either as a councilor or as the deputy mayor, and led the projects that revitalized Goderich’s square after the tornado in 2011, as well as the town’s famous boardwalk, which was damaged in a storm in October 2019. This is just one of his many accomplishments. John possessed a strong sense of realism. He was aware of the whereabouts of those who had fewer resources available to them in terms of housing. He was familiar with their names, and he engaged in conversation with each one of them. According to his friend and the Huron County Warden, Glen McNeil, “John had a great deal of affection for the Town of Goderich, and he had the proper intentions for the town moving forward.”