Died suddenly and peacefully, surrounded by his family and the prayers of his friends, on December 26th, 2014, in the ICU of the Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria, BC.
Born in Toronto on May 21st, 1952, and raised in Montreal, Ian studied at McGill University, where he earned a BA, a Bachelor of Theology, and a Master of Divinity from the Presbyterian College. In 2010 he was recognised for his outstanding contributions to ministry and was conferred with a Doctor of Divinity (honoris causa) from his alma mater.
Called Dr. Victor by his students, Rev. Ian by his parishioners, Ian by his friends and family, Dad by his kids, Papa by his grandson, and Don by telemarketers and the unscrupulous, he wore many hats and was as a mentor and friend to many.
Ian was ordained in Montreal in 1979, and he served as minister at churches in Duvernay, QC; Eckville, AB; Petrolia, ON; West Vancouver, BC; Ottawa, ON; and Victoria, BC, where he semi-retired in May of 2013. During his over thirty year ministry he also acted as a moderator in the presbyteries of Sarnia (ON), Westminster (BC), Vancouver Island (BC), and the Synod of British Columbia. He served on many national boards and committees, including as the Convenor of the Committee on Church Doctrine. He was a prolific writer and speaker, he was a contributing editor to the Presbyterian Record, wrote many feature articles and book reviews, penned weekly newspaper columns in both Alberta and Ontario (where he also hosted a radio show), and he twice received national writing awards from the Canadian Church Press Association, for Best Feature Article and Best Creative Writing. He told the best jokes. In 2013, he took up the post of Acting Director of Pastoral Studies at the Presbyterian College in Montreal, where he took tremendous joy in supporting students and helping to shape the life of the College and the Church.
He was madly in love with Cathy, his wife of nearly 40 years, with whom he shared a life of service. He adored his children, who inherited his bad jokes, vices, and thirst for justice. He was smitten with his grandson, who returned the feeling. He doted on his dog, whom he named Johann Sebastian Bark. He loved music, popcorn, books, hockey, TV, God, and a good fart joke, in no particular order. An intellectual who never made anyone feel inferior, a pastor with boundless compassion, a friend full of charm and laughter, a devoted husband, father, brother, uncle, and grandfather, and a nightmare to restaurant employees, he was an awesome person in all senses of the word. Ian had his own flaws, but it was all the better that he could relate to the most broken-hearted people with disarming and sincere love and empathy.
He leaves a gaping hole in the lives of his wife, Cathy (Victoria, BC); son Dan, daughter-in-law Jen, and grandson Matty (North Vancouver, BC); and daughters Rachel (Vancouver, BC) and Letha (Toronto, ON). Ian is also survived by his sister Maggie (Vancouver, BC) and many nieces and nephews in Alberta, British Columbia, and Quebec.
We, his family, are grateful to the professional and caring staff at the Royal Jubilee Hospital, as well as to his friends and family for their innumerable prayers on his and our behalf.
A visitation will be held on Friday, January 2nd, from 6pm to 8pm at McCall Bros., Johnson & Vancouver (1400 Vancouver Street, Victoria). A service of witness to the resurrection, in thanksgiving for his life, will be held at 2pm on Saturday, January 3rd, at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Victoria, BC (680 Courtney Street).
In lieu of flowers, we would be grateful for contributions to Presbyterian World Service & Development (50 Wynford Drive, Toronto, ON, M3C 1J7) and to the capital campaign of the Presbyterian College of Montreal (3495 University Street, Montreal, QC, H3A 2A8).
Condolences may be offered to the family below.
McCall Bros. Funeral Home
www.mccallbros.com.
36 Responses
Dear Cathy and Family,
I was saddened to read of Ian’s passing in the Globe and Mail. My sincere condolances and prayers during this time of sorrow. I pray that God’s strength and comfort will be yours. Doreen and I were your neighbors in Suite 407 at The Avenue before moving to Lethbridge in August 2008. Our acquaintance with you both, though brief, was a blessing to us. Doreen passed away on Oct 4 2013 . My feelings for you are therefore real and sincere.
May God be your Comforter.
Roy Hodges
Please accept my apology that I have not responded sooner. It is a great shock to learn of the death of Ian Victor. Fellowship can be described as the encouragement we give one another , in work , in play, in love, but especially in the community of Christ. This is what Ian Victor gave to me and my fellow student wishing to become Pastors. Thus a legacy has been bestowed and with Christ’s help it will become a reality.
