Passed away peacefully at Huronview, Clinton with family by his side on Sunday, November 16, 2025 at the age of 87. Loving Husband of Mary (Lemaire) Melady for 63 years. Cherished Dad of Paul, Mark (Sandra), and Tim (Christa). Proud Poppa of Hillary, Conlan, Hannah, Keegan, Mackenzie (Colin), Liam, Meg (Brady), and Riley (Chris) and Great-Poppa of Blue, Weston, and Peyton. Dear brother of Toady Butters and brother-in-law of Catherine Melady. Fondly remembered by the Lemaire family and many nieces and nephews. Predeceased by his parents Maurice and Mary Melady, brothers Theo and Jimmy, and brother-in-law Glenn Butters.
John was a proud graduate of Western University and the University of Toronto. A gifted educator and writer, he spent many years as a teacher and vice-principal and remained closely connected to countless former students whose lives he impacted. He authored 13 books, contributed as a newspaper columnist for the Seaforth Expositor, and served as a book reviewer for The Globe and Mail. John was also deeply connected to community, as a long-time member of the RCMI Club in Toronto and an honorary member of the officers’ mess at the Trenton Air Base. Above all, he cherished the moments spent with his family.
Visitation will be held at Haskett Funeral Home, 87 Goderich Street West, SEAFORTH on Thursday, November 20th from 5 – 8 PM.
John’s Funeral Mass will be held at St. James Catholic Church, 22 Victoria Street, SEAFORTH on Friday, November 21st at 11:30 AM. Cremation has taken place and a private family interment will be held at St. James Cemetery, Seaforth.
Donations to Huronview Home for the Aged, or Seaforth Community Hospital Foundation would be appreciated by the family.
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).
Brian Mohr
Dear Mrs. Melady Paul Mark and Tim
We were so lucky to have you as neighbours… I’m very sorry for your loss
The trip down memory lane photographs are just beautiful…all of your kids look great!…healthy and happy!
Luke and Bonnie Janmaat
Mary, Mark and Sandra and all the Melady family … we are so very sorry for your loss of John. He was always a good neighbour and we enjoyed our many visits while out walking together.
He will be missed by us all.
Lisa Violette (Keyes)
I am so sorry for your loss. I remember Mr. Melady as a kind person. He was my Vic principal at Bayside Secondary School back in 1980 to 84 anytime I saw him he always had a smile on his face. He’d always knew you by name asked you how your day was.. He never was too busy to talk to you if you needed someone to talk to he would listen again so sorry for your loss Lisa Keyes.
Debbie Maling
I remember him as a great encourager. He was my high school vice principal at Bayside Secondary. For me he made it bearable, he encouraged me to write
Blondie MacLeod
Dear Mary and family: I was very sad to read of John’s recent passing. He was always such a smart, kind and caring man. And a fine writer. Always enjoyed seeing him when we lived in Egmondville. With sincere condolences for your loss,
Hugs and prayers, Blondie MacLeod
James Melady
Mary and family, Thinking of you during this very difficult time.
Louis R Nigh
Mary, Paul, Mark, Tim and families – You have our deepest sympathy at this time for your loss of John. Cherish your memories. Lou & Betty Nigh
Liz Herman
Dear Mary and Family: I just saw John’s obituary and was so saddened to read this. I had the pleasure of meeting you and John , many times at the candy store in Blyth. I always enjoyed our visits. Thinking of you . Sincerely: Liz Herman
Dorothy Medd + Russ Jackson
Mary and Family:
So sorry to hear of John’s passing. Our sincere sympathy to everyone.
Dorothy + Russ
Helen Southgate & Brian Oldfield
Dear Mark & Sandra & family , sending sincere condolences at this sad and difficult time.
Carolanne Doig
Mary, and ALL the family, and John’s many friends and associates, I offer my sincerest sympathy. John was a great guy, always smiling, always engaging, and always optimistic. I enjoyed his writing and am grateful for his contributions to our community over the years. I will miss seeing him out and about and will remember our good conversations over the years.
Jeff, Sandi, Sam, Jack, Ben & Madalin Henderson
Mary & Family….our deepest sympathies to you all. Please know you are all in our hearts, thoughts and prayers ♥️
Ray Bunn
Ray Bunn and family send deepest condolences to Mary, Paul, Tim, Mark. and their families.
May the Lord be close to the brokenhearted and give you peace in your time of bereavement.
Rest In Peace John.
Janet Cabanaw (nee Berger)
I was so sad to hear Mr. Melady has passed. He was my vice principal at Trenton High School in the 70’s. He was so wonderful, kind and loved by all the students.
It’s not often that such a great and caring person touches our lives but he was and will be remembered by so many.
My heartfelt condolences to all of his family.
Rest in peace Mr. Melady
Ron, Shelly, Brayden & Sheldon Pryce
Thinking about you all during this sad and difficult time. Cherish all the great memories.
Doug & Lori Hildebrand
Sorry to hear of John’s passing. Thinking of all of you at this sad time.
Larry Muloin
I remember MR.Melady from when I was a student at BCIVS in Belleville,in 1992.
