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DRAYTON – The passing of a longtime and beloved Drayton grocery store worker will leave a void in the small town.
John Ford died earlier this week at 64 – although he would joke he was forever 19 – of natural causes in his sleep after working the same grocery store job for decades.
When John’s sister Bonnie Ford posted about his passing on a community Facebook group, hundreds of comments poured in expressing condolences and reminiscing on the impact he had.
“Our condolences to John's family and friends. He was great to talk to. He remembered everybody and was genuinely interested in your life,” Fran DeBoer wrote.
“John was such a thoughtful and kind man. It always amazed me how he could remember special dates like birthdays and anniversaries of so many people. He always asked how our family was doing and to make sure I said hello to everyone. John, your smile and our conversations will be missed greatly,” Laura Donaldson-Brohman wrote.
“John always had a moment to chat. He had an uncanny way of remembering your name, even if he met you only once. He will be missed. On behalf of all residents and visitors that have come to know John over the years, condolences to his family and his closest friends,” Mapleton Mayor Gregg Davidson wrote in a Facebook post.
In a phone interview, Bonnie said this outpouring from the community was simply because everyone knew him across generations.
“I’m 11 years younger (than John) but I have a daughter and her friends know him and then you have people that are his generation that have grandkids and they know him … they all had some kind of interaction with John and you don’t find people like that every day,” Bonnie said.
This was Debra Kropf’s experience too, being John’s boss for 11 years. Having owned the Drayton Freshmart from 2010 to 2021, she said you couldn’t walk into the grocery store and not know him.
“He was able to remember everyone’s birthday, everyone’s anniversary, he joked with the customers, he packed their groceries. He was literally OCD on the way he kept his aisles, they were immaculate,” Kropf said.
John was the oldest of four siblings, Bob, Bonnie and Glen, who grew up in Drayton.
Bonnie said her brother had a slight disability but their parents never had him officially diagnosed.
He lived on his own in Drayton above the flower shop and worked at the grocery store in town at the same job for 36 years and was a constant at it through countless name, location and ownership changes.
“When the store got sold, it was just understood that John was part of it because the community loved him,” Kropf said. “I’m very proud that I worked with him.”
Outside of work, Bonnie said her brother was a man who enjoyed his privacy and quiet time after being happy-go-lucky all day. Among his hobbies and collections were over 100 pen pals in North America and beyond.
“He didn’t use a computer so all his letters were handwritten,” Bonnie said.
He was also devout to his faith, raised Catholic, but ended up settling on a local Mennonite Church where Bonnie said he was welcomed with open arms.
“He just made his own place wherever he wanted to go, he was accepted,” Bonnie said.
It’s clear to Bonnie based on the flood of condolences and comments about John that he was special to the Drayton community.
“It’s something that’s going to be felt for a long time by everyone,” Bonnie said.
