John BARSBY Obituary

We announce with great sadness that John Barsby passed away on November 17, 2023 at the St. Boniface Hospital after complications from heart and kidney disease.
John was predeceased by his parents Herbert and Katherine Barsby of Dominion City, MB. He is survived by his sister Patricia Whitmore (Derek) of Victoria, BC, (where he visited frequently), and countless friends.

John completed high school in Dominion City, before pursuing a B. Sc. (Honours) at the University of Manitoba. Graduating in 1967, he won the Gold Medal for highest standing in Honours Science. He later completed his M. Sc. and B. Ed. degrees.
He began his teaching career in Snow Lake (1967-1969) before returning to Winnipeg. He taught first at Gordon Bell (1970-1975) and then St. John's-Ravenscourt, where he spent most of his career (1975-2004.) An account of his many years in education can be found in his book "Fifty Years in the Classroom and What I Learned There". Friends of John will also be interested in the wealth of materials on his website: https://www.johnbarsby.ca/.
There you will find John's creative writing, additional reminiscences of his teaching career and many photographs.

John was a brilliant and much-loved teacher of mathematics who received many awards for teaching excellence. These included the Prime Minister's Award and awards from the Descartes Foundation, the University of Manitoba and the Mathematics Association of America. He also received the Murray Macpherson Award for Contributions to Math Education in Manitoba. John played a long-time and ongoing role in the development of the University of Waterloo CEMC contests, creating math problems and marking students' responses during his time as a teacher and continuing to mark and act as a contest validator in retirement.

John was universally respected and loved by students (many of whom continued to have contact with him after they graduated), parents and, of course, his colleagues, both in the Math department and other faculties at SJR. He was famous for his dedication to academic excellence, a dedication that resulted in his students' extraordinary results. His contributions to his students' lives cannot simply be measured on an academic level, however. He was renowned for his kindness, sense of humour and deep empathy, all of which allowed those under his care to flourish. He was also a loyal friend, both to those with whom he worked and those of even longer acquaintance.
John was a Renaissance man. Although his specialty was mathematics, his range of knowledge was remarkably broad. He was a lover of the Arts, especially enjoying performances of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and the Manitoba Theatre Centre, and was perhaps the most well-read member of the SJR staff. He delighted friends by reciting from memory vast amounts of Shakespeare, Poe, Tennyson, Eliot and many other poets. He could always be counted on to make a literary allusion when one least expected it.

Friends, students and colleagues will all sorely miss this gentle, brilliant, humble man. Rest In Peace.

Donations in John's memory can be made to St. John's-Ravenscourt School for the purpose of scholarships and financial aid: 400 South Drive, Winnipeg, R3T 3K5, 204-477-2497 or online at www.sjr.mb.ca.

A Celebration of Life will be held at St. John's-Ravenscourt School on Sunday, December 3 at 1:00 p.m.