SHERIDAN, John Patrick

John Patrick Sheridan passed away on Saturday, Jan 10, at Sunnybrook Hospital after a lengthy battle. He leaves behind his wife of 57 years Marjorie (Gilchrist), 81; his three sons, Michael (and his wife Grace), Patrick (and his wife Christa), David (and his wife Jeanine), and his daughter, Susan (and her husband Nicholas): seven grandchildren, Ryan, Sydney, Taylor, Cole, Seumas, Charlie and Humboldt. He was born and raised in West Toronto to Susan Alberta and Charles Edward Sheridan with his two sisters, Marjorie and Mary (predeceased). In his early days, he played basketball and football at Runnymede Collegiate class of 1951. He spoke often of taking the street car to High Park to go fishing. Upon graduation from high school, he joined the 411 Fighter Squadron of the RCAF reserve program, in 1952, to pay for his studies at U of T in Geophysical Engineering (class of 1955). He remained in the RCAF reserves until 1959, during which time he made many of his closest friends. He met his wife, Marjorie, on a blind date in Toronto and they were married in 1958, in Kirkland Lake, Ontario. They had four children and lived in North Toronto. He has been described as a 'maverick' in the mining business, having staked mining claims all over Northern Ontario and Quebec in the 1950's. In the sixties and seventies, he developed several copper, nickel and gold properties in Canada and abroad. In the 1980's, he developed the largest palladium mine in Canada. A great gambler, his passion for numbers lead to a lifelong love of the stock market, where he lost and made millions. He was a fearless investor, who has been 'reborn' several times in his life and may yet again. Famous for his 'office' at Hy's restaurant downtown where he went every day for 30 years, his pipe, that he smoked despite new laws, his turtlenecks way before they were in vogue, and of course, his giggle, he was always an inspiration, a challenge, an enigma and a whole lot of fun. He will be sadly and wholly missed. The family would like to thank the staff at Sunnybrook CICU and the cardiac unit, as well as his dedicated private nurses from the agency 'Retire at Home.'

'I can't think of a more wonderful thanksgiving for the life I have had than that everyone should be jolly at my funeral' Admiral Lord Mountbatten