The obituary of Maj (ret'd) John Moffatt. Services will be at a later date to be announced.
A great Canadian died recently of ALS in Florida where he had fought this insidious disease for over a year. John Samuel Moffatt was born in Hamilton into a large Irish family. As a teenager he enlisted in the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry. Following graduation from Cathedral Boys catholic School, John applied for and was accepted ROTP Civilian University where he continued to parade with the RHLI. Upon graduation John was posted as a Platoon Commander to the 2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment in Gagetown NB with whom he served an operational tour in Cyprus. Volunteering for the Canadian Airborne Regiment, John was posted in 1975 to 3 Canadian Mechanised Commando in Baden Solingen Germany as the Mortar Platoon Commander; he moved to Lahr Ge as the Aide to the 4 Canadian Mechanised Brigade Commander in 1978. John returned to Gagetown N.B. the following year to be Standards Officer at the Canadian Infantry School. He was promoted Major and posted back to 2 RCR to command an Infantry Company. In 1984 he returned to Lahr Ge as the G 4 Ops for 4 CMBG. Following a Staff posting to Mobile Command Headquarters in St Hubert PQ (1987-1990), as the Staff Officer responsible for Infantry Equipment, John once again returned to Germany, this time to Bonn as the Canadian Army Military Attaché. While there he completed an MBA from the University of Maryland and upon release from the Canadian Forces he continued to teach at the University of Maryland Campus in Bonn Ge. John and his family, being fluent in German and English, were able to slide easily between the Educational systems in both Germany and Canada.
John returned to North America for good in 1999 where he took a position with the Federal Government and began parading once again with the RHLI. In the early 2000s he moved to Kingston with his son Jack and became an Independent Contractor working in the Army Simulation Centre for Calian Technologies. At the same time he became the Deputy Commanding Officer for the Princesses of Wales Own Regiment until 2005 when he married his childhood sweetheart and moved to Florida where Maureen was/is a Respiratory Nurse. He is survived by Maureen (Florida), son Jack who has returned to Germany to fulfill his military commitment and continue with his education and his daughter Kirsten ( ) who resides in Hawaii with her military husband.
