JOHN ARCHIBALD MCQUEEN

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JOHN ARCHIBALD MCQUEEN March 6, 1942 September 14, 2007 John McQueen passed away on September 14, 2007 with his family by his side. John leaves to mourn his passing, his loving wife of 37 years, Mary; his son Tim (wife Cheryl Zealand and grandson Cole); daughter Heather (husband John Broughton) and son Scott. He is survived by his brother David (Gail) McQueen and numerous sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. John was born March 6, 1942 in Paris, Ontario to Madge (Margaret) and Archie (Archibald) McQueen. He grew up in Iroquois Falls, Ontario. John graduated from The University of New Brunswick in 1966 with a Bachelor of Science in Forestry Engineering. John's career in forestry started in Hinton, Alberta where he met his future wife. He worked for Northwestern Pulp and Paper in Hinton, AB. Then he joined the Alberta Forest Service and worked in Lac La Biche and Edmonton, AB. In 1975, John became a Federal Civil Servant with the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs. This involved moves to Fort Simpson, Fort Smith and Yellowknife, NWT. In 1985, John and his family moved to Winnipeg, MB where he became District Manager (Canada-Manitoba Forest Agreement). John retired in 1997 from the Federal Government but came out of retirement in January 2000. He accepted a position as the Executive Director of the International Peace Garden. He became the first Canadian to hold this position. This second career became his passion and the satisfaction that he did not find in retirement was found in this beautiful garden. John brought his love of nature, his respect for people, and his ability to get things done to the Garden. John and Mary had many opportunities to travel to places like Costa Rica, England, Scotland, Holland and the USA (New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada) as well as family trips throughout Canada (Ontario, BC and Alberta). They enjoyed travelling with friends and family and enjoyed sharing their memories of their trips and of the people that they met in their travels. John was a long-time member of the Royal Canadian Legion in Lac La Biche, AB; Yellowknife, NWT and the St James Legion #4 in Winnipeg. He served on the Vestry of St. Andrew's Anglican Church and belonged to the St. Andrew's Mens Club. John was an avid photographer who loved to photograph scenery, birds and animals. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to CancerCare Manitoba or The International Peace Garden, Box 419, Boissevain, MB. A memorial service to celebrate John's life will be held on Thursday, September 20 at 2:00 p.m. at St. Andrews Anglican Church (Woodhaven), 2700 Portage Avenue. Rest in Peace, dear husband, father and grandfather. neil bardal inc. 949-2200 nbardal.mb.ca

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As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Sep 19, 2007