John MacMillan Stirling Lecky was born in Vancouver on August 29, 1940, the descendant of a Quaker family whose pursuits involved the Irish jute industry. John was the eldest grandson of H.R. MacMillan, a timber and paper baron who drove home the importance of setting life goals, working hard and applying self-discipline to everything he did.

He read law at Cambridge University, where he rowed on the university team and won against Oxford University in 1962. In 1964 they also won against Oxford University, and he and a teammate took home a win in the Goblets Coxless Pair. During his years at Cambridge, he became the President of the Hawks Club, and also was awarded the Mackenzie King Scholarship in International Law. After Rowing, John's love of sports and athletic prowess led him to try his hand at rugby. He later became a member of the Canadian rugby team touring the British Isles.

In the eighties he was actively involved with the Canadian Olympic Association, and he became a member of the executive board, and named Chef de Mission of the Canadian Olympic Team of the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics. John's involvement and contribution to the Association helped in Canada's winning of 44 medals.

He kicked off his business career as an investment analyst with Greenshields in Montreal in 1965. Seven years later, he founded the Resource Service Group Ltd., a public company with numerous subsidiaries active in the resource and transportation industries. In 1979, the Resource Service Group Ltd. relocated its head office to Calgary.

In 1988, he co-founded Canada 3000 Airlines Limited, and became its chairman and a principal shareholder. Under his stewardship and others it grew to become the second largest scheduled airline in Canada.

Other activities that delighted John included fishing, hiking, and rock climbing. He traveled the world engaging in these passions. In 1993, he reached 23,000 ft without oxygen on Masa Gang, in Bhutan. He also climbed the Canadian Rockies, the Swiss Alps, Aconcagua in Chile (featured here as background), and Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya in Africa.

John M.S Lecky departed this world at the early age of 62. At 6'5, he was a larger than life figure with infectious enthusiasm and a great sense of fun. He is missed greatly by those who knew him.