Obituary of CJohn Zammit

On June 1, 2024, at the age of 88, CJohn passed away unexpectedly at Niagara Health Welland Hospital after a brief illness. He is predeceased by his wife Catherine, his brothers Giuseppe and Salvatore, and his parents Giovanni and Petronilla. CJohn is survived by his sister Carmen (Carmel Farrugia), daughter Ann-Marie (Bob Romeo), son Daniel, son Aaron (Carolyn Scheel), granddaughter Catherine-Jane, grandson Jack, and many cousins, nieces, and nephews. He is also survived by his dearest friend Josephine Llanos. CJohn was adored by many friends, whom he considered to be family; far too many to list. If you think you’re one of those friends, you are right, he loved you so very much!

Born on August 22, 1935 in his family home in the village of Gudja, on the beautiful Mediterranean island of Malta, he was given the name Carmelo Giovanni Giuseppe. When he was 18 years old, he left the island and headed to Canada, where he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force as Carmel John.

He was based in Winnipeg for five years serving as a flight navigator, after which he was honourably discharged and granted Canadian citizenship. He decided he needed to find somewhere a little warmer than Manitoba to start his exciting life journey and made his way to balmy Ontario, settling in Toronto. He worked for a Coca Cola factory where he was poised to acquire the business but after a blow out with the owner, he walked away from it all; served as a bank teller who was popular with all the Italian speaking customers in the Bathurst & Dupont area because he was the only teller who could speak Italian (along with his native Maltese and English); invented the answering machine (unbelievable yes, but very true); and drove a taxi cab to do research for human interest stories for the first Maltese language newspaper he founded in the Junction area of Toronto, where the Maltese community flourished.

Picture it – Malta, 1970. CJohn was back for a short vacation and hanging out with his cousin on the rooftop of his shop. Just like a scene out of a movie, he set his sights on a beautiful, sunbathing beauty on the beach below. He told his cousin he was going to marry that girl. “You’re crazy, Charlie!” his cousin yelled, as CJohn ran down to the woman who had instantly captured his heart. He introduced himself and asked if he could take her out to lunch. She initially said no, but her niece, who was with her that day, insisted that she go to lunch with the nice man. “Go with him, Auntie Katie!” And so, she did. And continued to go with him all the way to Canada.

Carmel “Charlie” John Zammit and Catherine “Katie” Jane Agius tied the knot on June 19, 1971, at St. Paul the Apostle Church in the heart of Toronto’s Maltese Junction. They welcomed three children Ann-Marie (1975), Daniel (1976), and Aaron (1978). They settled in the City of St. Catharines in the up-and-coming neighbourhood of Port Weller, where CJohn designed and built their family home. He worked as an expeditor at Foster Wheeler. Life was just fantastic.

After ten years of bliss, Charlie’s world would turn upside down when his beloved Katie was diagnosed with breast cancer. She would pass into the next realm on February 20, 1984, leaving behind a family forever heartbroken. And this is where our hero enters into dark times. He was faced with the daunting task of caring for three small children, all the while, grieving his wife and the life of what could have been.

But you see, he was no ordinary fellow; he was an extraordinary man with a capacity to see the world in ways which many of us could never envision. CJohn Zammit was absolutely ahead of his time.

He had an imagination larger than the constructs of space and time. He was always creating and inventing, including what we are sure is, the first e-book in 1987. In recent years, he was working on inventing an electric car that was compact and affordable for those who didn’t have the means to buy a conventional vehicle, let alone a top tier electric one. He believed that parents are the greatest unpaid labour force on the planet, and advocated for them to be recognized and compensated. He wrote stories and essays and launched independent newspapers and magazines to publish his musings. He most recently invented a math game – Sherlock’s Math – and self-published it.

But along with his incredible mind, he had the most magnificent heart. His capacity to love everyone is unmatched. He truly wanted those he loved to have the best, even if it meant he went without. He always said he wanted to live to be 120 years old so he could see his children and grandchildren take their place in society. We believed he could actually do it!

Daddy, Pops, Dad2, Nannu, Papa, Uncle Charlie, Seajay, Mr. Zammit – how are we going to manage living in a world without you? The answer, you have already taught us.

Lead with love. Do your best. Think and dream to the depths of space.

Love you.

Good night.