MacCoubrey Funeral Home
30 King St. E., Cobourg
This obituary is protected by copyright by MacCoubrey Funeral Home Limited. Proudly serving Northumberland County in the province of Ontario, Canada. All rights reserved.
John Michael Hubicki passed away peacefully in Cobourg, Ontario on July 7, 2024 at the age of 92. He was born September 5, 1931 in Toronto to Polish immigrants Leo and Rose Hubicki. John was predeceased by his wife of 59 years, Dorothy (nee Burfield), who left us in 2018. He will be greatly missed by his children Wendy Fedec (Tom), Michael (Roxanne Browne), Lisa Smith (Ron), Laura Manley (Les), and his three grandchildren: Hana Hubicki, Cole Mellows and Christian Mellows. Predeceased by his younger sister, Jeanne Narozenski, he will be missed by his surviving sister Anne Gomez, his five nieces and their families, and his former daughter-in-law Tina Hubicki.
John attended Western Tech High School in Toronto for Architectural Drafting and Building Construction, and in 1956 graduated from the University of Toronto with a Degree in Civil Engineering. Later in life he was very proud to earn his Ontario Architect designation. Early in his career he served as Assistant County Engineer for Peel and later as Peterborough County Engineer from 1960-63. In 1964, John joined George Totten and Ted Sims, two other former county engineers, to form the consulting civil engineering firm Totten Sims Hubicki (TSH) and set up shop in Cobourg. From its modest beginnings the business prospered, ultimately operating 11 branches across Ontario. John had a career-long interest in urban and regional planning and was involved in numerous environmental impact assessments as well as master planning for communities across the province. He retired in 1995 after 32 years with the firm.
John excelled athletically throughout his school years, playing baseball, soccer, hockey, football, rugby and basketball! University is also where he got his first taste of singing in a barbershop quartet; a hobby he pursued for much of his life. He had a beautiful tenor voice and sang in several quartets and choirs, as well as in many musical productions staged by the Northumberland Players Theatre Company, the Oriana Singers, and the Cobourg Opera and Drama Guild’s Gilbert and Sullivan productions. He enjoyed golf, sailing, hiking, wood carving, playing the harmonica and other artistic pursuits. He was a true renaissance man and excelled at almost everything he tried. John was also very active in the Cobourg community and over the years made contributions to the YMCA, Northumberland Hills Hospital, the Library, Cobourg Community Centre and other organizations.
The family would like to thank the truly wonderful staff at the Cobourg Extendicare Long Term Care Home for the excellent care they provided to John during his time there. Family and friends are invited to attend a Celebration of Life at MacCoubrey Funeral Home, 30 King Street East, Cobourg on Wednesday, August 7th at 1:00 pm. If wished, donations in commemoration of John can be made to Parkinson Canada or Northumberland Hills Hospital Foundation (nhhfoundation.ca).
A Memorial Donation has been made to the following charity:
Parkinson Canada
my condolences to Mike, Laura and all of the Hubicki family and extended family.
A Memorial Donation has been made to the following charity:
Northumberland Hills Hospital Foundation
Happy to have known John and his legacy. Rest in Peace and cherished family memories.
I was privileged to know John on a business basis, as well on a social environment, a truly professional Man, and endearing business associate!
Sorry to hear of your loss. Unfortunately we’ll be away for the service. Thoughts and prayers are with you all.
So sad to hear of the passing of your Dad. Have fond memories of him both from him being my Soccer Coach with you Mike (although I drove him crazy with all my ejections for fighting!) and from being around that stunning family house of yours with all of you. Sending my condolences.
I had the honour of singing alongside John in Musicmakers and Oriana. He was a lovely man with a wonderful sense of humour and an effervescent smile ! He was a champion of everyone he met. Sincerest condolences.
Lisa and Laura, I’m so sorry to hear that your dad has passed away. Sincere condolences to you and your family. Karen Stinson.
I was so very sorry to hear about your dad. My condolences to all the family.
Wendy, Mike, Lisa and Laura. We were so sorry to hear about your father’s passing. He was a good family friend and partner to our father for many years. Our sincere condolences to the entire family.
To the Hubicki family - my sincere condolences in the loss of your father. I worked at TSH for almost 15 years, and it was a privilege to know him. May he rest in peace, he is with your mother now.
My condolences to the entire Hubicki family.
