12/29/2022
A founding partner of Zaphod Beeblebrox - The Nightclub at the Edge of the Universe.
JOHN WILLIAM (ARCHIE) ARCHIBALD
March 17, 1954 - December 28, 2022.
It is with a heavy heart that I announce the unexpected passing of my partner/best friend Archie in Campeche, Mexico, on December 28, 2022.
Archie will be missed by all who knew him for his warm, generous heart and quirky sense of humour.
Archie was a devoted and loving husband to his beloved wife Karen Knowles who predeceased him in 2015. Archie is survived by and will be sorely missed by his sister, Jean; his mother-in law, Carol “Mum”; and his closest chums, Chad, Eugene and Dan.
Special acknowledgement to Dr. Jose Munez for the incredible care and compassion he provided Archie and to Ursula and the Campeche ex-pat group for all their support and friendship. Special thanks to Maria and Jose for all the care and help they provided Archie during his time in Campeche.
A celebration of Archie’s life will be scheduled at a later date. In the meantime, put on your favourite jersey (preferably Liverpool FC, Washington Commanders or Toronto Blue Jays), pour yourself a dram of Scotch (or a G&T) and raise your glass to Archie (because that is what he would have wanted). Here’s to Arch.
- Cheers! Jane 💕😊
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Archie (John William Archibald) was my business partner, but more importantly, my longtime friend. He championed me, invested in me (and so many others) with money and personal heft, generosity of spirit and ideas. He was my protector; he unswervingly had my back, mostly figuratively, but occasionally with his fists. Archie (or Arch as some of us close friends referred to him) was my constant reminder to keep my ego in check (from across a room I'd see him pretending to squish me back into my big head 😂). He was my hard-drinking, foul-mouthed, funny, swearing, intelligent, risktaking, adventurous, lunatic buddy. He was my go-to guy when I wanted unvarnished truths and advice.
What you may not know is that Archie was foundational in many 'firsts' and a key driver of many of the pub and entertainment places in Ottawa. So let us give this giant of a man due credit.
Archie founded Zaphod Beeblebrox with me. We had no money or experience in these things, but he believed in me and, with our friend Steve Atkinson, he raised the modest amount of money to establish the original club on Rideau Street and he was instrumental in the day to day operations. He hired the best folks for our team, he led by example, he worked long hours, did the ordering, hefted kegs, did the books, was host and bouncer if need be. He took no guff, and he was liked for his big personality (as well as his drinking prowess!)
When the space on York Street became available I turned to Arch to pull the rabbit outta the hat. We built this new Zaphod Beeblebrox on the success of our Rideau Street beginnings and where sometimes others were quick to criticize my concert bookings, Arch never did. He instinctively knew I was my worst critic and he never piled on. Instead he encouraged me to do what he knew I did best. Damn, he was a good guy to have in my (or anyone's) corner.
But Arch had other ideas he wanted to explore. With some other friends he created Ottawa's first brew pub, The Clocktower, on Bank Street near the Queensway; long before microbreweries were a thing. He created The Manx with another group of friends. The Manx pioneered the idea of featuring a broad and eclectic range of high-end Scotch Whiskies long before the rest of Ottawa's pubs twigged onto that peaty deliciousness. He partnered again to create the original Barley Mow in the Glebe. Arch had the foresight to partner with people who, like him, were pioneers. He had his skills and he combined them with other creative people and together they founded places that still stand, even if ownership has changed.
It was Arch that I turned to when the possibility of resurrecting Barrymores (which had sat empty for 3 years) came up. Under our stewardship Barrymores Music Hall once again became a go-to venue. But Arch was antsy to do other things and that period was golden but short-lived.
I wrote this up on short notice so I may have jumbled up timelines or left out many of Arch's other notable important achievements as well as friends, business associates and golf buddies (he played the revered St. Andrews). Please accept my humble apologies for any omissions. It's not easy encompassing this wonderful man and his accomplishments in just a few words.
The reason I asked to write this is because there are many (including me) that basked in the limelight but we owe much to Arch for being the instigator, irritator, initiator and impetus behind some of the foundational happy places and crazy-good times that ever existed in Ottawa.
As I was tearing up at the news of Arch's departure I quickly stopped myself. I spent a lot of quality time with him. He wouldn't give a hoot about tears, condolences or religious connotations. He'd tell you to snap outta it as he mixed his extra-strength G&T and plunked your drink order in front of you and then he'd regale you with stories and jokes (and f**k you if you couldn’t handle his straight-shooting ways of telling tales). Arch was larger than life, gracious, compassionate, articulate, wacky and damn good company.
So please, don't be sad, he's free of the physical pains he endured constantly over the last few years. Have a drink, have a laugh at the memories and enjoyment he gave us all, and swear at him for leaving us because he leaves a very big hole in all the lives he touched.
“I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.” - Douglas Adams.
Goodbye Arch and thanks for all the adventures. - Eugene.🤘😎
© Eugene Haslam. December 28, 2022. Please "share" this in its entirety as originally posted here on Facebook. No part of this may be reproduced in any other form without my prior written consent.
