Deaths

William Craig Moffatt RMC Class of 1955

Craig passed away peacefully in Kingston after a short illness, two days shy of his 91st birthday.

He was predeceased by his beloved wife Marlene (née Agar) and is survived by his son Cam (Sera), daughter Stacie Stanton (Ray), and grandchildren Will, Meg, Connor, Jane, and Isabella. He also leaves his brother Denis (Diane) and various Moffatt cousins across the country.

Craig’s journey began in Owen Sound, where he was born to William Harold and Beryl Elizabeth Moffatt (née Small). His academic path was set in motion at Owen Sound C.V.I. when a teacher suggested he consider attending the Royal Military College. In the fall of 1951, he arrived at the Commissionaire’s gate, marking the start of a lifelong association with teaching, the College, and Kingston.

Accepted to the Mechanical Engineering program, Craig excelled academically and embraced the challenges of being a cadet (#3342). Summers taught him to fly Harvards and T33s; he received his pilot’s wings in 1954. That same year, he had the good fortune of meeting Marlene, and it was love at first sight. They married in 1956 and enjoyed 62 years of deeply caring companionship.

After graduating from RMC (1955), Craig opted to take the civilian route. He enrolled at Queen’s University, obtaining a BSc (1956) and his MSc (1958). In the summers between degrees, he worked on Canada’s famous Avro Arrow. In 1958, he and Marlene moved to Boston, where Craig pursued a doctorate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, graduating in 1961. He spent another five years on the faculty of MIT while simultaneously working for a U.S. Engineering consulting firm. In 1968, with a young family in tow, Craig moved back to Canada and joined the academic team at RMC. He proudly served as the Mech Eng Department Head (1969-78) and as Dean of Engineering (1984-94). He felt fortunate to have enjoyed two sabbaticals (Brussels and then Australia) and was humbled to be the first recipient of the RMC Teaching Excellence Award in 1992.

While officially retiring in 1997, he continued teaching at RMC as a Professor Emeritus and helped formulate the curriculum for its new Aeronautical Engineering program. In 2009, the first annual W.C. Moffatt Aeronautical Engineering Award was presented to the outstanding class-selected Aero graduate. In recognition of his contributions to the College, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Engineering in 2015.

While Craig was honoured to receive these accolades, he was most proud of the accomplishments of others: the three generations of students he taught, his family, and, most of all, his grandchildren. Always humble and understated, Craig much preferred asking and listening rather than speaking.

Along with flying, Craig loved to sail. He and Marlene sailed for over 40 years on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, often meeting friends and entertaining on Dock Island in the Thousand Islands. They both loved to travel, visiting over 50 countries, and especially enjoyed their post-retirement winters in Australia.

Craig was active in the Kingston community, teaching night classes at the Canadian Power and Sail Squadron for 25 years and teaching computer skills at the Kingston Seniors Centre.

In his later years, Craig enjoyed his self-described “daily shuffle” through the neighbourhood and car rides down the Thousand Island Parkway. He kept up to date by reading two daily newspapers and various engineering/aviation magazines and would challenge himself to the daily Sudoku. With curiosity and a love of continuous learning, Craig was an ongoing adopter of technology; he loved to read on his KOBO, FaceTime with family, and email friends and colleagues.

Craig was, first and foremost, a gentleman with high moral standards and a passion for what is right. He leaves behind a legacy of scientific contributions, dedication to the pursuit of knowledge, and, greatest of all, enduring love for his family.

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David Neil Primeau RMC 1967

Marilyn Anne Treddenick (Wife of Jack Treddenick RMC Class of 1960)

Marilyn died in Kingston General Hospital ICU on May 14, 2024, peacefully, finally out of pain, and surrounded by a family that adored her. Technically, she was still on the return part of a transatlantic cruise. She made it as far as Kingston, but before reaching home a deteriorating medical situation made a stop at KGH ER necessary. She was admitted to the ICU, where, despite the valiant efforts of a dedicated medical team, she succumbed two days later.

This final chapter of a life well-lived typified her entire life. She was a voracious traveler. While she didn’t consciously count countries, she seriously visited well over 100 of them. She has seen the Demilitarized Zone in Korea from both sides, was held up by an armed militia in Yemen, built a Yurt on a windy Mongolian plain, snorkeled in the South Pacific, the Red Sea, and the Caribbean, explored the shores of the Arctic Ocean and kayaked in the waters of the Antarctic.

