Obituary of John Byron Hosking
April 8, 1950 – May 1st, 2024
Byron passed peacefully on May 1st, 2024, after a lengthy and courageous battle with cancer. He was born on April 8, 1950, in Niagara Falls, Ontario and was the only child of John and Frances Hosking. The family lived in Welland, Ontario until Byron was 17 and then moved to Victoria, British Columbia in 1967 where he attended senior high school and eventually left the University of Victoria in 1975 with a Master’s Degree in Musicology. During this time, he was also an organist at St John’s Anglican Church, Victoria. In 1987 Byron moved from Vancouver Island to Vancouver where he took up the job of Deputy Gold Commissioner for the BC Ministry of Energy and Mines, and was promoted to Gold Commissioner within a year. He resided there for many years before moving to Pitt Meadows in 2000. He retired in 2007 when he was diagnosed with cancer and finally moved to Maple Ridge in 2019. Byron loved nature walks, flowers and animals, and had a special affinity with dogs, squirrels and other wild creatures that seemed to trust him unconditionally. He also loved frogs and fish, having a whole room in his house put aside as an aquarium. Byron will be deeply missed by his family in the UK, numerous friends and co-workers. A memorial mass will be held May 18th at 11am at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Maple Ridge. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Maple Ridge SPCA would be greatly appreciated.