John Cartwright

The following is my tribute to my dad: My father, John Robinson Cartwright, winged his flight yesterday to the world of light and mysteries. He was a month shy of his 89th birthday. Although it had been a long time coming, dimmed by several years of dementia, his end was fairly quick and painless. He was well-loved by the Perley long-term care staff for his kind and polite manner, and his love of Africa was well appreciated by so many of the staff who were of African background. He had made a number of visits to Africa; his first was in 1957 where he was a delegate attending the inaugural World University Services Canada (WUSC) international seminar in Ghana, along with others who went on to have illustrious careers – such as Pierre Trudeau. He then moved to Sierra Leone with my mother, six months pregnant with me (in those days family life revolved around the man’s career and interests). He taught for three years at the Fourah Bay College in Freetown while my mum watched me run around on the beach and generally held the fort at home until I was three. They went on to spend a few years in Saskatoon where my sister Alexa showed up, and he then joined the faculty at the University of Western Ontario, where he wrote several books on Sierra Leonean political leadership and politics as well as on comparative politics in Africa. Over time, he taught and wrote more on environmental politics. His love of Africa was likely influenced by his love for birding from a young age – and which was one reason for his extensive global travel (including a honeymoon camping trip that revolved around bird watching). I remember him studying bird songs prior to a trip by listening to records of Birds of Peru over and over again in the early mornings. To the end, even when his short term memory was absent, he could still tell you the difference in the calls of various species of birds. For most of his life could explain the habitat and behaviour of almost any bird you could name. He long believed in the oneness of humanity and working to create a better world, especially from an environmental lens. That likely helped lay the groundwork for me to become a Baha’i. And as a political scientist, he was intrigued by the Baha’i ideas and practices on governance and he respected my beliefs. As a father, he was a man of the times, leaving most of the parenting to my mother, although he always made sure we had a good breakfast and unquestioningly paid for endless dance classes and supported my professional ballerina dreams. He loved good food, and I remember him taking up cooking Indian food in the ‘70s that included grinding up fresh spices for each dish, as well as baking up brioche or croissants or some interesting new dish for Sunday breakfasts. (That was long before frozen croissants or good bakeries existed in London Ontario!) I also remember him challenging me to think for myself. When I asked a question about something, he would frequently pose it back to me: What do you think? His marriage to my mother lasted almost 20 years, after which he married Rosemary Kelley with whom he shared a love of the outdoors and birding. I gained a wonderful step-family from that partnership. That also ended, and then began what became an over 30-year partnership with Jean Mair, to whom he was devoted to the end, as she to him. Theirs was a strong intellectual companionship until dementia took hold, after which she gave sacrificially of her time and energy to care for him. In the last years while he was at Perley Health, as his deep intellectual resources diminished, he became more emotional. It was like the veils of the mind fell away and his gentle heart and soul revealed themselves. In the last few years we had a wonderful time doing art together; he was never an artist but he really knew how to observe from years of watching birds. But, he loved the superb music programs available at Perley the most. I discovered his deep love for Irish, Scottish and Canadian folk songs, and was often surprised at how he knew all the words to songs I had never heard of. We read Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass together which was a joy for both of us. It married our mutual love of nature with an Indigenous perspective on the spiritual nature of life. We had started it for a second time a few months ago. He was also really enjoying the American nature poet, Mary Oliver, whose poems I read to him in his last months. Sunday, July 5th was my last visit. He wasn’t really stirring much so I had a wonderful long time to pray beside his bed. It truly felt that he was that bird in a cage, to which Abdu’l-Baha alludes: “To consider that after the death of the body the spirit perishes, is like imagining that a bird in a cage will be destroyed if the cage is broken, though the bird has nothing to fear from the destruction of the cage. Our body is like the cage, and the spirit is like the bird…if the cage becomes broken, the bird will continue and exist. Its feelings will be even more powerful, its perceptions greater, and its happiness increased…” Fly forth my dear dad. I’ll miss you.

My heart goes out to you dear Diana. The obituary describes an extraordinary man. Your personal tribute shows the beautiful close relationship you shared.

