First Baptist Church, Halifax offers sincere sympathy to the family and friends of John Lindsay Sr. whose memorial service was held here on Tuesday, May 9, 2006 at 2:00 p.m. Rev. Timothy J. McFarland officiated.

LINDSAY, John W. Sr. - It is with deep sadness that we announce the sudden passing of John W. Lindsay Sr. on May 5, 2006, due to complications from lung cancer. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., on June 2, 1926, to Harry Dayton Lindsay and Ellen Arlene McBrine, John grew up in Woodstock, N.B. He served in the Canadian Army where a chance meeting with a fellow soldier changed his life. There he met an older man who advised him to become an engineer and see the world. He entered Dalhousie University with the Veterans' Program and there he met his lifelong love and partner, Marjorie A. Langin, whom he married in 1948. He graduated with an Engineering Diploma in 1949 and went on to attend Nova Scotia Technical College where, in 1951, he earned a Bachelor of Civil Engineering. While studying engineering he was awarded the Bob Waters Award as most outstanding engineer and was President of his engineering class. John lived a fully balanced life. In business, he was a visionary developer and partner and mentor for small businesses and a corporate leader in large enterprises. In community life, he was a passionate volunteer, advisor and fund raiser. In his personal life, he was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, friend and lifelong fitness participant, sports fan and lover of music. As a developer, his first project was the Strawberry Hill Street lands in North Halifax. He then built and leased the first multiple occupancy building in the Burnside Industrial Park and went on to develop millions of square feet of commercial buildings in the "Park". He also built and developed industrial buildings in St. John's, N.L. His crowning achievement was the Purdy's Wharf office project on the waterfront of downtown Halifax. The leading office project in Atlantic Canada, it was technically innovative and remains the architectural signature of the Halifax skyline. John loved to partner and mentor in the creation of new businesses. These included steel and plastic piping, electrical motor rewinding, container repair, marine electric, mobile catering, pipe cleaning and repair, hazardous waste handling, equipment rentals, environmental, demolition earth work, tennis, squash and racquetball clubs, mathematical software, point of sale promotion and driving ranges. Beyond the success and failure of these businesses, he valued his ongoing relationship with each of his partner entrepreneurs. As a corporate leader he gave valued direction to national and regional companies. For a decade, he was chairman of Maritime Life following long service on the mortgage committee. He was a director of Canada Trust and its predecessor Canada Permanent Trust. He was a multi-decade director of Corporate Communications (now Colours), a director of Maritime Telephone & Telegraph (predecessor to Aliant) and was Chairman of the Halifax Shipyards. He was co-founder and Chairman of Atlantic Industries. John believed deeply in the YMCA of Greater Halifax/Dartmouth and the IWK Hospital and volunteered for both all of his adult life. At the YMCA, he was a volunteer, a member, an ambassador, a philanthropist and never ending steward. He joined the Board in the early 60s and remained as a Director until 1971. He actively participated in every YMCA fund raising campaign from 1970 to present. He served as a board member of the IWK Children's Hospital for more than 10 years, leading major capital campaigns and was the co-leader of the amalgamation of the IWK and the Grace Hospital. John was also the founding chair of the IWK Foundation. In the 1970s he served on the Halifax Board of Trade including acting as Chairman in 1977. He also performed significant fund raising for his alma mater, Dalhousie University, and for a number of years served on its Board of Governors. John received recognition for his efforts in the community and in business. In 1984 he became the first recipient of the Halifax YMCA Red Triangle Award for outstanding community service. In 1991 he earned an Honourary Doctorate of Engineering from TUNS. He was named a Dalhousie Outstanding Alumnus and was also an honourary life member of the Association of Professional Engineers of Nova Scotia. He was inducted into the Nova Scotia Business Hall of Fame in 2004 and in 2005 was appointed to the YMCA Fellowship of Honour in a ceremony on Parliament Hill. In his personal life he made regular fitness an integral part of his day to day routine. He had played varsity football, rugby and boxing during his university years. He attended the YMCA advanced fitness class for three decades, leading the class each year on his birthday from age 60 to 72. He loved both the workout and the camaraderie. He and Marge enjoyed their lifelong couple friends and he also enjoyed Boys Night Out (BNO), poker club and the Eager Beaver Investment Club. John followed all sports avidly and was a true music lover. He did not prefer any particular genre, all he liked was "good music" of all types. His deepest passions were reserved for his wife, his children and his grandchildren. He is survived by his wife, Marjorie; son, John (Anne Campbell); daughter, Deborah (Luca Rotta-Loria); grandchildren, Jason, Andreas, Lauren, Alexander and Nicolas, and step-granddaughter, Emma. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the YMCA of Greater Halifax/Dartmouth or the IWK Foundation.