John Home-Douglas
Father, ex-frogman, businessman, builder. Born Aug. 25, 1926, in Rothéneuf,
France, died April 21, 2012, in Vista del Lago, Mexico, of prostate
and bone cancer, aged 85.
John spent the first seven years of
his life in Brittany, France. A rich uncle paid for him to go to
boarding school in England after his father ran off with the family
maid. He never saw his father again.
John attended Mount St.
Mary’s College, a Jesuit-run school near Sheffield where English
poet Gerard Manley Hopkins once taught.
At 17, he joined the
Royal Navy and served as a frogman in the last year of the Second
World War. He swam under ships and in harbours looking for mines and
explosives.
He later recalled conditions in cities such as
Bremerhaven, Germany, where the water was so polluted and filled
with detritus from the war that he couldn’t see his hand in front of
his mask and had to feel his way around.
After the war, he
continued his diving activities in the Middle East, serving
alongside Lionel (Buster) Crabb, who later caused an international
incident after disappearing in mysterious circumstances under a
Soviet ship in the 1950s.
In 1948, John emigrated to Canada,
to Vancouver, with his fiancée Peggy Birkett, to escape the
rationing and dreariness of postwar London. Neither of them knew a
soul in Canada. They arrived with a couple of suitcases each.
John was unemployed for eight months, while Peggy got a job at
the Vancouver General Hospital.
Eventually, John found
employment pumping gas. He then was hired to set up window
decorations for Imperial Tobacco. For the next 23 years, he moved up
through the ranks at Imperial, eventually serving as vice-president
and president of one of its subsidiaries, Editel Productions.
He had two sons, Rod and Pierre, and a daughter, Susan.
In the 1970s, John and Peggy divorced and he married Colette Potter.
After John retired in 1982, they divided their time bet ween
Mexico and Vermont, where John built a 2,300-square-foot house by
himself, including foundations, wiring, plumbing, roofing, kitchen
cabinets.
When Puerto Vallarta grew too big for their liking,
they moved inland to Ajijic, where John loved the climate and the
expat Canadians and Americans he met. He did, however, admit to
missing his scuba diving in the Pacific, including the solo night
dives he occasionally made.
After selling the Vermont home in
1990, John and Colette lived full-time in Mexico. John joined the
Chapala Country Club and spent countless hours playing the 18-hole
golf course.
People who knew John were invariably impressed
by his dynamism and zest for life. He loved entertaining friends
with good wine and food. He was a garrulous, high-spirited
individual, whose mantra could well have been carpe diem.
His
Skype account contained the simple, heartfelt words, “Life is
shorter than you think. Make the most of it.”
John Home-Douglas, long-time resident of Ajijic and Vista del Lago,
passed away on April 21 2012 at his home after battling prostate and bone
cancer. He was 85.
Born in the seaside village of Rothéneuf in north-west
France, Home-Douglas spent the first seven years of his life in the
Brittany region. A rich uncle paid for him to go to boarding school
in England after his father ran off with the family maid. (He never
saw his father again.)
Home-Douglas attended Mount St. Mary’s College near
Sheffield, a Jesuit-run school where English poet Gerard Manley
Hopkins once taught. At the age of 17, he joined the Royal Navy and
served as a frogman in the last year of World War II. He swam under
ships and in harbors looking for mines and explosives. He later
recalled conditions in cities such as Bremerhaven where the water
was so polluted and filled with various detritus from the war that
he couldn’t see his hand in front of his mask and had to feel his
way around. After the war, he continued his activities in the Middle
East, where he served with the renowned Buster Crabbe, who caused an
international incident after he disappeared in mysterious
circumstances under a Soviet ship in the 1950s.
After resigning from the Navy in 1947, Home-Douglas moved to
London, where he met Peggy Birkett, an ex-member of the Women’s
Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) who was working at the American Embassy.
They decided to get married and emigrate to Vancouver, British
Columbia in 1948, fleeing the rationing and dreariness of post-war
London. Neither of them knew a soul in Canada and they arrived with
a couple of suitcases each. John was unemployed for eight months,
while Peggy got a job at the Vancouver General Hospital. Eventually
Home-Douglas found employment pumping gas. He then snagged a job
setting up window decorations for Imperial Tobacco. For the next 23
years, he moved up through the ranks at Imperial, eventually serving
as vice president and president of one of its subsidiaries, Editel
Productions. He ended his career as president of Carlson Marketing
Canada.
In the 1970s, John and Peggy divorced and he married Colette
Potter. She had bought a home in Puerto Vallarta in 1973 and they
started spending more and more time there. After Home-Douglas
retired in 1982 they divided their year between Mexico and Vermont,
where John built a 2,300-square-foot house by himself, including
foundations, wiring, plumbing, roofing, kitchen cabinets. His son
Pierre recalls, “I never, ever saw him even look at a do-it-yourself
book. He had an unflagging belief that he could do just about
anything.”
In 1989, after Puerto Vallarta had grown a little too big for
their liking, John and Colette moved to Ajijic, where he loved the
climate and the expatriate Canadians and Americans whom he met. He
did, however, admit to missing his scuba diving in the Pacific,
including the solo night dives he often made despite the protests of
his wife. In the early 1990s, the couple joined the Chapala Country
Club and for the next two decades they spent countless hours playing
their beloved golf course. Home-Douglas served as vice-president of
the club and was instrumental in having an elevated tee built on the
12th hole, affording a panoramic view of the course and Lake
Chapala. After selling the Vermont home in 1990, John and Colette
lived full-time in Mexico. In 1999 they moved from Ajijic to Vista
del Lago.
People who knew Home-Douglas were invariably impressed by his
sheer dynamism and zest for life. He loved entertaining friends with
good wine and food. He was a garrulous, high-spirited individual,
whose mantra could well have been carpe diem. His Skype account
contained the simple, heartfelt words, “Life is shorter than you
think. Make the most of it.”
He leaves behind his wife, Colette, and sons Rod and Pierre
and daughter, Susan, as well as three grandchildren. A memorial
service is being planned for August 25, on his birthday.
Any contributions will be
gratefully accepted
Research note: Is his son Pierre the author of books on woodworking?
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