John Desmond Howard, March 23, 1937-April 1, 2026
On April 1, 2026, in his 90th year, Desmond Howard died peacefully. In front of a roaring fire in his beloved log house in Kinmount and to the moving strains of “Highland Cathedral,” he fell asleep for the last time. He was pre-deceased by his wife, Colleen Rennie. He will be remembered and missed by his children and grandchildren, extended family, and his many, many, many friends.
Desmond arrived in Toronto, Canada, from Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1959, but through all his years in Canada, he lost neither his Irish accent nor his Irish charm. A Presbyterian minister for many years, his travels took him to most corners of the world and included living and working in rural British Columbia, India, England, and Toronto before retiring to Kinmount where he and Colleen loved hosting family, friends, and strangers in the house they built together. Philosophising, counselling, sharing stories and songs, and dreaming big were always on tap as was good food and drink. He was also happily and energetically involved in Kinmount United Church and in the local community.
A lifelong reader, his library was filled with an eclectic mixture of history, fiction, philosophy, science, faith, and art. He was adept at connecting disparate ideas from across the sciences and humanities as he played and ruminated with words, ideas, and wonderings. He enjoyed the interplay of faith and science and particularly saw the evolving understanding of quantum physics strongly connected with Christianity and other faith practices. He had special love for the Old Testament and it is perhaps not surprising that Desmond adopted King David’s words as his “testimony”:
7 Even as a bird
out of the fowler’s snare
Escapes away,
so is our soul set free:
Rent is their net,
and thus escaped we.
8 Therefore our help
is in the Lord’s great name,
Who heaven and earth
by his great pow’r did frame.
(Psalm 124:7-8, Scottish Psalter, 2nd Version)
Desmond was a true connector. He remained in contact with so many friends and family ensuring that neither time, nor circumstance, nor distance inhibited conversation, visiting, and meaningful interactions. He never stayed in one place for very long, traveling frequently to visit grandchildren, cousins, old friends and explore the world.
You are invited to come celebrate the life of J. Desmond Howard at The Log House, Dutch Line Road, Kinmount, on Tuesday, June 23rd, 2026 from 1:00 pm. to 3:30 pm. A ceremony will commence at 1:45 and be followed by light refreshments. Please come prepared to share your stories of Desmond. A private dispersal of ashes will be held later in the day. The ceremony will be broadcast online for those who cannot join in person. Links will be posted the week before the event. Another dispersal of ashes will occur in Ireland at a later date.
Memorial Donations to the Kinmount and District Health Services Foundation would be appreciated by the family and can be arranged through the Gordon A. Monk Funeral Home Ltd., P.O. Box 427, Minden, Ontario K0M 2K0.