Obituary of A.G. "Jos" Driver

Anthony Gordon “Jos” Driver was born September 19, 1938 in Maseru, Basutoland (current-day Lesotho) to William Gordon Driver and Daphne Weymouth Rhodes Forrester. Jos died at his home in Camp Verde, Arizona on Sunday, November 8, 2020, after surviving cancer for several years. Jos made his First Holy Communion at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Cottonwood the evening before he died. He was mostly known as “Jos” in South Africa and Camp Verde, as “Tony” in Canada, and as “A.G.” to some. Jos was sent to boarding school at St. Andrew’s Preparatory School and Saint Andrew’s College in Grahamstown, South Africa.(He enjoyed returning for reunions in 2015 and 2016.) After leaving school, he worked hard at varied jobs, in different countries-- from sorting wool and prospecting, to roads and seismic work and more, as he studied to fulfill his dream of becoming a pilot. Jos met and married Judith Sandra Holmes when he flew for Trans Air in Canada; they had three children: Julie, Jenny and Gordon. Jos flew all sorts of planes, as a bush pilot in Africa and the far north, and as a commercial pilot. He retired as a Captain with Air Canada in the early-1990’s. Jos moved from Canada to Arizona and made Camp Verde his home for more than 25 years. Arizona’s climate and geography reminded him of his early years… Jos proudly became a United States Citizen in 2003, volunteering at polling sites immediately afterwards. Jos was a rugged outdoorsman all of his life. Jos had horses and mules since childhood-- he loved his cowboy lifestyle—including hot, strong, black coffee. His lifelong adventures included days-long pack trips, beginning as a small child with his dad, traveling from village to village in Basutoland. He made several days-long trips into Grand Canyon, backpacking with his kids, his brother-in-law Dave, and/or other friends. Jos downhill skied, camped, hiked, backpacked, fished, Dutch-oven cooked, and explored. Jos shared his knowledge, encouraging and welcoming new-comers, to learn many of his outdoor skills. Jos was a strong man who “could do anything”—he could fix or repair anything, lift and move anything, build anything, and figure out ways around problems that seemed unsolvable to others. Beneath a sometime gruff exterior—he could be impatient and impulsive and intolerant-- Jos had a huge heart, looking out for and helping the underdog in quiet ways. He was grateful to have gotten onto his knees and asked our dear Lord Jesus to take away his desire for drink on December 10, 2010—after which he never was even tempted. Many people have been blessed by Jos’s generosity, from cutting and hauling and delivering wood, to taking out home-equity loans in order to buy custom wheelchairs for the severely disabled, or vehicles for the needy. Jos (A.G.) was predeceased by his parents, his little brother William, his older sister Shirley, and his nephew Barry Stead. He leaves behind his daughter, Julie Driver and her partner, Chris Wolfe, of Kingston, ON Canada; daughter Jenny Marttala and her husband Ken of Guelph, ON Canada; son Gordon Driver and his wife Anniina of Helsinki, Finland; grandson Andy Marttala; granddaughters Sarah Marttala and Ava Driver; brother-in-law Dave Stead and his wife Freya; niece Carolyn and husband Tony and their children, former wife Judy, along with many friends and relatives in South Africa, England, and Australia. Jos will also be fondly remembered by many South African classmates and friends including Bruce Tucker, Shona Gainsford, Walter Murray and family, Talbot Cox; airline and other friends in Canada including Murray Matheson and Bob Johnston, and in the U.S., including special friends Jimmy and Donna McDonald, and his best friend, Sharon Wenger, all of Camp Verde. We are ever grateful to Fr. David Kelash, who was such an important and consoling presence, especially in the last 3 days of Jos’s life. Huge thanks and love also to the folks at Accord Hospice, especially Dr. Curtis Kommer, who always went above and beyond, befriending Jos as well as caring for him, along with nurses Patty, Saharra, and Hillary. We will miss him dearly, and look forward to meeting again… Happy Trails, Jos! You are so loved!