Dr. John William Shirokoff
May 23, 1956 to January 9, 2020
Obituary
It is with great sadness that we announce the tragic passing of Dr. John William Shirokoff, Professor of Engineering at Memorial University, on January 9, 2020, aged 63 years. John was born in Jonquiere, Quebec together with his twin sister Pattie. He grew up in Kingston, Ontario where he received his doctorate at Queen’s University. John was an associate professor in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science at Memorial University for 20 years. He also worked at KFUPM in Saudi Arabia for 10 years and at the University of Illinois. John was well respected and received numerous awards over his career for his innovative research. He was very kind and passionate about helping his students be the best they could be. John had a very caring heart and loved his family. He enjoyed extensive travel and was an exceptional hockey player and golfer. John will be forever missed and loved. He is predeceased by his parents George and Nettie Shirokoff. He leaves behind to grieve his family: twin sister Patricia, brother Peter (Sheila) and sister Catherine (John); nieces and nephews: Lauren (Peter), Jeremy (Lindsey), David, Heather, Isaac (Kara), Richard (Alicia), Peter (Kayla) and Valerie; cousin Tom; great nephews George and Luke; and Jonathan (Cindy) and Kathryn (Jimmy). Also, his colleagues, staff and students at Memorial University. Funeral service will take place at the Carnell Memorial Chapel, 329 Freshwater Road on Saturday, January 25 at 2 p.m. A graveside service in Kingston Ontario Cataraqui Cemetery on Saturday September 26, 2020 at 2:30 p. m.
. Donations may be made in John’s name to Memorial University, as a scholarship fund is being planned, or to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.
Schedule
funeral
2:00pm, Saturday January 25th
The Carnell Memorial Chapel
329 Freshwater Road
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I am embarrassed to only now know of John’s death. Peter and John and their family were surrogates to many of us far from home while at Queens.
My thoughts and prayers go out to John’s family with my deepest condolences. He was a kind, decent and sincere man and a very dedicated professor who loved teaching and mentoring students. RIP John.
He was one of my favorite professors at University. He has been very nice to me during my stay at MUN. He is kind, funny and full of energy. We will miss you, Dr. Shirokoff !
Thoughts and prayers go out to John’s family. He was one of my favourite professors at University, an extremely kind man.
Sorry to hear of the tragic loss of John. Thoughts and Prayers with his family. Rest in the peace of Christ John. Amen.
We, Process Family, are mourning the loss of one of our dearest friends. He was a man with a smile, always had time for a chat with colleagues, staffs and students alike. He is one of the founding members of the department and made tremendous contribution to the department. Dr. Shirokoff will be especially remembered for his kindness, patience and help to his students. We will miss you John. Rest in Peace.
Very sorry to hear of John’s sudden passing. I attended high school with John at L.C.V.I in Kingston, Ontario. What a great guy he was. Spent many a time at the Shirokoff home growing up. Also, to his twin Pattie, whom I attended school with and a good friend also, I send my sincere condolences to you, family and friends. R.I.P John, you will be truly missed!
Marg Hawkins (Bryden)
We are so sorry that John has passed away. We hope that John’s family and friends will find peace at this difficult time and that all will be comforted by wonderful memories. As Claude Scilley mentioned, he looked a lot like his wonderful father and, from comments of others, it is obvious to us that he inherited the kindness, caring and thoughtfulness of his wonderful parents. John will be missed by everyone!
My sincere condolences to all members of his family, friends and colleagues that he left behind. May his untimely passing be a reminder about the fragility of life and may he rest in peace while his memory lives on.
Please know that we are thinking of your family at this difficult time and hope that there is some comfort and peace in knowing how well John was thought of and how greatly he impacted those around him. He will be missed.
Dr. John Shirokoff was a wonderful human being, kind, compassionate, with a good sense of humour, caring, especially for his students, and a talented engineer who made important contributions to materials engineering and corrosion control. Dr. Shirokoff, rest in eternal peace.
My condolences to John’s family and to his many friends. I shall greatly miss his friendship and our wide-ranging discussions.
I never walked pass his office door without saying hello and having a nice chat to start my day. John was an incredible person. I knew him more during my grad school and every time we talked, I leave the conversation learning a lot. My sincere condolences to the ones he left behind. He will be dearly missed.
My deepest condolences to Dr. Shirokoff’s family. He will be greatly missed here in the Bruneau Centre. ‘Rest in peace John’.
I will very much our long , rambling and entertaining discussions about the ‘important things’.
