Obituary of Colin Jose

Colin Jose passed away peacefully with his wife by his side on Saturday, September 14, 2024 at the age of 88. Treasured husband of Karen (Bryant). Beloved father of Carla Willson, Teresa, Linda and Chris Jose. Loving Grandfather of William and Olivia Willson. He was a loving, kind, gentle man who lit up every room with the twinkle in his eyes, his mischievous smile and his witty sense of humour. He always knew how to make people laugh and won the hearts of so many throughout his life. Colin was born in England in the seaport town of Falmouth, Cornwall where he trained as an electrician. In 1957, he emigrated to Canada, living first in Hamilton and then Moose Jaw where he worked for the railway. After a few years he returned to Falmouth moving back to Canada in 1964 and got a job at Westinghouse in Hamilton where he met his wife. Colin and Karen married in November 1966. After many years working for Westinghouse, he was transferred to Camco retiring in October 1992. In 2006 Colin and Karen moved to London, Ontario Colin’s true passion was soccer. Realizing that no one in Canada was contributing to the English magazine World Soccer, he submitted an article on the game in Canada. That began a long career of writing about the game in both Canada and the USA. During his working years he spent most of his spare time in libraries doing research and writing soccer articles for many publications. When he retired he was able to devote more time to research and writing. He was considered the pre-eminent authority on the history of the game on this side of the Atlantic. Colin was an author, journalist, and one of the most respected historians of soccer in North America. He wrote or co-wrote nine books on Canadian Soccer, the North American Soccer League and the American Soccer League (1921-1931) The US National Soccer Hall of Fame Colin Jose Media Award was named in his honour in 2004. He was honoured with the Canada Soccer President’s Award in 2007, the Ontario Soccer President’s Award in 1986 and 2015, and the Soccer Québec Centennial Medal in 2011. He also was honored by the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame in 2009 and the Hamilton Soccer Hall of Fame in 2016. The family would like to thank all of the wonderful staff at Valleyview Home in St Thomas for their loving care and going above and beyond to look after him and make him feel at home. Cremation has taken place. A Celebration of Life will be held on October 20, 2024 from 1pm – 4pm at 4995 Keele Street, North York Ontario M3J 3B2 the home of The Soccer Hall of Fame Ontario. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to the Soccer Hall of Fame Ontario, Unicef, Alzheimer's Association or a charity of your choice would be kindly appreciated. Online condolences may be expressed at www.londoncremation.com