Our mutual profession was Engineering but we also enjoyed several years sharing in our avocation of Barbershop Singing. The "Goode Tymes Penny Arcade" quartet particularly enjoyed protraying the 'school board' in the Northumberland Player's 1983 production of 'The Music Man'. Those were indeed good times! -Lynn Brown
John was an amazing man! It was a pleasure to have known him! One word should describe him which is legend! Rest in peace John!❤️
Lisa, Ron, Cole, Christian and the entire Hubicki family, Your father/grandfather impacted many people due to his many interests. He was so diverse in what he enjoyed. Family first, athletics, singing, playing harmonica, many volunteer activities ... and so much more. We are happy he shared his smile and enthusiasm with everyone he met. Definitely a role model for many and a life well-lived. Sincere condolences to you and your family. September 5, 1931 - July 7, 2024 John Michael Hubicki ~ REST IN PEACE ~
My deepest condolences to Wendy, Mike, and Lisa. Outside of our high-school friendships, your Dad provided me with my very first engineering based summer job with TSH. It was an experience that I never forgot, and it led me into a long career. He was my catalyst, and I will never forget him.
Our deepest sympathies to the family.
Our deepest condolences to Mike Lisa, Laura, and Wendy on the passing of your dad . Cherish your so many memories of him.
Dear Mike, Hannah and family, We are so very sorry for the loss of your father and grandfather. Focus on the wonderful memories you have of your father. In deep sympathy. Barbara & John King
We are so very sorry to hear the news of your Dad's passing and send our love and condolences to you and your family Laura. Dar ♥️
Mike - I was sorry to hear of your dad’s passing. My sincere condolences to you and your family. Cheryl
So sorry to learn of John's passing! I thoroughly enjoyed working with John on numerous GO Transit projects in the early 80's. One of John's favourite expressions was, "this design is pleasing to the visual palette! John was well respected by his staff and clients! My sincere condolences to Michael and his family! Jim McEwen, Bowmanville
I am sad to hear the demise of John Hubicki. He hired me in 1967 from the University of waterloo to design the Cambellford Bridge. He was kind and understanding of young engineers and he always supported me. He had a great vision for Architecture and performing Arts. He was a Renaissance man with the knowledge of Art and Engineering. John had a well lived life and served the community well. My sincere condolences to you Mike and all your families. Raj Mosur
What a wonderful, gentle man. We all had so much fun with John on stage (Northumberland Buskers), and off stage sitting at theatre board meetings. My deepest sympathies.
To all the Hubicki's we send our deepest condolences. Any memories of Mr, Hubicki and Dorothy bring a smile to my face. They where such a wonderful couple Sending prayers you way.
I am deeply saddened to hear about John Michael Hubicki's passing. Please accept my heartfelt condolences during this difficult time.
I didn't know John personally other than to meet him briefly when I moved to the County from Toronto but when I worked for the Provincial Ministry of Municipal Affairs in the community planning field, Totten Sims and Hubicki was one of the most highly regarded engineering and planning consultants we liaised with - and there were many against which to compare. John and his partners were considered first class professionals.
What a vision, what an intellect and respect for thought-out processes John had. First encountered him as a truly “puppy” journalist in the 1970s. I covered Northumberland County municipal politics. Tottenham, Sims, Hubicki ruled in terms of gained engineering and designed projects. Fast forward to the early 2000s. Life and careers in between. I returned to journalism in Northumberland County. There was a new provincial edict re:growth. Housing approvals had to match employment/jobs available. John, retired, offered to be interviewed (and as nerdy as it all may sound to some, this stuff really matters). “That is so elegant,” John said. “I wish I had thought of it.” Ahhhh. But you did. Years before. Salud!
Sorry to hear about your father, Mike. Phelan+
Laura and family, I am so sorry to hear of the passing of your father. May your many happy memories help to carry you through the sorrow. I remember happy times spent at your home on Lakeshore. Thinking of you, Merna
I'm so very sorry to hear of John's loss. I have so many great memories of singing in the church choir. He got me involved with Northumberland Players which continued through numerous musicals. It was John's and my idea of trying to start a church quartet at which point we asked Janice and Brenda, and the 4 of us had many memorable times, most notably, singing at Roy Thompson Hall in Toronto for a Baptist benefit concert. I remember the 4 of us singing together at Elim Lodge for a women's retreat, and one of the ladies afterwards told John he had barbershop eyes. He will be missed and remembered. Rest In Peace John. Until we sing together again in Heaven.
