After a long battle with lupus, John Bruce Morgan died unexpectedly on Thursday, July 31, 2014. Beloved husband and father, he leaves behind to grieve, his bereft wife, Ülle (neé Partsa); son, Michael Owen Spencer Morgan and daughter, Ainslie Dylan Aleksandra Morgan. His children were his proudest achievement and he loved them unconditionally. He knew he would marry Ollie (as he called her) the night they met and they never looked back. They were each strong for the other when needed, truly completing one another and being each other's staunchest advocates.

Bruce was born in Hamilton on April 18, 1955, the son of the late Marjorie Jean (Bruce) Morgan (2012) and Dilwyn Rees Morgan (2008). He leaves behind his big brother, Philip Rees Morgan (Michele) and his baby sister, Janie Morgan, along with their children, Eryl and Matthew Morgan, and Brynne and Euan Duffy, and many family members in Wales and the Hamilton area. Also devastated is Ülle's family: her mother, Maret Tari; sister, Merike Lisa Sherin; brother-in-law, John Sherin and their children, Nolan and Avalon Sherin; her cousin, Lia Holland and Lia's children Mark and Erika Holland.

Bruce was a University of Waterloo graduate, with a Bachelor of Arts and Masters degree in Environmental Studies. After a successful period of time at Blue Mountain, Bruce moved to the big city of Toronto, where he spent 30 years as a hotel and resort consultant. He was acknowledged as one of the foremost hotel experts in Canada, known as a man with great integrity and a strong moral compass. Bruce never compromised on his principles.

He was very musical, able to play piano and guitar and had a great ear for music. You could hum a few bars and he would be able to tell you what the tune was. If, by chance, he was uncertain, he would just tell you it was either Anne Murray or Canned Heat! He also spent several years singing in a Welsh choir with Janie.

Even though he was an excellent student, skipping grade 2 (!) he was also an all-round athlete in his younger years, playing baseball, lacrosse and hockey. He was a brilliant hockey goalie, starting in net at the age of 6 for Phil's minor hockey team, playing with 9 and 10 year olds. Bruce had dreams of a professional hockey career and took a year off from University to play with the Elmira Sugar Kings and briefly with the Junior A Kitchener Rangers. In 1973, he was also part of the gold medal winning lacrosse team at the Canada Games in British Columbia. When Mike was 2 years old, Bruce decided to be ready for when Mike would take up lacrosse, so he started coaching a boys lacrosse team in preparation. He was always involved in his children's sports teams; acting as team manager for Mike's hockey and soccer teams and so dedicated to them that he once ran a goalie practice for the hockey team, even while he had pneumonia. He was also an enthusiastic cheerleader for Ainslie's soccer, rugby, and field hockey games. Last year Ainslie and Bruce spent a weekend on the East Coast, in order to check out a couple of universities. Father-daughter bonding at its finest!

He was never happier than when he could go sit in a canoe and fish. One of his best memories was the fishing trip to Island Lake Camp in Northern Ontario in 2013 with John and Nolan and he was was still telling stories and talking about it nearly a year later. Bruce and John have since entertained pie-in-the-sky dreams of buying the lodge and moving up there permanently! He also had an annual May long weekend trip with his close friends from university, a tradition that has carried on for over 30 years. Bruce only missed a few May 2-4 weekends: the first one when Mike was born in 1991 and a couple of weekends in recent years because of his illness.

He was an incredibly strong individual, able to keep going despite his health. Bruce carried on when others would have given up, by sheer force of will. He gladly sacrificed his time and energy to meet the needs of his family. Mike and Ainslie knew they could call dad at 4:00 in the morning for a pickup--from Hamilton, or further, if necessary!

He will be well and truly missed by his friends, his colleagues, his neighbours, his menagerie, but most of all, by his family. He made us laugh, he looked after us, and he worried about us. We don't know how we will go on without you. It seems impossible. We will always love you and keep you in our hearts.

Thank you to all of our friends and family for the strength and support you have provided during this awful time. We are truly blessed to have all of you.

Donations to Lupus Ontario would be most appreciated.

Visitation will take place at the Kopriva Taylor Community Funeral Home, 64 Lakeshore Road West, Oakville (one block east of Kerr, 905-844-2600) from 7-9pm Wednesday, August 6, 2014. A service of remembrance celebrating Bruce's life will be held at 10am on Saturday, August 9, 2014 at Maple Grove United Church, 346 Maple Grove Drive, Oakville.

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling on the sky the message He Is Dead,
Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last for ever: I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now: put out every one;
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun;
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood.
For nothing now can ever come to any good.

W. H. Auden