My sincerest condolences to his daughter and Cathy ‘his wife and the large community of believers who he truly touched.
Sincerely
Charles Lewis
Rachel and Letha, long-time friends of our daughters, we are thinking of you and your family during this sad and difficult time.
Corinne and Ted
January 3, 2015 Kingston, Ontario
We noted with great sorrow the loss of Ian Victor, who was our minister at Ottawa’s St. Giles Church. Ian was full of humanity and compassion; his sermons were erudite and spiritually uplifting, but never superior in tone. He always projected a tremendous sense of life — it was always clear that his family, especially his parents in Montreal, his love of a good meal and his trust in God were uppermost in his life. He possessed a good sense of humour — we recall the lovely story of his children “borrowing” mangers from the various churches that he and Cathy oversaw in Ottawa one Christmas eve and presenting them to their parents as a “gift” the next morning. . Ian seemed to understand that an eloquent and activist minister could make a difference in his parishioners’ lives — and indeed he did. Our sincere condolences to Cathy and family. God bless you all.
Duncan & Sandy
Dear Cathy, Dan, Jen and Matty, Rachel and Letha,
Alan and I extend our heartfelt condolences at this very sad time. We heard first of Ian’s hospitalization and then his passing through Paul Myers.
We met Ian through the death of my father and his pastoral support and kindness to us and our step mother drew us to West Van Presbyterian when we were looking for a church home on the North Shore.
We have so many memories of Ian leading dressed in the robes and honoring the liturgy but using humour and the straight talk of Jesus to challenge us to not be satisfied with the superficial but to be open to the daring path of following Jesus in every day life.
We felt slightly anxious wondering what the kids would put in the mystery bag and so relieved and amazed when Ian would with dramatic flair and sitting with the kids on the steps manage to somehow pull a spiritual lesson from a goofy toy or object.
Ian also taught us patience and tolerance for each other across generations, experiences of faith and cultural practises ( ie all those Scots). He cared about each person and how we lived as a community of Christ’s followers. His acceptance of his own and our faults and foibles helped us be more honest and not take ourselves too seriously. He led and cared for us very well. We honor him in our thoughts and memories.
Love
Karenne and Alan Hartley
Dear Cathy and family,
I was very sad to hear of Ian’s death. You both were great friends to the Stephenson family in Petrolia and I know Mother (Marguerite) very much enjoyed her times with your children, especially in the pool. Dad (Ross) and Ian hoisted a few while you and Mother and any of us who were home enjoyed the splashing. I am sorry we didn’t see you more in Vancouver, but I do know from my Scottish Country dancing friends how much you both contributed to the church in West Vancouver. Ian was a wonderful writer and speaker and Cathy, your ministry gave him great joy and support.
It has been ten years since my husband Peter died, five since Mother died and fifteen since Dad’s death. I miss them all, but with time the joy of having had such love in my life, from my parents and my husband has overcome the raw pain of loss. The heart does break and it does take time to mend. My prayers are with you all,
Warmly,
Ann
Please accept my condolence.
Sincerely,
Margaret Blair.
Ian’s passing is too soon. I am so grateful to have had him as a colleague and friend. My heart goes out to you Cathy; you know how beloved you were by him. To you and your family, may the memories sustain you in the coming days and may the promise of resurrection bring you peace.
My deep condolences to Ian’s family, especially Cathy. What a shock to learn of Ian’s death at his relatively young age. I am so sorry.
I came to know Ian through Downtown Churches in Victoria. He brought to the monthly noon time gatherings of ecumenically minded clergy and lay people an open sincerity, respect for all, and especially humour. We were all overworked, tired, and needing a healthy laugh or two before we parted ways again. Ian never let us down. Until I read his obit I had no idea all that he did for his own denomination. He was just one of us for an hour, eating a bag lunch and drinking the coffee provided by the host church for that particular meeting day.
I was just notified of the passing away of Prof. Ian Victor and it comes as a shock to me. He was a great professor, a good listener and someone who deeply cared. I appreciated his humility when teaching me this fall, generously sharing his own experience, sometimes glorious and sometimes imperfect, always very human. I also appreciated his great sense of humour, de-dramatizing everything. He often talked of his family, all of whom he dearly loved. I offer you, family and friends, my condolences. May God be with you as you journey through the mourning process.