Marilyn faced a panoply of difficult medical challenges throughout her life. But with her grit, and to the chagrin of some travel insurance companies, she never let these interfere with her travelling or any other activity. She may indeed hold the record for the number of times a passenger has finished a cruise being evacuated by ambulance. In New Zealand she was once unceremoniously disembarked for medical reasons but found a cooperative hospital doctor who certified her fit to travel, then chased the ship by air to its next port and successfully reboarded.

Marilyn was born in North Bay, Ontario on March 1, 1937, the second daughter of Tom and Helen Foster. She was predeceased by her parents, her sister Jean, brother-in-law John, and brother-in-law George (Char).  She is survived by her husband Jack, her daughter Laura (Michael), her grandchildren Olivia and Matthew (Jillian), three great-grandchildren, Sullivan, Macauley, and Patterson, brothers-in-law Dennis (Debi) and Alan (Chris), as well as several nieces and nephews. Marilyn was particularly proud of her great-grandmother status, but wrestled with what she wanted her great-grandchildren to call her. In the end her playfulness won out: she first trained them to call Jack “Great” and then, slyly, herself “Greatest”. Marilyn is also mourned by her special friend and travelling companion, Elizabeth Hunt.

Growing up Marilyn was an extremely active young girl and young woman, despite some early medical issues. She excelled in high school, which was somewhat burdensome as her father was the principal of her school.   She was a Queen’s Gold Cord Guide, an accomplished pianist, a mediocre clarinetist, a cheerleader, a lifeguard, a competitive swimmer, an excellent skier, a curler and more.

Marilyn graduated from Queen’s University, Kingston, with a degree in General Arts. She had originally enrolled in an Honours Arts Programme but ultimately opted for the three-year program allowing her to work for a year, making it possible for she and Jack to marry directly after his graduation from RMC. They married in North Bay on May 23, 1960.

As a newly minted Navy junior officer Jack was posted to Halifax. There they found a barely affordable one-room apartment, but they loved it, and they loved Halifax. The day after arrival Marilyn walked to the Halifax Children’s Aid Society and applied for a job. Despite having absolutely no experience or academic preparation she so impressed the Director that he immediately hired her. She began working the next day.

Six months later Jack was posted to his first ship.  They moved to Victoria where they were able to upscale into a delightful two-room apartment. Upon arrival in Victoria Marilyn repeated her Halifax experience and walked into the Victoria Family and Children’s Service, but this time as an experienced social worker, she was immediately hired.

Jack ultimately left the Navy to return to Kingston to do graduate work at Queen’s. And, yes, unsurprisingly, Marilyn quickly obtained a position with the Kingston Children’s Aid Society where she worked for the next 30 years, ultimately retiring as Supervisor of Children’s Services.

They were to remain anchored to Kingston for the next 60 years. But Jack’s career took some unexpected turns and Marilyn found herself commuting to Ottawa for a year, Aberdeen, Scotland for a year, Rome for five years and finally, after she had retired, to living in Bavaria for 15 years. Shortly after arriving in Bavaria, she took curling broom in hand, walked into the local ice stadium and despite knowing not a word of German talked them into letting her join the local curling club. That encounter marked the beginning of 15 years of curling all over Europe.

In Kingston, they eventually built a home on the shores of the St. Lawrence, a home they loved, with its wonderful dock that provided them with endless hours of fun and priceless family time with their growing daughter and then with her growing family.

On moving to Germany in 2000 they sold their home but purchased a condominium in the Royal George before returning permanently in 2015. By some very good luck, the community they moved into in the Royal George proved to be a delightful and very satisfying place to live, a place where Marilyn established many new friendships.

Marilyn was perhaps the most nonthreatening person one could hope to meet. She had an almost childlike sense of awe and curiosity of the world around her and took an immense delight in just being alive. She was adventurous, determined, a fighter, who rarely let any personal adversity slow her down. When her mother was dying of cancer in North Bay and the commute to visit her became just too onerous, she decided to take flying lessons and soon was making that commute in a couple of hours. She was a remarkable woman, a wonderful mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, sister-in-law, and, especially, a loving wife. We will all miss her terribly.

