In Memory Of: John ‘Opa’ Smeysters Memorial Service Thursday

John “Opa” Smeysters has passed away (June-10-2011) RIP. He was loved by all and loved everyone with whom he crossed paths. He was diagnosed with asbestos cancer in September of 2010 [Click On Image For Full Story], and he fought as hard as he could until the very end. At 6:29 am Friday morning the good lord called on him and he went as peacefully as anyone could ever ask for.

The memorial service will be held on Thursday the 16th of June at 11:00am at Northview Community Church, 32040 Downes Road. Any current and past W.J. Mouat football players are asked to wear their football jackets and or the team colours.

The Smeysters family plans to start a memorial bursary in Opa’s honour, so we would like you his friends to donate money to this bursary instead of sending flowers or other items.

We appreciate all the condolences in this very hard time for the Smeysters Family.”.

In Memory Of

By Caryn Zimmerman

Anyone in the football world knows how invaluable this amazing man has been throughout the years and any W.J. Mouat student will tell you that he has had a profound impact on their lives, my own two children included. He truly has been my 2nd favourite man for 20 years.

OPA John Smeysters in his golf cart

OPA ‘retired’ from his real job and became a key member of W.J. Mouat’s parent ambassador team as lunch hour supervisor, Hawks equipment manager, role model, dance chaperone, field trip chaperone, you name it – and OPA was there to take on the challenge.

On Friday, June 10th just before 6:30 am, OPA quietly slipped away and has now become another bright star in our sky. He will probably shake a few boots now that he has joined the big guy up above.

This is a man who is loved unconditionally by this community and asked for nothing more than honesty and respect, which he received from everyone who knows him, and he has been an integral part of the W.J. Mouat Hawks football club as well as a special part of the school among staff, students and parents.

I was introduced to this amazing man in the fall of 1994 when my son began kindergarten with OPA’s grandson Jonathan ‘Bruiser’ Smeysters at John Maclure Elementary School. Our boys were good pals in their younger days and if Jonathan’s dad wasn’t picking him up from school, OPA was there and always took time to chat with the kids and parents alike.

He became my 2nd favourite man right away and my admiration, respect and love for him grew over the years as my children and his grandchildren grew older and moved on to W.J. Mouat Secondary School. I became involved with the school PAC executive, a role I kept at John Maclure, Colleen & Gordie Howe and W.J. Mouat until both of my own children finished school in 2007.

OPA was there as an honourary parent ambassador and attended every PAC meeting and every school function, nothing kept this man away.

We have been very fortunate all these years to have shared OPA with his own family and they have allowed us to to be a special part of his life, for this we are all truly thankful and very blessed. OPA’s passing is a great loss to each and every one of us.