Chris passed away in Victoria, BC on July 4th, 2026, after a six-year journey with cancer. His wife Colleen is forever grateful for the adventure they lived together for more than 20 years and was by his side at the end. Chris was strong, brave, and optimistic, and he stayed physically and mentally active with a myriad of projects for as long as he was able.
Chris was born in Toronto, grew up in Ottawa, and moved to Victoria in the 1970’s. His affinity for the sea included a long career in oceanography and many years of commuting from Piers Island. Chris will be missed by a large and diverse network of friends and family, near and far, that included cherished, decades-long friendships. Equally large and diverse were his interests, which included cars, machines, boats, electronics, metalworking, troubleshooting, gadgets, cooking, baking pies, road trips, cruises, hardware stores, and collecting stuff. Chris was smart and generous with his time and knowledge, enjoyed learning new things and meeting new people, and he was an undeterred and creative problem solver.
Colleen would like to thank BC Cancer (Victoria), our local hospitals, particularly the Royal Jubilee Hospital, and Chris’s favourite pharmacy, for the first rate and compassionate treatment, care, and attention he received.
A Celebration of Chris’s life will be held in the Sequoia Centre at McCall Gardens, 4665 Falaise Drive, Victoria, BC on Monday, October 5th, 2026, at 2:00pm.
Condolences may be offered to the family below.
McCall Gardens
www.mccallgardens.com
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9 Responses
I met Chris when I was working at a boat dealership in 1980. He had a problem with a used 60hp motor that he bought from me. I looked at what was wrong with it and said; “that’s no good”. My boss got him a brand new block for it and off he went. He was so surprised that there was no bullsh#* involved he said “come over for dinner”. A mutual trust and a sometimes turbulent relationship ensued…. the most fun was when Chris and his “nutbar” friend (me) did a multitude of unconventional boating adventures…. I eventuality found the most wonderful woman and my life evolved in the right direction. Not too many years went by when he joined forces with Colleen and I believe he found the same peace and purpose that I did!
I was Chris’ neighbour for over 20 years – he was a kind and caring person who was both insightful and held strong opinions based on his evaluation of the facts. Chris was always there to help including rescues when islanders were out on the water because their motor had petered out. I will miss him.
Linda Vanden Berg
I had the good fortune to meet Chris 40 years ago when I worked as a marine biologist in the Mills Road business complex in Sidney. I fondly remember the many rides in his Corvette and high-performance speed boat. Skimming around the Gulf Islands in the bright sunshine was exhilarating. We got to know each other well, and spent many an evening preparing dinner, enjoying wine, and rental movies. I still have the 1100cc V-65 Magna sport bike I bought from Chris back in the day. We spent more than a few afternoons with my workmates enjoying refreshments and trading stories on everything under the sun. Our paths diverged for many years until recently when Chris was heroically battling his health challenges. He did not let his interests slip away and I was privileged to recently ride with him in his classic Thunderbird. Chris was a man of many interests and talents. I will miss him and our great times together.
We were so sorry to hear of the loss of our long time Piers Island neighbor Chris MacKay. As we were only seasonal neighbors we were always happy to see Chris when we were on the island. We also appreciated Chris keeping an eye on our property and letting us know if anything was amiss. Although he and Colleen have been gone from Piers for some time now we think of them often. Dewayne and Elizabeth Parfitt
Chris was one of the first people I met on Piers Island a little more than 30 years ago. He was my next door neighbour and we quickly became friends.
Neither one of us had “significant others” in our lives so we often had dinners together- free to explore for hours cool things like electronic innovations, ocean profiling, hydraulic winch designs and even working out the engineering to suspend my boat under my wharf to scrape off the barnacles!
We disagreed with each other much of the time which was still great fun.
When Colleen came into Chris’s life and Patti into mine, we DID agree that we were both much better off. Dinners became more healthy and the conversation more diverse!
Chris and I mostly worked from home so fortunately we still got our electronics and engineering fix while the ladies were at work.
Chris was a good friend and we both miss him.
A true polymath, Chris had so many interests and skills. Here is to a life well-lived. I deeply admired Chris’ positive attitude to his illnesses. Thinking of you, CB and I know your memories of travels and other good times will sustain you.
Dear Colleen, Thanks for sharing Chris with us on many at-sea adventures. He was resourceful and always a lot of fun to be on a ship with. A lot of data was collected that helped us better understand the ocean that would not have been possible without him. He will be fondly remembered.
I had contact with Chris through a metalworker hobby mailing list. Never met him in person, though respected his ideas and opinions.
Please accept my sincere condolences for your and your family’s loss. We are diminished.
Dear Colleen
We will miss Chris, his bravery and his positive attitude. Restoring cars and building homes. we will be at his celebration of life.