As a former colleague and early collaborator with John in his early years at MUN, I endorse the many comments already made by so many others, and extend my sincere sympathy and condolences to his family across the country, at this tragic and most untimely loss.
John put students first, and he made a positive difference in many lives.
I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Dr. Shirokoff as both an instructor during my undergrad, and more recently a colleague. He was always very friendly, ready to talk, and passionate about his work. My condolences to his family. He will be missed.
Dr. John Shirokoff is one of rare professors in the university who would not hesitate to talk any time of the day regardless of his busy schedule. His pleasing personality has been a shining light in the faculty. There are many who is routinely crossing this Elizebeth Avenue Junction near the university including me, and I still cannot believe how this can happen to him. We will miss him greatly. My sincere condolences to his lovely sisters and brothers, other close family members and friends.
I was shocked to hear of this tragedy. John taught me in my first year of undergraduate Engineering; from those days until now he has been an integral part of the Faculty. My sincere condolences: he will be greatly missed.
I first met John through working together on the design of the labs in the INCO (now Bruneau) Innovation Centre (IIC) before it was open. After it was open, I had my lab and he had his office there., and we often chatted when I met. Now, I known that I will miss John every time I walk into IIC again. My condolences to his family.
So sorry to hear of Dr. Shirokoff ‘s untimely passing! I will miss seeing him at gatherings around the Engineering Bldg. My sincere condolences to his family, friends and colleagues. Thinking of you during this sad time!
John was the kindest and most caring supervisor I’ve ever had. He always supported me and never ever made me sad. I already miss him and his long talks about economic issues, politics and… .
What a loss this is to all who knew John. He was always able to brighten my day with his cheerful demeanour and friendly chats. I will miss him and my work day will be lessened without his presence in it. My deepest sympathy to his family and friends..
I am feeling deeply sad to learn the sudden passing of John. John joined Memorial two years before me and he will be always remembered. My sincere condolences to his family and friends.
John was a simple person with kind big heart. Smile was always on his face when he talked to people. He was a responsible and knowledgeable professor caring about his students. Really enjoyed to be his colleague and friend. His helps and kindness to us will always be memorized.
Rest in peace John! You will be missed…
Dr. Shirokoff was a kind professor who would always take the time to help students out. He often would punctuate some of the drier lecture material with unexpected and hilarious anecdotes. I am sure my class will never forget Dr. Shirokoff’s good nature and unique sense of humour. My condolences to his family.
I was so sad today to read of Dr. John’s passing. His was a smiling, welcoming face on campus. He passed my office frequently, and never failed to grin and say hello. He touched many lives, and he will certainly be missed.
So sad we did not get a chance to say good buy to our dearest friend, colleague and passionate debater. John will be missed greatly, still hard to comprehend his sudden passing. My deepest condolences to John’s family.
Very sad news. John was a very friendly and nice professor in engineering. Always helpful and willing to talk about any issue. You can often find him in the building after 5 pm going around and talking to graduate students and other persons in the building. He will be missed in engineering. My condolences to his family.
John always had something interesting to say, often with a twinkle in his eye. He always looked for the amusing side. He was dedicated and kind. I only knew him through work, but he made a positive impact here.
I’m sure I’m not alone in remembering John’s unfailing good humor. He was always kind and willing to have a friendly chat. He was always at social and academic gatherings. He was a real part of the life of the faculty. Its still quite a shock to think of his passing. Condolences to his family. He will be missed.
John was a kind and caring man who would always take the time to stop and talk with you. I enjoyed working with him and was very sad to hear of his passing. Rest in peace John.
Sincere condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.
John was such a beautiful soul who was so dedicated to his work. May he rest in peace. My deepest condolences to John’s family and friends.
John was a the first person I would see every morning when I arrived to work. He loved his job and he loved Memorial University. I am going to miss him around the office and miss our daily chats. Condolences to his family
John was a beautiful person. I had many wonderful conversations with him where he made me laugh. I will miss him. Rest in peace, John. My sincere condolences to his family.
So sad news. losing a talented professional like Dr. John Shirokoff, it is a disaster for all of us.
deepest Condolences to his family and Memorial Engineering community.
Dr. John Shirokoff was a kind gentle soul. We had many conversations he was extremely intelligent. His passing is so sad. I miss him around already. My deepest condolences to his family.
Dr. John Shirokoff was a very intelligent and kind hearted person. We had several conversations ranging from diet to various aspects of the engineering. Last summer we spoke extensively about public transit and walking around the city and it is really unfortunate that he encountered such misfortune. I would like to extend my deepest sympathy to his family and friends.
