John Paul Carroll
Passed 10/26/2023
Obituary For John Paul Carroll
Loyal, intelligent, fair, sensitive, funny, mischievous and generous. These characteristics all describe John, a well-known and widely loved community and business leader and mentor to many. He was a much-in-demand auctioneer, a storyteller extraordinaire, and he loved the ‘art of the deal’. Once a friend of John’s, you were a friend for life.
On October 26th, 2023, John passed away at home with his beloved wife, Gail, by his side after a lovely evening out with friends. John was 77 years old.
John was a loving and devoted husband to his wife of 53 years, Gail (nee Pridham), a proud and supportive father to his children, Dr. Julia (Michael) and Scott (Katie), and an adoring Grampy to his grandchildren Abigail, Victoria, Sophie and Jane.
John was born in Minto, New Brunswick, the second child of Donald and Imelda Carroll. His father was the Sergeant Major for the Nova Scotia RCMP, and John spent his formative years in Halifax and Chester. His ancestors first came to Chester in the mid-1700s, and John and Gail maintain the old family homestead to this day. John resided in Half Moon Cove in Chester, where he and Gail enjoyed their retirement, entertaining many friends and family in their beautiful home on the water. Over their lifetime, John and Gail had many adventures travelling the world together. In later years, they spent the winters in Florida, surrounded by a wonderful community of friends both on and off the water.
John was an avid sailor who enjoyed club racing at Chester Yacht Club, especially on the High Tide. He loved his toys, and his powerboats were always named Gail Force in honour of Gail, his first mate on the water and in life. A proud bluenoser, John was known to give the quintessential Chester Harbour Tour, and he loved to take people for the ‘ride of their lives’ in his latest sports car.
John was a brilliant businessman with decades of success in the automotive industry. He first became a General Motors dealer in 1975 in Listowel, Ontario. He went on to own and operate various automobile dealerships in Moncton, NB and in Dartmouth, Halifax, Liverpool, and Bridgewater, NS.
John was one of the original investors and partners in Future Inn Hotels. This enterprise has prospered since its beginnings in Dartmouth, with locations in Halifax and Dartmouth, as well as three locations in the United Kingdom. In addition to his business interests, John served on numerous boards within the automotive industry, including Chair of the National Dealer Council with Chrysler Canada, President of the Moncton Auto Dealers Association, President of the Maritime Pontiac Buick Dealer Marketing Association, and National Chair of the General Motors Dealer Communications team.
An active and committed community member, John supported many local causes, both large and small. In his beloved home community of Chester, John served as Chair of the Area Advisory Planning Committee and as Chair of the Chester Village Commission. He was a past Commodore of the Chester Yacht Club and an active member of the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary. He was a board member of the Chester and Area Family Resource Centre and Vice President of the Chester Chamber of Commerce. His most recent work included serving on the South Shore Regional Hospital Fundraising Board. John was also enthusiastically involved in politics at the municipal, provincial and federal levels. Most recently, he led a successful provincial election campaign for the Chester-St. Margaret’s riding.
John was proud to receive The Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee medal in 2022 from the Canadian Parliament in recognition of his community service and business leadership.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Health Services Foundation for South Shore Regional Hospital (www.healthservicesfoundation.ca). Members of Chester Yacht Club may consider a donation to the CYC Benefactor’s Trust. John was very passionate about this project, which will help sustain Chester's historic club.
A celebration of life will be held on July 26, 2024 at Chester Yacht Club starting at 5:00 PM (1700).
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