A funeral service for Marilyn will be held at St. George’s Cathedral, Kingston at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 23, 2024, presided over by the Reverend Canon Peter Case.  A private interment will be held at Cataraqui Cemetery.  An informal celebration of Marilyn’s life will be held later in the summer, subject to the successful repair of the Lasalle Causeway.

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Gordon Walt RRMC RMC Class of 1962

Gordon Leslie Walt, age 84, of Stittsville, passed away peacefully on Monday May 6 at May Court Hospice. Gordon is survived by his beloved wife of 63 years – Heather Gates Walt (nee McNabb), his 4 sons and their spouses – John (Sylvie), Andrew, James (Tina), and Michael (Amanda), his 6 grandchildren – Lexi (Colton), Owen, Henry, Samantha, Cameron and Ruby, 2 great-grandchildren – Jean and Violet, and sisters – Margaret Armstrong (of Parry Sound) and Marian Dumouchel (of Scarborough). Gordon was born in Barrie, October 31, 1939. He attended Barrie Collegiate, then entered ROTP at The Royal Military College, graduated class of 1962 with a degree in Civil Engineering. As a passionate civil engineer, he held many interesting roles within various Federal Government departments and was also a lecturer at Algonquin College. Gordon loved to build things in his spare time; including his family’s 2 cottages, 2 garages, and a house he also designed. Gordon made significant contributions to his community, church, theater, and politics, and will leave a lasting and profound impression on everyone who met him. A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, June 29, 2024 at 3:00 p.m. at St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Kanata. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to May Court Hospice in Ottawa.

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Robert Bird CMR RMC 1962

Robert Chesley Bird died of natural causes in Almonte, Ontario on May 5, 2024 at age 83.  He was surrounded by his wife and five children who read him his favourite poem, sang him his favourite hymn, and held him as he took his final breaths.

Robert was born September 19, 1940, in Whitehorse, Yukon, the third and last child to Sidney Leonard Bird and Edna Mae (nee Hamilton).  At age nine the family moved east and eventually settled in Hull, Quebec.  Robert graduated from Royal Military College in Kingston at age 19 and served as an officer in the Armoured Corps.  After the military he became a high school teacher in Napanee, where he met the love of his life, fellow teacher Cora Ann (nee Roxburgh).  They went on a ski trip together and have been inseparable ever since.  They settled in Almonte where Robert was the Head of the English Department at ADHS; Ann taught high school math in nearby Smiths Falls.  Together, Robert and Ann have five children and nine grandchildren: Michelle Josephine Kay (h. Roger O’Connor, children George, Alexandra, Izabelle, and Robert); Stephanie Marie Bird (h. Gerrard Klaus, child A.J.); Robert Alexander Bird (w. Andrea Bird, child Charlotte); James Andrew Bird; and Elizabeth Ann Anderson (h. Ryan Anderson, children Sydney, Thomas, and Olivia).

In 1978, Robert and Ann moved to the country and had a hobby farm.  He built several houses in the summers.  After retirement from teaching Robert continued working with renovations and other jobs.  He had an income tax filing business which he ran until his death.  The driving force of his businesses was his heart for those in need.

Robert believed that love is shown by action.  He built houses with Habitat for Humanity.  He was active in the Lions Club, the church, the soccer program, and innumerable community events and causes.  Robert and Ann sponsored Cambodian refugees Huoy and Try Tan who escaped the Khmer Rouge in the 1970’s, welcomed them as family, and built a house for them.  Huoy and Try have been fixtures at Bird family gatherings ever since.  Robert was capable of virtually everything and quick to lend a hand to whomever needed it.  He was proud to be delivering groceries to shut-ins while in his eighties.

Robert and Ann loved travelling.  They spent two years, 1982 and 1988, in England, on a teaching exchange, and toured Europe with their family.  Robert and Ann took extensive RV trips throughout North America.  Robert especially loved visiting with his many relatives in Western Canada.

Robert was a voracious reader with an insatiable curiosity.  He had a quick mind, a sharp wit, and a mischievous sense of humour.  He always made the room come alive.

Robert vowed that he would always be there for his family, and he always was.  Our loss of him is beyond measure.

A funeral will be held at St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Almonte at 3:00pm on Saturday May 11.