John was a great help to me when I started working as a Technologist at Memorial in 2006. He was a great guy and one who will be missed. My condolences to the his family.
John was a great colleague to work with. His passing was a real shock. May John Rest In Peace. My deepest condolences to John’s family and friends!
Dr. Shirokoff was a kind man and brilliant researcher. He was my professor for 4 courses in my undergrad and a supervising professor for a few friends of mine. He was the kind of person who would see someone on the bus or out for a walk and talk for hours. I’m truely going to miss running into him unexpectedly.
I have known John since he came to Memorial in 2001. He always provided insightfulness to our interactions over the years. May he Rest In Peace. My condolences to his family and friends.
It is sad and shocking to learn John’s passing. Being a colleague with him for the last 5 years, I really enjoyed talking with him on almost daily basis. He was a very nice and kind person. It is a huge loss to us process engineering department at MUN. My condolences to his family, friends and students.
John’s tragic ending was dreadful to hear about and is a huge loss to Memorial University and the Province. Condolences to Johns family and friends.
Very sorry to hear of John’s passing. I had the pleasure to play so many rounds of golf at Cataraqui over 2 summers when we were 15 + 16 years of age. John was an absolute hoot to play golf with and he was a deep thinker. A very kind chap who impacted so many around him.
Dr. Shirokoff was the best and kindest Professor in the Engineering Department. He was my mentor for the final project and he always made us smile whenever we encountered issues.. He was truly an amazing person with whom I enjoyed talking for hours. He made international students feel like at home. I’m convinced that he will forever be alive in our memories. Sending my deepest condolences to his family and friends.
A kind and gentle soul. I was taught by John during my undergrad at MUN and came to know him more through my master’s degree, where he was always a friendly voice and a kind mentor. He will be deeply missed. Sending my condolences to his family and friends.
Very sad news indeed. Although Peter was my best friend, John was always fun to be around with his wry, quick wit. Hadn’t seen him in years but I still feel a terrible loss.
Pattie, Peter , Cathy, Len and I would like to express our deepest sympathy to you and your family for John’s very tragic passing. It has been many years since I last saw John but when I saw his picture all I could think was how much he looked like your Dad. Such a loss for you and the University community. Too soon, just too soon. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all.
Dear Peter and Family:
I was shocked to read of John’s passing in the Whig Standard n Kingston. John and I played hockey together for many years in Kingston. Although I haven’t seen John in many years, my memories of him on the ice were fond and fun. Your Dad and my Dad were loud supporters of our team from the bleachers! Your Mother was so kind to attend my Mother’s Celebration of Life in 2003 and we had a great catch up then. I am so sorry for your tragic loss. He certainly was an accomplished man that left too soon.
With sincere sympathy,
Bryan Mercer
Dr. Shirokoff taught me during engineering school. He was very helpful and approachable. I have fond memories of his classes. So sorry to hear of his untimely passing. My condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.
To John’s family,
Saddened and shocked on the passing of John. I only met John a few times at the Physics Dept where’ he had collaborated on a few projects with my daughters’ dad, Dr. Todd Andrews. I found him to be a gentle soul and very kind. Rest easy John.
Blessings to you, his family, friends & colleagues.
One of kindest professors at MUN who always cared for his students. I had the opportunity to visit the department first week of January and we talked for hours as we always did during my 7 years studying at MUN before moving to Calgary. Definitely a huge loss and send my deepest condolences to family and friends
Dr. Shirokoff was a great personality and was always kind and supportive of his students. My deepest condolences to his family, friends and students.
He will always be remembered.
A former student here. Dr. shirokoff was one of a kind and although I had him for only one course, his teachings have always stayed with me and I pay homage to him whenever I recall anything chemistry or materials science related. A huge loss indeed. Condolences on behalf of my family and the Engineering class of 2012
Dr. Shirokoff was a very kind person and a very intelligent professor. I was a student of his in engineering at Memorial back in 2008. He was very helpful and a great teacher. He will be greatly missed by many. My condolences to friends and family.
John was a gracious and gentle guy. I am so sorry for this loss. He made excellent contributions to the profession and had a positive impact on many students. My condolences to John’s family and to others close to him.
I am in shock. I was a student of his. One of the most decent guys I ever met and up for helping anyone as best he could. Also participated in a video we made for one of our projects. Great guy. Will be greatly missed. My condolences to the family. A lot of people will be heart broken in Engineering from this.