John Rodney DeWitt GALLOWAY, NB - With great sadness, we announce that John DeWitt passed away on Wednesday, August 21, 2002, at The Moncton Hospital, after a long illness borne with the greatest courage. He is sadly missed by his wife, Rachel (née Goguen); by one son and daughter, Tony of DeWinton and Tara of Calgary, Alberta; by his stepdaughter, Brigitte presently of Toronto, Ontario; his mother, Marjorie DeWitt of Moncton; cousins,Jim and Helen Bateman of Shediac Cape; uncle and aunt, Morris and Marlis DeWitt of Ottawa, Ontario and by the Goguen family. He is survived by brothers, Mark and wife Jean and Gregory of Ontario and by their children, Shane, Erin, Adam, Thomas and Maria and also by several cousins. John will be remembered by his family, his many friends and business associates as a man who loved life and lived it fully through his diverse interests and endeavours in both farming and the automobile industry. Born in Selsdon, England on April 24, 1942 to a Canadian soldier, Thomas Foster DeWitt of Shediac, NB (now deceased) and his British bride, Marjorie (née Williams), John graduated from Dorchester High School in 1960. He then served in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, where he distinguished himself as a champion boxer, swimmer, marksman and horseman and received the Governor General's Award for Bravery. John later joined General Motors and soon became area manager for Chevrolet. The young entrepreneur then operated his own dealership in Sackville NB, where he was known as "The Country Boy"; all the while growing a prosperous farm in the Dorchester area. Followed some fifteen years in Calgary and Langdon, Alberta, where John operated a number of dealerships, an export company, and a biotech company while pursuing his passion for farming and soon distinguishing himself in the pure-bred Hereford industry, many of his cattle winning first prizes at the Calgary Stampede and Exhibition. In late 1994, he returned to the Maritimes where his knowledge of business and farming led him to farm management advisory services. In 1997, John's love of adventure brought him back to Alberta where, with his wife, he worked at franchising a retail company which they later purchased. Retiring in New Brunswick in the fall of 1999, he increased his farming operation to include a dairy farm, which had to be let go because of John's ill health. He spent his last years savouring the good each day brought, enjoying nature where he found such solace, looking back at his life and making peace with the world. John was a mentor to many, including his children, and loved to discuss farming, politics, and current events. He was a great story teller and his active life, many talents, and varied interests provided him with a bounty of anecdotes to tell. Those who knew him best will miss his stories, his laughter and his kindness. In accordance to John's wishes, there will be no public funeral, simply a blessing of his ashes, which are to be buried on the farm he loved so much.