AARTS, Burt

BURT JOHN AARTS
1972 – 2026

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Burt John Aarts at the age of 53 on January 7, 2026. He will be dearly missed by all of his family, friends, and coworkers.
John was born in Oliver and moved to Cache Creek until junior high, followed by his move to Vernon where he graduated high school at Fulton Secondary. After high school, he moved to Lethbridge where he started a family at a young age and then moved back to Vernon where he continued to reside.
John was the eldest of seven siblings and always took his elder sibling duties to heart. He was always checking in and planning group dinners for everyone to gather. He never missed doing his rounds on Christmas to stop at each home to give out gifts and his famous back-breaking bear hugs.
If you needed John, he was always there to help with anything and everything. He acted tough but was the most loving and funny father, brother, husband, friend, and son one could ask for.
He was known for being a very meticulous, picky person who strived for the best in everything he did, which included his work trucks. A dirty, unmaintained truck was unacceptable. “Where’s the sparkle?”
His work ethic was beyond anything one could imagine. The dedication and commitment of 26 years he gave to Combined Mechanical Contractors Ltd. was a huge sense of pride and part of his identity. You always could find him rocking the merch at many outings.  His name and CMC went hand in hand  and were well known across BC for their outstanding work.
John was survived by his wife Mary and his three children – Toni, Micka, and Brittaney (*Max) – as well as mother Maria and father Burt; uncles Hans, Danny, Bill, and John Avila. His six siblings Elvis (Kiena & Kassydi), Annette (Fernando, Sonia (*Kurtis), Leticia (*Scott, Braxton, Keava), Vicki, Debbie (Keily, Zach, Isabella, Brayden), Allen, and Susan (*Axel, Quinzy, Mary & Kenzel).
We will be having a celebration of life at a later date to honor him with good rock music, cracking  beers around the BBQ, and wearing Canucks or Lions jerseys – and don’t forget the classic CMC overalls – while laughing and reminiscing about what a great man we all had the privilege to know.
John was admired, looked up to, loved by many and will be greatly missed.