Marynissen, the founder of Marynissen Estates Winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake, died Jan. 2. He was 84.
While friends, family and peers in the wine industry knew Marynissen as one of the leaders in the wine industry, to his daughter, Sandra, Marynissen will always be her dad.
"He was so passionate about what he did," Sandra said. "He enjoyed growing grapes and later making wine. Even when he retired at 65, he would never stop caring. I always sought input from him on winery operations. He was my father, mentor and best friend. He was the smartest man I knew."
As a father, Sandra said Marynissen was always a busy man, working two to three jobs to support his family.
When he wasn't working at the winery or farming, Sandra said her father would often take the family up to Northern Ontario where they would go fishing.
"He loved to go up north. The more remote the area, the better," Sandra said. "One of the fondest memories I have as a kid is going fishing and catching pickerel and rainbow trout. That was one of my father's passions."
Born in the Netherlands, Marynissen immigrated to Canada in 1952. One of his first jobs in Niagara was working on a farm picking fruit in Niagara Falls.
In the 1970s, Marynissen purchased a farm in Niagara-on-the-Lake where he became one of the first to plant vinifera grape varieties. Marynissen was one of the first to plant the Cabernet Sauvignon variety in Niagara.
A former Grape King, Marynissen founded Marynissen Estates Winery in 1990. Among his many accomplishments included winning the Cuvee award for best red wine in 1996 and 1997, winning the first Grapes for Humanity Award by Tony Aspler and a lifetime achievement award from the Ontario Wine Society.
Karl Kaiser, co-founder of neighbouring Inniskillin Wines, said he first met Marynissen when Inniskillin used some of his grapes for wine production. Kaiser described Marynissen as a down-to-earth individual who had a very realistic outlook on the Niagara wine industry.
"He had a good judgement on where the wine industry was heading," Kaiser said. "He was honest about his opinions and saw everything in a positive light. I appreciated that."
Kaiser described his friendship with Marynissen as a great one and the two had become close, especially during the many fishing trips up north.
"We talked about smelt fishing and grapes," Kaiser joked.
Kaiser's Inniskillin partner, Donald Ziraldo, said Marynissen was a true winegrower who had a great following with wine afficionados. Ziraldo said his friend was an honest and humble person who was there to lend a helping hand.
"Karl and I were always flattered when he complimented us for helping him when he needed some assistance," Ziraldo said.
Family friend Peter Buis said Marynissen was his mentor and helped him get into amateur winemaking.
"Some of my first wines were made using his grapes," Buis said. "He was always researching the different ways of growing grapes and mastered how to grow Cabernet Sauvignon. He was one of the best."
Buis said Marynissen was also a man of a thousand traits, and was an accomplished accordion player, played in a band and an experienced taxi driver in his native Holland.
"He also knew how to have a heated conversation," Buis said. "We would debate for hours."
Marynissen is survived by his wife of 57 years, Adriana. Sandra said above everything else in his life, Marynissen's first love was his wife.
"My mom and dad were 57 years strong. He loved her," Sandra said. "Dad would always tease her into an argument or two, but it was always done out of love."
Marynissen is also survived by his children, Anne, Sandra, John Jr., Thomas, eight grandchildren, brother Adrian and sisters Anny and Jo. He is predeceased by son Tony.
A funeral took place Tuesday at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Niagara-on-the-Lake. In lieu of flowers, the Marynissen family asked well-wishers to make a donation to the new St. Catharines General Hospital Fund in John Marynissen's name.
news source :- Marynissen left mark on wine industry
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