John Isadore was born on Saturday, December 29, 1951, in Hanover, to loving parents Ivan and Joy (Des Chenes) Fidler. The Fidler family resided just north of Elmwood, on the Honey farm, and here John joined older siblings Larry, Dale, Bruce, and Jo-Anne. In short order, he also welcomed younger siblings Suzanne, Dawn, Terrilea, Tim, and Jeremy; however, sadly, Jeremy died in infancy. John enjoyed playing sports in his youth, and given the number of siblings he had, it wasn’t hard to start a game. Hockey, but more particularly baseball, were his favourites, which continued with him throughout his life. The Fidler children attended Howie School, and John completed his secondary education at Chesley District High School. Any free time during his teenage years was spent working on a variety of cars with his brothers.

After graduating, John found work at Klemmer Sawmill, before his dad got him a job at New Life Mills. However, as you can imagine, living at home as a teenager wasn’t the most exciting, so when the opportunity arose for him to go to Burlington with his brothers, Bruce and Uncle Gerry, to install swimming pools was presented to him, he jumped at it. As you can imagine, some fun was had by all during this period of John’s life, but in time, he returned home to find more steady work. In 1972, John married Annette Ruff, and the newlyweds called Elmwood home. By this time, John was working for a local contractor and building homes in Hanover. Together with Annette, he welcomed his son Chris in 1974 and daughter, Angie, the following year (1975).

John was a quick learner and enjoyed working with his hands. In time, he became a jack of all trades, which helped him immensely in later years when he went out on his own. After the kids were born, John joined the carpenter’s union, where he worked for Bruce Power before being sent to Darlington. Following this, he spent some time at General Motors in Oshawa before getting some jobs closer to home. His last two builds in the union included the Bruce County Building in Walkerton and the old OPP station in Mount Forest. Be sure to ask his family about the story whereby his truck was stolen while building the OPP station – it’s a good one!

In the late 80’s, John decided to go out on his own and established John Fidler Carpentry. He concentrated mostly on renovations and would call upon family and friends when he needed help on a job. In 1991, John and Annette separated, but John still liked to get out occasionally, so he often attended local dances. One such evening took him to Mildmay and the Knight of Columbus Hall, where he took in a singles dance. It was here that he was introduced to Cheryl “Elaine” Young. The two hit it off immediately and soon began dating. In October of 1993, they moved in together before settling outside of Chesley. Their two families became one, and they enjoyed spending time outdoors. In time, they purchased and relocated to a 100-acre farm property on the 10th of Bentinck, where more fun was had by all. I am told John had a bit of a need for speed and enjoyed treating his kids, as well as his grandkids, to some adventures on the roads around home, often fishtailing on the back roads. John was passionate about cars and trucks from a young age and collected a variety of them through the years. However, his prized possessions were his 56’ Ford, 67’ Beaumont, 57’ Mercury Pick-up, and, who could forget, his Universal tractor. Family time was important to John, and he also enjoyed spending time with his kids and grandchildren. There were countless bonfires, trips downriver, or upriver for that matter, on his boat. Who could forget the fun had on the jeep at the farm, or “The Mule” – his side-by-side! Papa always asked his grandchildren, “Do you know why I am so short?” Whereby he would quickly respond, “Because my Mom would pat me on the head and say, good boy, good boy!” And we know what happened to the tall olds… a kick in the ass!

In 2006, Elaine and John moved to the outskirts of Hanover, on the banks of the Saugeen River. Here, plenty more fun was had, and John enjoyed tinkering in the barn. Now, believe it or not, I am told John was a collector of everything (a.k.a. junk!), and he took over the property with a barn that was 2/3 full. John proudly filled the remaining third after his arrival… Lol! The family joke is that you need to take a loaf of bread with you when heading out to the barn, so you can leave a trail of breadcrumbs behind you to find your way back out! When not working or playing on the farm, John enjoyed playing coed volleyball and, in more recent years, pickleball. He and Elaine enjoyed heading south in the colder months, where they spent considerable time in Cancun, Florida, and Alabama. He was often eager to head back home at the end of February before the arrival of the college kids, though!

In 2020, John made the difficult decision to retire. The pandemic brought many changes for all of us, but John continued to enjoy the simpler things in life and time on the property. He and Elaine enjoyed countless nature walks together and time with family. John was an avid reader and loved any mystery or detective novel. In more recent years, he took an interest in local and family history, taking over the reins from his mom‘s genealogy work. John loved his music, particularly anything from the 50’s. To this point, he even installed an 8-track player in his truck so he could always listen to his favourite tunes. If he were to treat himself, he loved his sweets, meatloaf, and maybe the occasional spiced rum and Coke. He also could not go without his coffee, with two creams!

Sadly, in October of 2022, John was diagnosed with Myelofibrosis before later developing an acute form of leukemia. He decided to keep this news to himself, as he sought out treatment and tried to retain a normal routine. In time, those close to John were told of his diagnosis, and together they supported each other during the difficult times. His kind, gentle, and caring spirit was always present, as he was always more worried about those around him, rather than himself. Thankfully, his joking ways remained. Did you ever ask John what his last name should have been? John Is-a-dore Knob! Enough said! He will be forever remembered for his kind, gentle spirit, warm smile, infectious laugh, and, of course, his wit!

John passed away surrounded by his loving family at Hanover & District Hospital on Saturday, December 27, 2025, in his 74th year.

Cherished partner and best friend of Elaine (Falls) Young. Loving father of Chris (Cathy) Fidler of Thamesford and Angie Fidler of Chesley, and stepfather of Shawna (Chris) Dwyer of Baden and Cory (Mandy) Young of Rockford. Cherished Papa of Logan, Austin (Kristianna), Tyson (Tyla), Aiden (Shannon), Rianne (Dylan), Gavin, Olivia, Colin, Rachel (Nick), Jordan, Raven, and Shailynn, and great-grandfather of Waylen and Dayton. Dear brother of Bruce (Donna) Fidler of Chesley, Jo-Anne (Shane) Jackson of Desboro, Susanne Leifso, Dawn (Alf) Brenndorfer, Terrilea Fidler, all of Elmwood, and Tim Fidler of Toronto. John will be dearly missed by his sisters-in-law, Karen Fidler of Chesley and Carole Fidler of Elmwood, as well as the entire Falls family, along with many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brothers, Larry, Dale, and Jeremy, brother-in-law Brian Leifso, and his parents Ivan and Joy (Des Chenes) Fidler.

A casual celebration of John’s life will be held at the Elmwood Community Centre (upper level) on Saturday, January 17, 2026, from 1 – 4 p.m. Inurnment in Hanover Cemetery at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to Hanover & District Hospital Foundation would be appreciated as expressions of sympathy.