Eedy, Second Lieutenant John Wilson

Service Highlights

  • Born in St. Marys, Ontario, in 1915.
  • Attended Central School and St. Marys Collegiate in St. Marys.
  • Graduated from the University of Toronto in 1937.
  • Served with the Oxford Rifles during the Second World War.
  • Rank; Second Lieutenant
  • Served; Prince George, British Columbia, during wartime service.
  • Married Dorothy May Strom in 1943 after meeting her in British Columbia during the war.
  • Post War work; publisher-editor of the St. Marys Journal Argus
  • Wrote the long-running local column “The Rambling Reporter.”
  • Died; 1996.
  • Commemorated through the St. Marys Legion Veterans Banner Program.

A Life and Service Remembered

John Wilson Eedy was born in St. Marys in 1915 and was deeply rooted in the life of the community from the beginning. He attended Central School and St. Marys Collegiate before going on to graduate from the University of Toronto in 1937, continuing a strong family tradition of higher education and public life.

When the Second World War came, Eedy served as an officer with the Oxford Rifles. Family recollections and local historical sources place him in Prince George, British Columbia, during the war, where he met Dorothy May Strom at a dance. The two married in 1943, beginning a partnership that would later bring Dorothy from British Columbia to St. Marys as a young war bride.

At this time, his service records are not publicly available, so the exact details of his wartime movements have not yet been confirmed.

After the war, John returned home to St. Marys and stepped into an important role in local life as publisher-editor of the St. Marys Journal Argus. He later became widely known for writing “The Rambling Reporter,” a column that reflected the people, events, and spirit of the town for many years. His life was one of service in more than one sense, first in uniform, then in print, helping record the story of the community he called home.

Major Battles and Operations

  • Second World War service with the Oxford Rifles
  • Officer service in Canada during wartime training and troop movement operations
  • Wartime service connected to Prince George, British Columbia, according to family and local historical sources

Learn More

St. Marys Museum image record
https://images.ourontario.ca/stmarys/3530449/data

St. Marys Heritage: A Portrait of Service and Legacy – John Wilson Eedy
https://www.eternalcarestoneservices.ca/post/st-marys-heritage-a-portrait-of-service-and-legacy-john-wilson-eedy

Dorothy May Eedy obituary
https://hodgesfuneralhome.ca/tribute/details/345/Dorothy-Eedy/obituary.html