Obituary
It is with great sadness that we announce the sudden passing of John Pasternak at the age of 57. He is survived by his loving wife Maria Grazia, children Stefania and Peter and predeceased by his daughter Julia. John was a generous and kind soul who always thought of others first. He treasured his time with his family and looked forward to long road trips and being together. He will be greatly missed by his Camp Ooch families who all meant very much to him and his co-workers at Home Depot. A visitation will be held on May 17 at Cardinal Funeral Homes, 92 Annette Street with a funeral mass celebrated on May 18 at St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church and burial at York Cemetery, 160 Beecroft Road. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Campfire Circle (formerly known as Camp Ooch) in honour of John Pasternak or The United Nations Refugee Agency UNHCR Canada – Ukraine Emergency
You can watch the Funeral Service at 10 am via livestream here: https://youtu.be/DvL3XEkzCqk
Visitation
Date
May 17, 2022
May 17, 2022
Location
Cardinal Funeral Home, Annette Chapel
Cardinal Funeral Home, Annette Chapel
Time
01:00 PM - 03:00 PM
01:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Date
May 17, 2022
May 17, 2022
Location
Cardinal Funeral Homes, Annette
Cardinal Funeral Homes, Annette
Time
06:00 PM - 08:00 PM
06:00 PM - 08:00 PM
Memo
Panakhyda at 7:00 pm
Service
Date
May 18, 2022
May 18, 2022
Location
St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church
St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church
Time
10:00 AM
10:00 AM
Burial
Date
May 18, 2022
May 18, 2022
Location
York Cemetery
York Cemetery
Time
12:00 PM
12:00 PM
Memo
Burial Time is an Estimate
May 20, 2022
Dear Maria & Family,
I met John decades ago through the young adult group at the Nativity of Our Lord. Any time his named crossed my mind, it brought a smile to my face. It was his kindness I remembered. He is gone but not his legacy, as even after decades, his kindness continues to inspire and encourage me, and I am grateful.
My heartfelt condolences as you suffer through this terrible loss. You remain in my thoughts and prayers.
May 19, 2022
Dear Pasternak Family,
We are so sorry for your loss. John was one of the OPACC parent liaisons in 2013 when our son Dylan was at sick kids and we will never forget him. His warmth & compassion combined with a strong shoulder to lean on when parents couldn’t find the words will always be remembered. We had the good fortune to often see John at church in Woodbridge and, in a twist of fate in 2017, Dylan took a temp job in a warehouse only to find John was his supervisor. Thank you for coming into our lives when you did John, we wish your own family strength during this difficult time.
May 18, 2022
My Condolences to you ur children, family and extended family. May he rest in internal peace.
May 18, 2022
Dear Maria, Stephania, and Peter, & family -
We will always remember John and what he meant to our family. We met John in 2013 during our son's battle with cancer. John was the first person we let into our Cancer bubble nevermind the first person who got away with calling our son, Jakey-boy! We will cherish our moments with John on Monday mornings or Tuesday evenings. John went through the ups and downs with our family. We could trust John with all our hearts!
Although we never got to meet Julia, we felt we got to know her through John's stories. Later we got to meet Maria, Stephania (and Peter later through Campfire Circle) through a James Fund Neuroblastoma Retreat. That is when we found out our common bond was more than cancer - it was Neuroblastoma.
We will continue to share our amazing stories of John with Cate and Jake. He became an honourary member of our family. Thank you for sharing John with us!
Love always,
Candice, Steve, Jake and Cate Ward
xoxox
May 18, 2022
Dear Maria, Stefania and Peter and Family,
Maria I'm so sorry to hear about John and I'm so sorry I was unable to be at his funeral. Our thoughts and prayers are with you Maria and family. He will be missed.
May 18, 2022
My deepest condolences to Maria, Peter and Stefania. I wish I was there to attend the viewing and funeral. John was a very genuinely kind, sweet and generous man. Growing up I felt very welcome at the house next door and felt very lucky to have such great neighbours that felt like a second family. He will be dearly missed. I hope he rests in peace with Julia in the heavens, he is not alone. Sending lots of love.
May 17, 2022
Maria I'm so sorry to hear about John , I think about you and your family often , I hope you survive this tragedy ,stay safe
May 17, 2022
John was a very loving, caring, and kind-hearted man. He will be greatly missed. Our deep condolences to the Pasternak family.
May 17, 2022
Maria, Peter, Stefania and family, My deepest condolences on your loss. I met John and Susan at SickKids during our daughter's battle with leukemia, and always appreciated their warmth and support for us and the other families. He offered a helpful break to just be with non-medical people and check that we were ok too. He was a good, compassionate soul. Thank you for being there for us, John.
