October 31, 1944 – May 7, 2014
Surrounded by his loving family, Stuart passed away peacefully at Victoria Hospice after a courageous, nine year battle with cancer. Predeceased by his mother, Hilary and father, Antony, he is survived by his wife of 45 years, Anthea; his three children, Adrian (Katie), Sara (Jeff) and Hilary; his four grandchildren, Griffin, Andrew, Ellysen and Henry; his twin brother Gordon, sisters Alexandra and Carolyn and seven nieces and nephews. He will be greatly missed by all his family and many friends.
Born in England, Stuart came to Canada in 1970 and lived in Toronto with his wife for 11 years. They later moved to Nanaimo before settling in Victoria in 1985.
An award-winning architect, his passion for design was undeniable as was his zest for life. He pursued many varied interests with a remarkable intensity. From cycling, x-country skiing and kayaking to art, photography and music, he was never idle. Perhaps most of all, he loved sailing. If he was not out on the water, he was often found at the marina working on his boat and visiting with friends. Stuart served as the Registrar for the Architectural Institute of British Columbia (AIBC), the Chair of the Board of Directors at Glenlyon Norfolk School (GNS) and sat on the Saanich Design Panel. Stuart will be remembered for his zany sense of humour, his intelligence, his integrity and his kindness. He will be in our hearts and forever loved.
A celebration of Stuart’s life will be held at the Royal Victoria Yacht Club, 3475 Ripon Road, on Wednesday, May 14, at 3 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the BC Cancer Society or Victoria Hospice.
Condolences for the family may be offered below.
McCall Bros. Funeral Home
www.mccallbros.com
28 Responses
Dear Anthea, Adrian, Sara and Hilary,
I am so sorry to hear of Stuart’s passing. I have very fond memories of sailing with him on a windless Swiftsure Race and a very breezy one as well. He amused us with funny jokes and stories – this helped pass the time on the night watch!
Thinking of all of you,
Beth and Andy Mullin
Dear Anthea
A further note…this time of appreciation for the wonderful celebration of Stuart’s life which you and your family treated the assembled masses at the Yacht Club.
Many thanks
Jim Hopkins
Stuart was my Mentor while I was a student with RAIC Syllabus about 15 years ago. Because of Stuart’s guidance I truly believe I’m a better architect today. Stuart was always very professional, fair and honest as a Mentor and I’ve also enjoyed His witty remarks while we had long conversations over coffee. Please accept my sincere condolences.
Pawel
We were saddened and sorry to hear of Stuart’s passing. You are in our thoughts. We hope you had a wonderful celebration honouring Stuart. Much love from our family.
Love,
Chris and Nan
I went to school with Hilary for many years and had the pleasure of working with her after we had graduated. It is obvious from her demeanor, as well as my limited chats with Stuart himself, that he was a cornerstone in a solid, wonderful, loving family. I am very sorry to hear of his passing and wish to pass on my sincere condolences and best wishes to the family.
Henry
Dear Anthea and Family,
My deepest condolences on the loss of your dear Stuart. As I read the obituary, I was immediately taken back to our last chat at the opening of The Hall. Stuart was interested in all that he saw. His mind was quick even though I could see that his body was fading a bit. I certainly will treasure my moments with him and the opportunity we all had to share high and low times as part of the GNS family.
My thoughts are with you all at this very difficult time.
Harvey
Dear Anthea, Adrian, Sarah, Hilary and all your families, We were so sad to hear of Stuart’s passing. His integrity was an inspiration. His intelligence and enthusiasm for life made him a lot of fun to be around, not to mention his wry (or is that wacky?) sense of humour. I treasure the time I was able to spend with Stuart working on our mutual interest in GNS. I treasure the time we were able to spend with your family and had hoped to visit again at the end of this month. It was not to be but I hope Stuart’s courage inspires you and all of us to go on with joyful memories and without regrets. His light shines on. I am glad I had the opportunity to know him. It was a privilege. Love to Stuart in his journey and love to all of you, Laurel and Mike and all of our family.
Stuart was a great Mentor and Teacher to me. Besides his great knowledge and understanding guidance in my pursuit of a career in architecture, I will remember him for his wonderful sense of humor.
One of my favorite examples is his story of a student work term when he was working on a construction site. The crane operator kept giving him a particularly hard time. So when he was up the crane and had left his large rubber boots at the bottom, Stuart filled them with wet cement.
His passing is a great loss to both his companions and profession.
My condolences to Family and Friends.
Rob Halliday