May 23, 1936 - Mar 08, 2026

• John Ervin Frauley

John Ervin Frauley died peacefully on 8 March 2026 at Montfort Hospital in Ottawa, just shy of his 90th birthday, due to asbestosis-related complications.

He was predeceased by his wife, Frances (née Cox), and is survived by his daughter Karen (from his first marriage to Ruth), with Tom (Guelph), his daughter Rachel (Ottawa), and his son Jonathan (and Dana, Ottawa). John is also survived by his grandchildren Isobel and Amelia, and step-grandchildren Sophia and Osker, as well by his siblings Ronald (and Barb, Ottawa), Joseph (Saint John), Theresa (Saint John), and Katherine (Vancouver), and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by siblings Mary (O’Brien), Douglas, Merlin, and Madeline (all of Saint John).

Born in 1936 in Saint John, New Brunswick, during the Great Depression, John was the son of J. Harry Frauley, of Saint John, and Katherine (née MacIsaac), originally from Cape Breton. His early years included delivering telegrams for Canadian National on his Schwinn bicycle up and down the steep streets of Saint John—stories he loved to recount. He often spoke of his encounters with K.C. Irving, who once offered him a job in one of his pulp mills after high school.

John spent most of his life in Sarnia and was a proud member of IBEW Local 530. As an industrial electrician, he contributed to major commercial and industrial projects, including petrochemical refineries in Sarnia, automotive plants in London, Oshawa, Windsor, and Detroit, and nuclear power facilities in Kincardine and Oshawa, as well as projects in Québec and Newfoundland. He took great pride in his craft, his union, and the camaraderie of the trade. He had fond memories of his childhood and of the many people and experiences that shaped his life. His family extends their gratitude to the staff and community at Bearbrook Retirement Residence for the care and companionship he received in his final years.

On occasion John would reflect that he wasn’t made for this century. He had his own way of seeing the world, sometimes puzzling but always unmistakably his.