John McArthur was born in Sussex on June 9, 1936, he was the son of the late Harry Cecil and Jane Pearl (Carr) McArthur and the husband of the late "Edie" Katherine Edith (Sketchely) McArthur who passed away in 2012. As were most, the McArthur family was large and not well off. John was the second youngest. Two years after John was born, his mother died after giving birth. At 14, John went to work as a water boy for the CNR. That was followed by various jobs, the most memorable being as a truck driver for CW Upham Ltd, at Glendale Homes in Sussex, and as a sawmill foreman for JD Irving Ltd. Always happy to be working, he was disappointed to retire in 1998 due to poor health. John always had a heart for civic duty, and jumped at the suggestion, from his Uncle Murray Carr, that he join the Sussex Fire Department. That began a special time in his life that lasted 33 years. He loved being a fireman and had many stories of fires and accidents he attended throughout the region. He retired in 1993 as a captain. John was competitive by nature and loved sports, particularly hockey, darts and horseshoes. The bookcases were lined with trophies of his wins. He played gentlemen's hockey every Sunday morning for many years, and his favourite NHL team was the Boston Bruins. He also loved to fish and hunt. It was with great uncertainty that our mother, Edie McArthur, placed our father as a patient at the Kiwanis Nursing Home in January 2006. It turned out to be the right decision as he was already in the mid stages of Alzheimers disease. She continued to visit him faithfully until her own illness last fall made it impossible. Although not a regular church attender, John had a firm belief in God, a relationship with Jesus Christ, and a great respect for his church, the Salvation Army. John will continue to live on in the hearts of his daughter; Gisele McKnight and her husband Louis of Lake George, NB; his sons: Burton McArthur and his wife Wanda of Apohaqui, and Michael McArthur of Sussex; two brothers: Harry Carr of Hampton and Gordon and his wife Florence of Sussex; nine grandchildren: Amanda McGrath (Jamie) of Riverview, Lindsay McArthur (Andrew) of Penobsquis, Marc McArthur (Kathlene) of Sussex Corner, Ashley McKnight of Vietnam and Jacqueline McKnight of Lake George, NB, Eric and Lorilee McArthur both of Tashkent, Uzbekistan; Andrew LeBlanc (Sara) of Sussex, Erica Verschuren (Zach) of North Sydney, NS; five great grandchildren: Amelia, Madalin, Abigail, Myelle and Gavin, as well as several nieces, nephews and cousins. John is predeceased by his son Murray, his brother Albert, his sisters: Alice Patterson and Mildred Nagle and by his great grandson Dreden McArthur. The family will receive relatives and friends at Wallace Funeral Home, 34 Sunnyside Drive, Sussex, (506-433-1176) on Wednesday from 1-3 and 6-8pm. A service celebrating John's life will be held from Salvation Army Community Church on Thursday, August 08, 2013 at 11:00 am. There will be a time of fellowship with the family downstairs immediately following the service. A private family interment will take place in Steeves Settlement Cemetery. If you are considering making a memorial donation the family has recommended the Salvation Army Community Church or the Kiwanis Nursing Home. www.wallacefuneralhome.com