GUNDY P. ENG., John Reed
John Reed Gundy
P. Eng.
September 13, 1932
February 1, 2024
John Reed Gundy was born in Toronto in 1932, second child of Clarence and Mae. John died of heart failure in Ottawa with his wife of 52 years, Morag Gundy (nee Jack), at his side. He is survived by his children Stephen (Maegen) and Juliette; grandchildren Paige and Ryan; nephew and niece Gordon Waddington and Janet Wager; and brothers-in-law William Jack (Mary Taylor), James Jack (Linda, deceased), Iain Jack (Jane, nephew Matthew (Zita) and nieces Sarah Murray (Jay) and Heather Law (Jamie)), and David Jack (Maryann, nephew Daniel and niece Juliana). He was predeceased by his beloved sister Margaret Waddington, her husband Peter, and his nephew Brian Waddington.
John obtained a BASc in Civil Engineering from the University of Toronto in 1955; an MSc from Stanford University in 1959; an MA in Public Administration from Carleton University; and a BA in Liberal Arts from the University of Waterloo in 2013. He maintained his P.Eng. credentials until his 90s.
John enjoyed a rewarding and successful career as a professional engineer, working to build highways in Ontario, dry docks on the Welland Canal, microwave towers across Newfoundland, and radar installations on the Mid-Canada early warning line. John also worked for the Industrial Development Bank and the Federal Government at Industry, Trade and Commerce, where he worked in the Transportation Branch, the Materials Branch, the Foreign Investment Review Agency and in Science Policy, returning to the Transportation Branch until his retirement in 1996.
John played football (carefully) for his high school, and for the University of Toronto Engineers. He maintained extensive knowledge of sporting events and scores, and enjoyed hosting annual Grey Cup parties and playing golf on Ottawa’s many courses. He inherited a treasured grey Peterborough cedar strip canoe, now with his son Stephen, and was a skilled paddler, choosing to undertake a solo trip from Bruce Mines to Port McNicoll for his 1967 Centennial Project. His passion for canoeing lasted all his life and included taking his children for multi-day paddling trips in the Thousand Islands, and learning how to whitewater canoe with his daughter Juliette soon after celebrating his 77th birthday.
He was an outdoor enthusiast, camping in Provincial Parks across Ontario, cottaging at Ivy Lea on the St Lawrence River, supporting the Canadian Wildlife Fund and contributing to the purchase of ecologically significant land across Canada.
An intelligent, insightful and thoughtful man, a loyal friend, devoted to his family, he will live on in our memories. The family would like to thank the staff at the Rockcliffe Retirement Residence, and the doctors and nurses who provided palliative care in his final year. He was very grateful.
A celebration of life will be held in the spring. In lieu of flowers, family and friends are welcomed to make a donation to the Ottawa Food Bank – a cause close to his heart.
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