Jack Cameron, 91, of Dieppe, passed away on Monday October 7, 2024 at Hospice SENB Albert House. Born in Hopewell, NS, he was the son of the late Willard and Ida (Fraser) Cameron.
Retiring as a supervisor, Jack was an air traffic controller for decades at both the original Moncton Airport in Lakeburn, and the ATC Centre in Riverview.
Known for his legendary sense of humor, quick wit, and love of people, Jack could -- and would --talk to anyone about anything. For hours. This led to making hundreds of friends of all ages and backgrounds over the years, which greatly enriched his long life. Also legendary: Jack’s total lack of punctuality. He spent his whole life operating on "Jack Time", even right up to the end when he outlasted all medical predictions.
Much of Jack’s life revolved around sport. He played rugby-- a provincial high school championship in the 1950s was often spoken of – as well as baseball, hockey, darts and curling. His love of hockey led to varied roles he greatly enjoyed. Among them was coaching the Dieppe Jr B Voyageurs, as General Manager of the Moncton Gagnon Beavers, billeting players for the Moncton Hawks, and becoming an off ice official and statistician with ties to the American Hockey League and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
Not only did he get to indulge his love of travel, but one of the greatest thrills of his life was phoning in his "Hit the Road Jack" intermission reports of AHL road games to a local Moncton radio station back in the late 1980s and early '90s. He also co-founded and played for years in an international Air Traffic Control hockey tournament, a tournament which continues to this day. He attended a tournament game in Moncton recently.
Volunteering and community work was fundamental to Jack. Perhaps the role closest to his heart was staunch supporter and advocate for Hospice. After the death of his wife Germaine, Jack dedicated himself to raising awareness of the need for end of life care and support for both patients and family members. Hospice Greater Moncton was founded in 2004 by Jack and a board of directors, with the goal of creating a residence to assist families as their loved ones approached the end of their journey. He fundraised for years for a facility, helping to establish the Boutique Hospice Shoppe, as well as organizing the Angels Remembered annual ornament campaign, sitting in malls during the holiday season selling ornaments.
In 2021, his dream became reality with the opening of the 10-room Maison Albert House. Jack attended the opening ceremony with feelings of immense pride and gratitude. In May 2024, he was touched and honored to receive a recognition award at the Hospice Heroes Gala. And in August, 20 years after the hospice charity was created, life came full circle for Jack. He entered Maison Albert House, spending six last joyful weeks of his life in the suite that bears his and Germaine’s name. We do not have the words to describe the compassionate care he received there, nor the support given to his family members. We are beyond grateful.
We are also extremely grateful to Marina MacDonald for her steadfast friendship and support of Jack and our entire family for nearly 70 years. And we thank the staff of Briarlea on Ryan Street who made Jack part of your family, and came to visit him both in hospital and at Maison Albert House. There are too many to name, but know he truly appreciated your care and friendship.
Jack is survived by his wife, Carol Cameron; four children: Craig Cameron (Siobhan) of Halifax, NS, Cathy MacDonald (Jim) of Elmsdale, NS, Cheryl LeBlanc (Mike) of Dieppe, and Shawn Pegg (Leanne) of Moncton; 11 grandchildren: Isobel, Jude, Iona, Kate, Colleen, Jamie, Alex, Michael, Nicolas, Fionn, and Gavin; five great-grandchildren: Olive, Benoît, Adèlie, Tobin, and Cecilia; as well as niece Debra Cameron (Peter Sartorius) of Ontario and nephew Brent Cameron (Jayne) of NS. He was the last surviving member of his immediate family.
He was predeceased by his first wife, Helen (Ward) Cameron; his second wife, Germaine Pegg; one sister, Bette Marshall; and one brother, Bill.
The family will receive condolences at Frenette Funeral and Cremation Centre, 88 Church Street, Moncton (506-858-1900) where the funeral service will be celebrated on Wednesday October 16 at 11 am. Visiting hours are Tuesday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 pm and Wednesday from 10 am until time of funeral. The funeral service will be live streamed; to view the funeral, go to Jack’s obituary on the Frenette Website. Interment will be at Our Lady of Calvary cemetery in Dieppe. In memory of Jack, a contribution to Hospice SENB (Albert House) or the Friends of The Moncton Hospital Foundation would be appreciated.
Words of comfort and donations can be made at www.frenettefuneralhome.com