Louise Maloney
Our deepest condolences to Mary, Paul, Tim and Mark Thinking of you all at this difficult time Louise,Rick and Darlene Maloney
Rose Marcy
I just learned that John had passed away this morning. Unfortunately I cannot attend the funeral due to another commitment. John was a childhood friend and neighbour of mine from our days on the farm in Hibbert township. I enjoyed chatting with him on occasions when we met over the years.
My condolences to his wife, Mary, and all his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Sincerely/
Rose (Ducharme) Marcy & husband Ron
Lois McLlwain
Dear Mark, Sandra & Family
Our sincere sympathy to you all. Treasure the memories.
Lois & Ken McLlwain
Connie & Mike Marion
So sorry to hear of John’s passing; sending hugs to you Mary and the rest of the family at this sad time. Sending 🙏🏿 prayers your way.
D’Arcy Williams
Lots of wonderful memories from Trenton High School.
Anja McGowan
I am so very sorry for your loss and want you to know that my heart is with you during this difficult time. All your cherished memories will remain forever in your hearts. My deepest sympathy.
Joan Bettles
Mary and family ; Will always remember what a great man and friend John was .. treasure those memories .. Rest in Peace now John .. Joan
Barry Ellsworth
John was the best of teachers, instructing me in Grade 12 English at Trenton High School.
Later in life I was the editorial writer at the Intelligencer in Belleville and John was the vice-principal at Quinte High School. Sometimes we would talk on the phone and when Quinte closed, I wrote an editorial about it. John praised it by saying, “It was damned good.” That meant a lot to me and I am sorry to see he has passed. Condolences to the family.
William Price
We are very sorry to hear of John’s passing. Our deepest sympathy to you Mary and all your family at this sad and difficult time. May cherished memories of John keep him ever close to your hearts. Sincerely Bill and Gail Price
John and Linda Chadwick
Dear Mary & Family,
We are so sorry to hear of John’s passing. We enjoyed our time together with your family in the past.
Thinking of you at this time.
Sincerely, John & Linda Chadwick
Fran Malone
Our sincere sympathy to you. His memory will last forever.
Jack and Fran Malone
Darlene Bunn
Dear Mary, Paul, Tim and Mark and family,
Sincerest condolences on Johns passing. You were wonderful friends and neighbours, just down the road in Brighton for many years. We have many fond memories. Joyce recalls Joe staying overnight with Mary, who didn’t want to stay alone when John was away, after they first built their home, which raised some local gossip!! Some of the plumbing in the house was done by Dad (Joe). Our thoughts and prayers are with you. ❤️
Mike, Darlene and Joyce Bunn
Elizabeth J LeBrun (Betty)
I was so sorry to hear of the passing of John. I worked with him at BCI and it was an honour. My condolences to Mary and the family. He will be sadly missed by everyone.
Ralph and Claire Gorcey
Dear Mary and family,
We are very sorry to hear of John’s passing. Our deepest sympathy at this difficult time. We keep precious memories of the times spent with you both.
Carol Duquette
Mark, Sandra and family. Our deepest sympathy to you and your family. You are in our thoughts and prayers. Cherish all the special memories.
Carol and Dennis Duquette
Roland Poirier
I’m very sorry to hear this news of Mr. Melady’s passing.
I was a student at Bayside Secondary School in the early 80’s and remember Mr. Melady fondly. He was always caring towards students and staff alike, and very engaging in conversations. I know he was a key person in many students lives and to this day we all hold a special place for him in our hearts and mind.
My sincere condolences go out to Mr. Melady’s family.
Roland Poirier
Mike Alles
My condolences to the Melady Families.
Could not have asked for a better neighbor.
Marlene& Dave de Vries
Dear Mark, Sandra & Families,
Our deepest sympathies to you all. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all.
Treasure the memories.
Marlene & Dave
Mary- Anne Evans
John was such a mentor for me when I started teaching at Trenton High School. A true gentleman always ready to help me through the smallest of “crises”or the biggest.
God bless you John. Sincerest sympathy to his ❤️family.
Save me a Chair John so that we can have a chat and a catchup.
Kathleen Cooper
Sending comforting thoughts and hugs to you, Mary, and your family.
Gerry and Kathy
Greg & Brenda Dayman
Mark, Sandra & Family
Sorry to see the Loss of your Dad & Grandpa.
Thinking of you guys! Hugs
Cheryle Harris
Mary and Family,
We are so very sorry to hear of John’s passing, and our prayers are with you at this sad time.
Ron & Cheryle Harris
Tom Gauthier
Unfortunately I have a medical appointment tomorrow. However our thoughts and prayers are with the Melody family . John was a mentor and a friend. I couldn’t have asked for a better mentor. We have do many great memories of staff parties at his house and ski trips to Mount Tremblant. We will miss him along with the many people whose lives were fortunate to have him in it
Karen and John Menheere
To Mary and the Melady Families,
John and I are so sorry to hear of John’s passing.
We did have special times together in the past.