It is with much sadness that I learned of the recent passing of friend and former colleague, John Hubicki. I was privileged to have worked with John during his 32 year tenure at TSH. I always considered John as a true visionary in his chosen professional engineering and architectural career (not always accepting status quo) and was a major contributor to the success of TSH. He was respected by his peers and colleagues for his guidance and thoughtfulness of others. I am personally grateful to John for his support during our many years of association. John and his (late) best friend Dorothy’s happiness was fulfilled with the raising of their children Wendy, Michael, Lisa and Laura including their families. My sincere condolences to all. Don Bourne
Mike I was sorry to her of your dad's passing. My thoughts are with you and your family at this time.
Laura, Les, Michael and Family, I'm so sorry to hear of the passing of John. May the memories carry you through this difficult time. It was lovely to read the obituary, not only was John a successful business man, he was involved and supported many clubs in the community. RIP John Eileen Sheppard and Mike Pronk
A truly accomplished man. His children and family were his support for his final years and moments. A tribute to all.
Les and Laura and the Hubicki family sending our sincere condolences on the passing of your father. Thinking of you at this difficult time. Hugs
Nous vous présentons nos plus sincères condoléances. Nos pensées vous accompagnent tout au long de dure épreuve. Votre famille de France s'associe à votre douleur.
Wendy, Michael, Lisa and Laura I send condolences on the passing of your father, John. May the best of memories remain with you always.
Wendy, Mike, Lisa, Laura and families, please accept our sincere condolences on the loss of your father. He is now reunited with your mother. May they both enjoy eternal happiness. It seems like just yesterday, that Mike and I were seated pretty much side by side in Mrs. Labecki's Spanish class. How the years fly by. Time waits for no one, but one day we will all be reunited. Until then, hold on to the memories. Bill and Carm.
I was saddened to see that John had passed away. I was one of those very blessed people to have sung with him in a quartet for a number of years. Celebration Quartet was an amazing experience and I think our greatest was singing at what was then Roy Thompson Hall in Toronto. John not only had a beautiful tenor voice, but he enjoyed performing and was such a joy to sing with. I used to also meet him on the golf course in more recent years where we would have a chat. He was a wonderful man and I pray God's peace will surround all of his family and friends at this sad time. Hold on to your memories of he and Dorothy.
Dear Wendy and family, my condolences on the passing of your father. Your father led such a remarkable life and had so much to offer. May he rest in peace.
Sending sincere condolences to Lisa, Ron, Christian & Cole on your Dad's, Grandfather's passing. Treasure your memories. Eric & Carol Buttar
I'm so sorry for your loss - your Dad was a lovely person. My favourite memories will be his twinkly eyes and his lovely voice.
So sorry to hear of his passing . He was a lovely man that always had the best smile. May he rest in paradise
Mike so sorry to hear of your dad’s passing. Our thought go out to you and your family Christine and Frank
Sorry to hear of your dad's passing. He was a lovely man.
Sincere condolences , John was a great guy ! He and his business colleagues put together a great Team, I had the privilege of working and relying on them for their expertise in the 1970s and 1980s - if only the management teams of the Leafs and the Jays could do half so well. Doug Mann
To family and friends of John Hubicki. I wanted to express my sadness hearing of John's death. I cannot claim to have been particularly close to John, but fortunately I had the pleasure and privilege of crossing paths with him often during my 35+ years living and practising law in Cobourg. We would have dealings professionally occasionally on some projects involving my clients, but most frequently and certainly most joyfully, it was our common interest in and love for music that made encounters with John such a pleasure. I think I first met him when he performed in the earliest production of "The Music Man" where I had the pleasure to be the rehearsal pianist and vocal director, and he enhanced my enjoyment of the entire project. Already an experienced barbershop quartet singer, along with other members of his quartet, he demonstrated considerable acting and comedy chops as well. He of course would dedicate those big talents on many other musical projects over many years, but I still hear the lovely harmonies of "Lida Rose" whenever I think of John. So a voice may have been silenced, but as the great poet Irving Berlin said "The song is ended but the melody lingers on".
I came to Canada from Ireland in November,1975. I was interviewed by John for an engineering post with Totten Sims Hubicki In December of the same year. That began my career of thirty two years with the company in the Cobourg office. John Hubicki was a gentleman and I came to respect his talents in many facets of company work. It was a pleasure to be in his company during work and socially.
With deepest sympathy, Mike.
I am so sorry to hear of this loss for your family and this world. I always enjoyed chatting with John. He embraced life and was so very proud of his family.
Such a wonderful person . I enjoyed so many conversations with John ( in the Y hot tub) You have my sorrows ?