Remembering John Longley

They say friends are hard to come by, but anyone who knew John Longley knew they had at least one.

Ironically, what made John such a great man were not the Hallmarks of the superhero, but the humility of the mild-mannered.

He died suddenly on November 4, just a few days after he packed up his office upon retirement as manager of the Annapolis Valley Exhibition.

He has been described as a friend to all, a person who never judged others, a conciliator, a problem solver, and a man who always put others first. He has been described as a teddy bear of a man who worked all his life for others and his community. He had a keen yet gentle sense of humour and could tell stories so full of detail you felt a part of it. To hurt or offend were alien to his nature. Kindness was his Hallmark. To John, everybody was indeed equal and deserving of the same respect.

And it’s all true. There were no fabrications in the tributes paid to John over the past week. The sense of loss among his closest friends and colleagues was devastating in nature. They were dazed by the apparent injustice of his death. How his passing has robbed not only John of time with wife Janet, their children, and grandchildren, but has deprived them -- and us -- of the opportunity to know this man in his retirement years.

His continued involvement in the community would have been a certainty. His contributions would have continued and the world would have been a better place.

Yet, in lieu of his continued physical presence, we can continue to celebrate the amazing life he lived and learn from him still. Valley Ex president Elaine Marshall implied that even a long way down the road she and her exhibition colleagues will face questions and problems in the context of “what would John do?”

Keeping John’s memory alive won’t be a difficult task. He is indeed memorable and has left such a void that the very ache will be a reminder of his virtues -- the virtues of a truly kind and gentle man.

As time passes, however, so will those who knew him. It seems incumbent upon those who were befriended by him to somehow etch his name and his memory in a more permanent manner. He was, afte rall, Mr. Exhibition. He was exhibitor, president, and manager. He would never have sought out praise or recognition, and that in itself is justification for doing just that.

The manner of permanent recognition, of course, is up to those in such a position to bestow.

John Longley was always proud of the Riverside Stage at the Annapolis Valley Exhibition grounds in Lawrencetown. He helped make it a reality through planning and the very sweat of his brow. It has been praised by some of Canada’s top entertainers as a true gem, not unlike John himself.