May your memories bring you comfort at this
difficult time. R.I.P. John
Maureen Spittal
Dear Mary,I am so sorry to hear of your loss of John.He was so accomplished in many ways,teacher,author,loving husband and father to name a few. My deepest sympathy and prayers for you and your family Mary, with love Maureen
Jim & Marg Van Bakel
To the Melady family, Sorry for your loss, you are in our thoughts and prayers.
Jim & Marg Van Bakel
Jackie Alles
Thinking of your family at this difficult time . John was always such a wonderful, kind and caring neighbour and will be missed greatly by everyone .
Gerry & Nancy O’Reilly
To Mary, Mark and Sandra, & all the Melady families. We are sorry to hear of John’s passing. We always enjoyed chatting with John whenever we got a chance. I also enjoyed playing hockey with him on Thursday afternoons! RIP John. Gerry & Nancy O’Reilly
Joan Spittal
Mary, I am thinking of you, and wanted to send along my condolences to and your family at this time.
Bonnie Duffee
Mr. Melady brought a global view to our English classrooms that I can only now truly appreciate. I recently reread one of his books and am very proud of his impact on our family. He was held in high esteem by the Duffees. Our peace to your family.
Joan Stapleton
Dear Mary and families- My deepest condolences to you – a true gentleman and scholar,May God give you comfort during this difficult time
Gary Bettles
To the Melady family
Our sincere sympathy. Thinking of you.
Cub and Joanne
Larry and Dianne McGrath
We extend our condolences on the passing of our fellow villager John. Our thoughts are with your family at this difficult time.
Chris Cocek
I’m so sorry to hear that-my condolences to all the family.
Doug Anderson
Some people are born to teach! Mr. Melady was the most influential teacher I had in all of my school years. He was my English teacher in Grade 13 at Trenton High School, a subject at which I excelled, thanks to him. I met him again a few times after, through my father-in-law, and have many of his books, which he signed for me. My sincerest condolences to John’s family.
Mark and Kathy Smith
Dear Mary
Mary I know how much you will miss John. You and the family are in our thoughts and prayers our condolences .Mark &Kathy
Terry Kramers
Mary, Paul, Mark, Tim and you’re extended families.
We are very sorry to hear of John’s passing. He was a very kind, interesting gentleman, and always nice to talk to. Our sincere condolences to you all at this difficult and sad time.
Terry and Ann Kramers
Collin Stewart
On behalf of the students of the 60s and 70s, our condolences to the Melady family. John was the guest speaker at our 50th reunion in 2019. It was a memorable pleasure connecting and speaking with him then. I have posted this obituary on our FB page and I’m certain you will hear from many more of the students on whom he had such an impact. Thank you John.
THS Class Of ’69 (and more)
Tracie Bartliff
Dear Mary it was a pleasure to meet you and John. You have made quite an impact in a short time 🩷
Condolences to all
Tracie
Ron & Theresa Murray
To Mary & family, Thinking of you at this difficult time, Ron enjoyed talking to him whenever they met! He was a gentleman & a scholar! Our deepest sympathy & prayers. Ron & Theresa Murray.
Maureen Connelly
Dear Mary and Family
My deepest sympathy on your loss. He will be fondly remembered for his kindness, integrity and intellect.
May he rest in peace.
Maureen Melady Connelly
Marissa (Scott) Berdan
Mary and family, my sincere condolences on your loss. John was a kind and intelligent man, and I know he will be dearly missed. May your warm memories bring you comfort at this time.
Lori and Bruce Murray
We send our deepest condolences to the Melady family. What a special and accomplished man. May he rest in peace.
Ken and Anne Murray
You have our deepest condolences. May he rest in peace.
Ken and Elaine DeCorte
Our deepest sympathies on your loss.
Chrissy Court
My deepest condolences. I am so sorry for your loss.
Ann Preszcator
Dear Family
My thoughts and prayers are with you all at this sad time.
Ann Preszcator
Dear Family
My thoughts and prayers are with you all at this sad time.
Janice Finlayson
Deepest sympathy to the whole family cherish the memories big hugs 🤗
Lots of love Brett and Janice Finlayson
Angela
Tim, Christa and family, I am deeply saddened to hear about your father/father-in-law’s passing. Please accept my heartfelt condolences during this difficult time for you all. My thoughts are with you and your family during this difficult time. Xo
Sherrey
My condolences to all of you, your Father was an amazing man with so many great accomplishments. Sending you all hugs and prayers.
Sherrey (Ferguson)
Joan DiCresce and Joe DiCresce
Dear Mary and family
Sending you prayers and sincere condolences. We were so lucky to have had John as a teacher and administrator on the staff of Trenton High School. He was an inspiration to both students and staff. We also have fond memories of times spent together with you and John at various events. All our love
Joan and Joe
Morvarid Hessami
My deepest condolences to Melady family.
Carolyn Beckstead froats
Sorry for everyone’s loss.
Uncle John was a hero in my life! Very intelligent, and proud of his family.
So glad I spent the time that I did at their loving home.
Audrey O’Rourke
Mary, Paul, Mark, Tim and families – My condolences to all of you on the passing of a great man. He is now at peace and reunited with his family and you have many fond memories to help you through the days ahead.