John had two priorities in his life, God and his family.  He looked for new challenges constantly and set out to achieve them, successfully climbing Mont Blanc in 2006 was just one such goal, achieving this on the third attempt. Never one to give up, failure wasn’t in his vocabulary, valleys were a challenge to be defeated, a path to the next mountaintop, both literally and in the other areas of his life, just a step to the next opportunity, a chance to learn and develop.  He truly believed that you can achieve anything, and your limitations are only what you perceive them to be.

 Along with a passion for mountains his other desire was for young people to be given opportunities whatever their situation, but particularly those in more difficult circumstances.  He actively encouraged the children and staff he worked with to see themselves as world changers.  Teaching he believed was a service, and service is a privilege.