John Jepson loved his Habs and his ball teams

Ceremonies for John Jepson will be held Sunday at George Darte Funeral Chapel (585 Carlton St.) in St. Catharines, Ont. Public Visitation 10:30 a.m. Celebration of Life 11:45 a.m. Jepson was with the Ontario Terriers after co-founding the Toronto Mets.

John Jepson wore a lot of ball caps: North York Blues, Team Ontario, Toronto Mets and the Ontario Terriers. Photo: Tina Chong.

By Danny Gallagher

Canadian Baseball Network

Larry Carriere considered John Jepson his best friend.

They met in Grade 1 at a school in Montreal’s Park Extension district and the friendship took off from there. They became special chums, playing peewee and junior ball together, often before large crowds at Jarry Park in the days before the Expos became chic at the cosy landmark.

More often than not, Jepson, Carriere and close amigo Dan Amadori would play in front of scouts, including John’s father John, who studied potential prospects for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Carriere and Amadori, not to mention Jepson’s family, are pretty shook up these days at Jepson’s death following an 18-month battle with pancreatic cancer. Jepson died at Hospice Niagara in St. Catharines, Ont. on Oct. 16 at the too-young age of 67.

“What I remember most about John was his tremendous humility. His humility and respect for people were off the charts,’’ said Carriere, the assistant general manager of the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens and a former NHLer. “He was definitely my best friend. He was always upbeat and very interested in what other people were doing. People respected him so much. He was very caring toward everyone.’’

Jepson never forgot his Montreal roots, even though he moved to Toronto in 1970. He was a Canadiens fanatic, whose love for baseball was also profound when he wasn’t involved in his career with Merit Insurance, Quaker State Oil and Castrol.

John Jepson inside the inner sanctum of the Montreal Canadiens dressing room.

“One of the highlights for me was getting John into the Canadiens dressing room,’’ Carriere said.

Like Carriere, Amadori saw the caring, respectful side of Jepson. Amadori remembers the thoughtful coach in Jepson, who would show at practices as a visiting instructor to teach pitchers the ropes. When the kids stood to watch Jepson, they were fascinated by his knowledge. They loved him.

“As a coach, John was methodical,’’ Amadori said in an interview. “He was polished and very good in management and coaching. For all of his accomplishments, John should be in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.’’

Jepson was a successful coach in the 1980s and 1990s with the North York Blues, who captured two national midget championships. He was a co-founder with Jason Chee-Aloy of the Toronto Mets’ organization and later the Ontario Terriers.

He was a board member and, ultimately, president of the Premier Baseball League of Ontario. Earlier this year, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the PBLO.

The presenter told Jepson “he has touched thousands of baseball lives“.

One of those lives was that of Clare Osborne.

“I knew JJ quite well,’’ said Osborne, a coach for a number of years with the Mets’ organization. “John was well liked and respected by the players and parent group and the other teams. He made sure that the players were looked after in all aspects, whether at home or on road trips, whether it be equipment, uniforms, hotel, food, etc. He was a real organizer. When it came to be involved with baseball, he was there for all of the right reasons. He was taken from us too soon.’’

During this difficult time with the loss of his close friend, Amadori reflects not only on the charisma shown by Jepson but he took time to reveal one of Jepson’s hobbies that would surprise a lot of people.

“John was fascinated by the transit system in Montreal,’’ Amadori said. “When he was 13, he rode buses in Montreal to track their routes, their times. He was fascinated by the entire bus system and the logistics.

“Fast forward 40 years, he had started a limousine business for the fun of it. He did a lot of driving, driving around a lot of celebrities. He was self-proficient, a natural organizer. He ended up running dispatch for a large limousine company.’’

Jepson is survived by his wife Linda, his sister Gale, his brother Jeff, step-sister Kim and brothers-in-law Mike Cooper and Steven Cooper. Amadori and Carriere were both mentioned in Jepson’s obituary.

A celebration of Jepson’s life is scheduled for Sunday 21 at the George Darte Funeral Home in St. Catharines.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Hospice Niagara Stabler Centre (403 Ontario Street, St. Catharines, Ont.).