John Edward Ollerenshaw of Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta

January 1, 1939 - February 15, 2023

John was NORAL’s communication director for years until he was overcome by poor health five years ago. He was a real gentleman and one who was always willing to extend his help.

John was born in 1939 in Allestree, Derbyshire, England where he grew up with mother Dora, father Fred, and brothers Frederick and Phillip. He began his career as an analytical chemist at the age of 16, working in laboratories at British Celanese, Stevensons (Dyers) Ltd., and the East Midlands Gas Board while completing his studies to earn a British Higher National Certificate in Chemistry. He moved to Canada in 1966 to take a position at Dow Chemical of Canada Ltd. in Sarnia, Ontario. In 1967 his landlady introduced him to Myra ("Bonnie") McGinnis, and in 1969 they married. In 1977 he accepted a transfer to Dow's new vinyl chloride plant in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta. His son Jason was born soon afterwards. John took satisfaction in his career and often shared memories - rebuilding the vinyl chloride lab after it was destroyed by an explosion, setting up a mobile lab after a train derailment in Manitoba, working with the R&D group, setting up the laboratory for the hydrocarbons project. He remained at Dow until his retirement in 1995.

His many hobbies included stamp and record collecting, family RV trips through the mountains, getting his pilot's license, researching the family tree, and volunteering with Scouts Canada. He had fond memories of riding and fixing motorcycles as a young man in England, and came back to them as a hobby in his retirement. In 1996, he bought a dismantled 1972 Honda CB350F, which he painstakingly restored to like-new condition over the next 13 years. Along the way he got involved with the CVMG and took great pleasure in their meetings and events.