May my support warm your heart

I'm just a neighbour and fellow naturalist, but I will miss John. John and Jean spent many long afternoons noticing nature around our neighbourhood and around the world. His knowledge was deep and his smile was always warm. I enjoyed some lovely discussions on the dock about the natural world. I hope his soul is flying with the wild birds. Jean - I send my love. I hope you know that the entire community is here for you. Hugs.

May the Almighty bestow upon his soul showers of bounty and Mercy; Our condolences to Diana and Jay. We will keep Mr. John Robinson Cartwright in our thoughts during our evening prayer. His engagement in the various fields of service is greatly appreciated. His authorship is fabulous. Blessings. Sincerely Milook & Dergham Aqiqi

Our deepest sympathies to Jean, Diana, Alexa and their families. We enjoyed many canoeing, birding and camping adventures with John and Jean. John was inspirational in our budding interest in ornithology. He had an exceptional ability to describe a local bird, its songs, habitat, characteristics, and upon doing so, and much to his pleasure, the bird would present itself around the next bend in the trail! We also had the pleasure of sharing many meals and good-natured rounds of the card game, Hearts. It greatly pleased him to “shoot for the moon in Hearts, often ending with his smiling success. We will always treasure these lovely memories of John.

Dear Diana, Jay and Sam, We are thinking of you all at this time of loss. Although we never met John, it was a pleasure to hear you, Diana, speak of him with such pride and affection over the years and particularly in recent weeks and months. So lovely to hear of the special times you spent together reading and painting and enjoying conversation. Diana, your tribute to your Dad honours him so well. Praying you find comfort and strength in your faith and in your memories as you grieve his passing and celebrate his life. Love, Julie and Paul and family

Dearest Diana, So many aspect we have in common… my Father was in Ghana for couple of years and I love Africa as well very much (Rwanda and Zambia and South Africa). And the Birds… they substituted for the music when I am traveling, but know just a few. And off cource the environment my geography background… With prayers for progress of the Soul of Your Dear Father… feeling closer to you knowing more about your background… much love Eva

May my support warm your heart

Jean and John have been anchors of our lives for over 30 years. John was so attuned to nature, he could identify all the birds by their calls. We have great memories of canoeing with them on Lac Philippe. And our wonderful trip with them to Umbria. We stayed in the small town of Spello and a highlight was a half-day hike from Spello to Assisi. Jean and John were good with topographical maps, so off we went up the back roads and hills of Umbria, to Italians’ surprise when we emerged out of the woods into Assisi. John organized many adventurous trips for them, from Bhutan to Patagonia and beyond - and almost to Antarctica except their ship sank under them. We heard John being interviewed on “As It Happens” when CBC caught up with them on their Norwegian rescue ship. And Calgary when Jean was posted there with the Bank of Canada and John was her house-husband and steadfast supporter. We did a marvelous hike in the mountains, on a steep path on a steep edge of the foothills. And the meals! They loved good food and wine. We recall John in the kitchen, smiling as he bent over his finishing touches on yet another delicious dish. When they moved to Kingston, we visited them for lunches, bookstore visits, and summer afternoon chats on the deck of their special house on Cartwright Point. And so many great dinners together. We called ourselves the “troika”, three couples that got along so well, especially over dinner. And John’s unforgettable beef wellington for New Year’s Eve dinner. The times we spent with Jean and John were some of the best days of our lives. John is already deeply missed.

As the third component of the Troika referred to by Susan and Roger, we share many of those memories, of lovely meals, especially at New Year's and always interesting conversation. John's natural sense of curiosity ensured that he transcended the certainties of his generation. He was never one to intrude a bold opinion into a conversation; what he did enter into the chat was always grounded in knowledge and perspective longer than the last week. His opinions were always expressed in the manner of a shared dialogue, often seasoned with a light touch of humour. As amateur ornithologists, Frances and I greatly profited from John's extraordinary links to the avian world. He took us to many of his favourite haunts around Kingston. Once on returning from Mexico, I (Michael) described a bird I had observed and asked him whether it could have been an oriole. He gently suggested that it might have been, then proceeded to take out a massive study of the bird life of Mexico and went through the illustrations with me to identify the probable species. There was not an ounce of pomposity in the way he shared his knowledge. We will miss John very much, not least because the happiness and contentment he brought to his bond with Jean was so obvious to us all. Frances and Michael