Silver
by Walter de la Mare
Slowly, silently, now the moon
Walks the night in her silver spoon;
This way, and that, she peers and sees
Silver fruit upon silver trees;
One by one the casements catch
Her beams beneath the silvery thatch;
Couched in his kennel, like a log,
With paws of silver sleeps the dog;
From their shadowy cote the white breasts peep
Of doves in a silver-feathered sleep;
A harvest mouse goes scampering by,
With silver claws and a silver eye;
And moveless fish in the water gleam,
By silver reeds in a silver stream.
Passed away peacefully on January 13, 2023 at Huron Hospice at the age of 81, after a courageous battle with cancer.
Born in Toronto, John grew up in Goderich and Benmiller, and was the son of the late Ken (1951) and Norma Hill (2016) Hazlitt. He will be sadly missed by his cherished and loving wife of 25 years, Margaret (Klassen) and her family. Greatly loved by his daughter, Selena, and her son, Owen. Owen and his Poppa equally revered one another and many beautiful memories are held of their adventures together.
Deeply cared for and loved by his brother, Greg (Beth) and his niece, Kate (Rick) and their children, Archer and Oscar.
John was a man of many talents and interests and had a varied career. He was a surveyor, Forester, farmer, outdoorsman, creative woodworker, photographer, historian and author.
The family would like to thank Dr. Duckworth and the nurses and staff at Huron Hospice for the wonderful care John received.
There will be no funeral home visitation or service. A private family graveside service will be held in the spring. Donations may be made to Choices for Change, Huron Hospice or Maitland Conservation Foundation or the charity of your choice and may be arranged through McCallum & Palla Funeral Home. John’s daughter, Selena, and his grandson, Owen, are planning a spring tree planting memorial. If you would like more information about the details and location, please email Selena at [email protected]
We are always willing to go where called upon but this image shows a visual of the communities that our included in our initial transportation fee. We offer a 40km radius from any of our 5 locations (Arva (London), Exeter, Lucan, Seaforth, and Zurich). Any mileage beyond the included 40km will be charged a rate of $2.50/km (one way travel only).
Melissa Barbara Gordon Gordon
I met John online via a nature group. I think we may have been the only two Canadians in the group. We ended up connecting and chatting on Facebook and realized we were both from small towns close by Ontario. We shared a love of nature and his love of history of the area. I’m glad we ended up being the only two Canadians in that group. It was an honour to know John for the short time that I did.
My deepest condolences to Johns family and friends . He will be missed.
Rest In Peace John.
Marlene Beyerlein
Dear Selena & Owen, Margaret, Greg & Families
Our sincere condolences during this difficult time.
John was one of a kind, his admiration towards nature & history was very unique.
John will certainly always remain close to our hearts
Sending hugs
Kaethi & Fritz, Marlene, Erika & Harald Beyerlein
johnmy deepest fisher
My deepest sympathy for your loss I would like to thank John for the great memories of flying over Goderich and the home farm as a kid and for the love of nature he showed me
Pat & Bill Chipchase
Selena and Owen. We were saddened to hear of Johns passing. He had a full and varied life. Our sympathy to your family.
Pat & Bill
Cathy and Scott Ryan
Margaret, sending deepest condolences to you and your family. Scott and I will always remember John with great fondness as a helping neighbour and a teller of fascinating stories. I will miss our morning chats as he peddled his three wheeler around the square. Wishing you strength during this very difficult time.
Phil Chandler
Sorry to hear about John, he was a friend of mine for many years. I was fortunate to have shared just a few of John’s many adventures and always appreciated his wisdom on varied topics. Condolences to his family.
Dawn Cumming
Dear Selena, I am very sad to learn of the death of your father..I know how special the bond is between father and daughter..Please know that I will keep you in my thoughts as you celebrate the life while grieving the loss of your father..Hugs from Bayfield, Dawn Cumming (Lakeshore United Church).
Kathy and Murray Hunking
Margaret and Family, We are so Sorry To Hear Of John’s Passing . You Are In Our Thoughts and Prayers .
Dennis & Lenore Dueck
Dear Margaret, Selena & Owen, Greg & Beth & family,
We are so very sorry for your huge loss. We will also very much miss John but you especially will. Your husband, your father, your Poppa, your brother & uncle was a very special man, a man who loved all of you very much. Owen, we always enjoyed seeing photos of you and your grandfather – always remember how special you were to him! We have so many reminders of John all around us – things that he created for inside & outside, books that he wrote and books that he enjoyed and so wanted to share – these we will cherish. John was a very special brother-in-law of ours, someone we will never forget.
With love from Dennis & Lenore
Marge Blokker
Dear Margaret, I am a Hospice volunteer and I was at Bender house on Jan 12th. I stopped in John’s room to see if I could offer you some refreshments before I headed home and you got up to give me a hug, .saying that we had had a hard day. I cannot begin to tell you how touched I was at your kindness to me in the midst of your own pain and sorrow. You are a very special person Margaret and I send you my heartfelt condolences. Marge Blokker
Barry and Monica Page
It’s with considerable sadness that we learned of John’s passing. John and I go back a very long way, and we shared many stories of life in and around Huron County. We admired John as a man of the world, and were captivated by his stories of surveying in the Far North and his love of the land – an outdoorsman extraordinaire! We send our heartfelt condolences to Margaret and John’s family. RIP John.
Herb Marshall
Sherry and I knew John from his early Benmiller days. Who would have thought to live in a house connected with a silo? I will miss our period summer chats while John made the rounds and stopped to to spend a moment in both light and heavy conversation. God bless him.
Barb Allen
Sincere condolences from Brian and I, Margaret, Greg and Selina and the extended Hazlitt family. I will remember John for his amazing carpentry work on the Town of Goderich Canada Blooms exhibit built in the Parks facility, disassembled, moved to a Toronto and rebuilt on the exhibition site. I will remember his dedicated supervision of the regrowth of the land at the back of the cemetery after the 2011 tornado. He would always give us that wave and hello and sometimes a stop to visit when he was on his morning perimeter rides of the town. John touched many lives and leaves lasting memories.
Fred Brall
We are sending our condolences! Thinking of the family. Fred used to help John with fixing machinery for him. He also has fond memories of his Mother.
Jo-Anne & Keith Homan
Margaret, Selena, Greg, Beth, Kate and Rick. It is with great sadness that we read about John’s passing. We always had such interesting chats about nature or whatever he was building or doing. We will miss him very much. Jo-Anne & Keith Homan
John banter
John was a good friend and client over the years, we enjoyed a love of the History of Goderich and Benmiller. I was the recipient of a few historic photos from John which I was grateful. R.I.P. John