Goderich, Ont. remembers their beloved mayor

As the sounds of bagpipes rang out across Goderich’s town square, residents stood at attention and businesses closed their doors for their beloved mayor John Grace, who died in a tragic boating accident in Northern Ontario two weeks ago.

“A friend to the entire community. He touched everyone in one way or another. It was a pleasure to do this for him, and the family,” says friend and Goderich Coun. Matt Hoy, who played the bagpipes in Grace’s honour today.

The 64-year-old Grace was laid to rest in Goderich on Tuesday.

Signs of love and support were all over the town, in the form of signs and pictures. Doug Fines, who has called Grace a friend for over 30 years, says he was a self-made man who loved his hometown and loved leading it.

Matt Hoy, a councillor for the town of Goderich, Ont. honours John Grace with bagpipe tribute in Goderich’s town square on August 23, 2022. (Scott Miller/CTV News London)

“He left town when he was 16, went out on his own. He came back 25 to 30 years later to rebuild his life here in town, and he made such a positive impact on this town,” says Fines.

Whether you knew him for 30 years or 30 days, Grace made you feel like a friend, says Kerry Kucharenko.

“Always said ‘Hi’ to me on the street. Treated me like a friend. Would bump into him all over the place. I can’t say enough about the guy. He did so much for this town of Goderich,” says Kucharenko, who recently moved to Goderich from Oakville.

Grace has been Goderich’s mayor since 2018, and was seeking another term in October. He’s spent 17 years on town council, as a councillor or deputy mayor, leading projects that revitalized Goderich’s square following the 2011 tornado, and the town’s famous boardwalk, damaged in an October 2019 storm, among many achievements.

Community mourners stand at attention during a community-wide moment of silence for Goderich, Ont. Mayor John Grace, as seen on August 23, 2022. (Scott Miller/CTV News London)

“John was very grounded. For those that were less privileged with housing, he knew where they were. He knew their names, and he had conversations with them. John had a great amount of love for the Town of Goderich, and he had the right intentions for the town moving forward,” says friend and Huron County Warden, Glen McNeil.

“He was our leader, and he got stuff done. And that’s what we needed, and that’s what we’re going to miss,” says Hoy.

Fines adds, “He wasn’t Your Majesty, or Mr. Mayor, he was John. John our mayor, so I think we’re all heartbroken, today."

Following Tuesday's private family and friend funeral service, a public memorial for John Grace is being planned in Goderich for Sept. 10.

John Grace is survived by his wife Wendy and three sons.