May 17, 2022
Maria, Peter and Stefania, it is so hard to put into words how much John will be missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with you. Eternal rest grant unto John O Lord.
May 16, 2022
Dear Maria, Stefania and Peter and Family,
My condolences on the passing of John whom I met occasionally when he helped out at Woodbridge Public School. I fondly remember his kind, caring, gentle nature. May the wonderful memories of your road trips and family togetherness bring you comfort at this difficult time.
May 16, 2022
John was a generous friend to so many, including all of us at camp. Sending big camp love to Mara, Peter and Stefania.
May 16, 2022
We're so very sorry for your loss. John was our first non-medical contact when our daughter was diagnosed with cancer in 2013. We'll never forget his kindness and his gentle, playful way with our daughter. He could always intuit the kind of day we were having, and offered just the right comment or thoughtful gesture. Our daughter soon began to search the clinic for his face when we arrived, and would run up to say hello. What a wonderful soul he was. I can only imagine how many lives he positively affected in his time at Sick Kids. We're grateful to have been among them.
May 15, 2022
Our condolences to the Pasternak family. John was a great personality and we are eternally grateful to him. His humour, kindness and support was of great value when our daughter was at Sick Kids in 2013-2015. John, you were heroic and we will miss you!
May 14, 2022
John, you always had a warmth about you. Thank you for all you have done. Our prayers are with you Maria and family. God please.
May 14, 2022
My deepest condolences to the family
May 14, 2022
Dear John,
We had the pleasure to meeting you during a difficult time for our family, and you really made a difference in that stage. We are sure that you also made a huge contribution to the lives of other families dealing with kid's cancer.
You also went through this illness's journey and you defeated it. You were a person full of bravery, courage and compassion. God bless you
Our hearts go out to Maria, Stefania, and Peter and your loved ones.
May 14, 2022
Our condolences to the Pasternak family. May you find courage and comfort at this time.
May 14, 2022
We are very sorry to hear about your loss. John was always trying to help other families dealing with childhood cancer and loss of their dear children. He will be greatly missed in the community. Wishing Maria, Stefania and Peter strength and courage to carry on.
May 14, 2022
Our sincerest condolences to Maria, Stefania and Peter, with the sudden loss of John. He will always be in our hearts and prayers. Take comfort in knowing that John is resting in heavenly peace with Julia. Wishing you peace, comfort, courage and lots of love at this time of sorrow and always.
May 14, 2022
So sorry to hear of John's passing. My heart goes out to your family at this time, and I hope that you find solace in these words from all of the families that John touched,.... truly a kind and kindred spirit for all of us. Hugs to you all.
May 13, 2022
John was a great source of calm for our family when we were at sick kids with our son Luke. He continued to reach out with kind words and sweet messages even after Luke’s passing. We imagine he is surrounded with many loved ones in heaven and especially all the young chuldren who gained their Angel wings early. What a vision. XO
May 13, 2022
Thank you to John. He paid great attention to the parents and children at Sickkids. I am as sad as you are. To John’s memory. Nelson Picard, Willem’s father.
May 13, 2022
Our deepest condolences to John’s family. His warmth and kindness was always very evident. He will be missed.
May 13, 2022
So sorry to hear of John's passing. From the moment we met we were friends and would spend hours talking at the Retreat.
{{{HUGS}}}
May 13, 2022
To John’s family, as a parent liaison with OPAAC he was a kind, gentle support during our darkest days. Thank you for sharing him with the OPAAC community as he was a valued peer. We hope your many wonderful memories of time spent together, laughing, being together help during the days ahead. Sending strength and perseverance.
May 13, 2022
Our deepest condolences and sympathies. Our hearts are broken. John will be missed always 😪 Maria, Peter and Stefania we are praying for your strength and courage during this difficult time🙏
May 13, 2022
My condolences for your sudden loss. John was always so kind and beloved by the many families who met him when he worked as an OPACC Parent Liaison years ago.
May 13, 2022
The world is a bit darker today. John will be missed. Hugs to you all from our family to yours.
May 13, 2022
Maria, Stefania, Peter and Katarina, we are so sorry for the sudden loss of your husband, father and brother.
May 13, 2022
Maria and family, deepest sympathies to all of you. John was so compassionate and a wonderful man, husband and father.
May 13, 2022
My deepest condolences to you all. John was a caring individual who touched many people with his kindness. He will be missed.
