THE REV. CANON JOHN C. MARTINSON.

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THE REV. CANON JOHN C. MARTINSON. John C. Martinson was born to Artur and Ida Martinson (nee Wise) in London, England, November 29, 1919. John and his parents travelled from England in 1921 on the S.S. Vedic, returning to Artur's home town of Kenora, Ontario. John was the eldest child, followed by sister Pearl Gloria and brother Edward Arthur. He started his work career as a projectionist at the Paramount Theatre and also worked at Sandy Brown's Funeral Home. When war was declared in 1939, John, just 19 years old, enlisted in Winnipeg, Manitoba in the PPCLI (The Princess Pats), embarking for England in December 1939. He was a physical education instructor for a number of years and saw action in The Italian Campaign in Sicily. Seriously wounded, John was hospitalized in North Africa. When he recovered enough for transport, he returned to England and then Canada in 1944. John trained for the Anglican ministry at St. John's College, Winnipeg, where he excelled as a student. John was made a Deacon on September 17, 1950 and was ordained priest on St. Barnabas Day, June 11, 1951. John's full intention upon ordination was to serve the First Nations communities. He served in Churchill, MB; Fort George, Northern Quebec; Hodgson, MB; Stonewall, MB; Winnipeg, MB (Archdeacon of Selkirk). In 1971 John was asked by Bishop Douglas Hambidge of the Diocese of Caledonia, to come to Kitkatla, BC to serve this island community as their priest, which he did until June of 1985. John married Lorna Connell, a well known and respected teacher in Kitkatla but native of Digby, NS, on March 25, 1976 at St. Peter's Anglican Church in Kitkatla. In June 1986, Bishop John Hannan asked John to become the priest at The Church of Christ the King in Port Edward, BC, 15 km from Prince Rupert, where God worked through his servant John, who offered frequent seminars on the Scriptures and the Christian Life. From this beginning, a dozen members became Catechists (teachers of the faith), of which eight were made Deacons and seven of these were ordained priests. John also served as Chaplain at the Prince Rupert Regional Hospital for more than twenty-five years. He was a registered Grief Therapist with the American Grief Therapy Association and organized a Pastoral Care Program. Besides individual counseling, he also conducted Grief Support groups and was on call day and nightwherever the need was he was there. Canon Martinson accepted people as they presented themselves to him both emotionally and spiritually. In his later years, Canon Martinson was made rural dean of the coastal churches. When he was physically unable to continue as hospital chaplain, Reverend Martinson turned over the hospital Chaplaincy to Reverend Jim Whaley but continued to counsel people in his own home. Canon Martinson's work for the Lord ended peacefully September 22, 2013. A service was conducted by The Very Reverend Jason Haggstrom and The Venerable Ernest Buchanan, at St. Andrew's Cathedral, Prince Rupert, BC, on September 27, 2013. John is survived by his loving wife of 37 years, Lorna Martinson, his children, grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. John is greatly missed by his Family in Christ, on the North Coast of BC and, indeed, across Canada.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Oct 07, 2013