OBITUARY — PDG John Anderson, age 81, passed away on August 22, 2026, at Surrey Memorial Hospital after a strong and courageous battle with cancer.
John was a member of the Rotary Club of Tsawwassen, where he served as president in 2012–13. From 1990 to 2002, he was a member of the Rotary Club of West Vancouver and served as its president in 1998–99.
He served as District 5040 Governor in 2015–16.
In addition to holding numerous club-level leadership roles, John served on the District Board and on the Youth and Foundation Committees, and he chaired the Scholarship Committee. He was a multiple Paul Harris Fellow and a member of the Paul Harris Society.
In 2018, John was appointed to chair a Rotary International Presidential Conference in Vancouver, focused on environmental issues and attended by more than 1,000 delegates from around the world.
In 2019, he organized and led a Rotary Foundation Vocational Training Team(VTT) focused on computer and internet technology to support teachers in rural Kenya. A team of teachers from British Columbia travelled to Kenya to help educators integrate technology into classroom instruction.
Born and raised in Melbourne, Australia, John completed his teacher training in his home state of Victoria. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts from Monash University in Australia, a Bachelor of Education and a Master of Arts from the University of British Columbia, and a Doctorate in Education from Simon Fraser University.
John had a long and distinguished career in public education, serving as a teacher, school administrator, and district superintendent. He and his wife, Claire, were both teachers of students who were deaf or hard of hearing, working in Australia, England, Saskatchewan, and throughout British Columbia. John authored numerous journal articles and educational publications and presented at conferences across Canada and internationally. In retirement, he worked as a consultant for the Ministry of Education throughout BC and as an Inspector of BC Schools in China.
John was predeceased by Claire in 2022. Together, John and Claire had four children and four grandchildren. They enjoyed travelling and spending time with family at their cabin on Kootenay Lake in Nelson.