It is with overwhelming sadness that we announce the passing of our much loved, husband, father, and grandfather. Ian was predeceased by his father, Derek Manners. Left behind to grieve are his wife of 43 years Deborah, his children Hayley (Kyle) and Chris (Navi), his grandchildren, Rhys, Gavin, Alys, and baby James, his mother Jean, his brothers Neil (Tracy) and Clive (Lucy), many nieces and nephews, as well as members of his research group (current and past) and the many colleagues and friends at UVic and around the world.
Ian was born in Croydon, UK. He completed his BSc and PhD in chemistry at the University of Bristol, UK. Following this, he was a postdoctoral fellow first at RWTH Aachen University (1986), Germany and then Pennsylvania State University, USA (1988). He took up his first faculty position in 1990 at the University of Toronto and then moved back to the UK in 2006 to take up a position at the University of Bristol. He returned to Canada in 2018 where he took up a faculty position at the University of Victoria. He has mentored many postdoctoral fellows, graduate and undergraduate students over the years. Ian made such an impact on their lives and this was demonstrated by the overwhelming support received from them over the course of his long and courageous battle with cancer. As well as his obvious passion for chemistry, Ian loved nature and spent weekends and holidays hiking the many beautiful trails on Vancouver Island. Ian had a great sense of humour; he always made us laugh and had such fun with his grandchildren. His concern for his family and research group was uppermost in his mind through his final days. We will miss you and love you always.
We would like to thank the nurses and doctors at BC Cancer (especially Dr. Selina Wong), his wonderful GP, Dr. Oosthuizen, and the amazing people at Home and Community Care and the Victoria Hospice Palliative Response Team for their kindness and compassion.
In Lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Victoria Hospice.
For those who wish to watch a recording of the service, please click on the image below.
Condolences may be offered to the family below.
McCall Gardens
www.mccallgardens.com
80 Responses
Dear Debbie, Jean and family,
I have only recently learnt of Ian’s passing, hence the delay in contacting you and leaving my own tribute.
The news is such a shock and my heartfelt condolences to you all.
It was a privilege to have had Ian as my best friend throughout our school days (King Alfred’s), and then of course, to have had the honour of being his best man (boy!) when you married at the tender age of 19.
I have recently been reflecting on those years and have so many memories – including fun times at Fyfield Road, our constant mischievous “naughtiness”, U-13 & Esso cricket brilliance (both of us!), Pink Floyd/ Peter Gabriel etc and then subsequently witnessing his brilliant mind taking the Chemistry World by storm.
I always regret that we lost contact in the early 90’s – but work, geographic distance, family etc has a habit of taking over and then the years pass all too quickly and then, so soon, it is sadly….too late.
Sending love to you all,
Simon
Dear Deborah and family, I am so sorry for this immense loss. I was so stunned and saddened to hear about Ian’s passing. It’s hard to imagine someone as vibrant and effervescent as Ian Manners is no longer with us. My thoughts are with you all. What a legacy of family and scientific discovery he leaves behind! He was the best and kindest boss too.
Katie Porter, Ian’s Secretary at the UofT
Deeply saddened by the news. My sincere condolences to the Family, friends and group members. I was with him for almost a month at University of Bristol and also interacted with him at various conferences. Inspired me a lot. A huge loss for the scientific community. His book on polymer chemistry is an asset for me.
Dear Deborah,
Please accept my heartfelt, albeit belated, condolences on Ian’s recent passing.
I had the good fortune to interact with Ian through an NSERC collaborative Research Grant, coauthoring a book on Inorganic Rings and Polymers, visits to the U of T and the University of Bristol, and his visits to Calgary where we enjoyed a hike in the Canadian Rockies. In addition to being a pre-eminent scientist, Ian was a warm, supportive collaborator and friend. My last meeting with him was at the CSC meeting in Calgary in 2022 where we only had time for a brief hand=shake prior to his lecture. With characteristic modesty he sent a message from the airport that evening apologizing for not having time to chat and sending best wishes to Sue and me.
Ian’s seminal contributions to advances in chemistry and materials sciences will endure for many years, as will his positive influence on the many students and colleagues who benefitted from his mentorship or collaboration.
Sincerely,
Tris Chivers
Heartfelt condolences to Deborah and to Ian’s extended family. This was a wonderful celebration of life. Ian was a tremendous, positive and humble example to all the students who visited his group, and made me feel very welcome during two visits to Bristol.
Dear Deborah and family,
It was a shock to hear the unexpected news of Ian’s passing.
He was our truly great global leader and made a huge contribution to the success of organometallic and polymer chemistry. I remember that we have first met in Toronto and so many times at a variety of international conferences.
Please accept my sincerest sympathies to you.
Norihiro Tokitoh@Kyoto Univ.
I am deeply saddened that you are no longer with us. Ian was an amazing person, a fantastic mentor, an inspiring scientific hero, and a prolific writer. I will remain thankful to Ian and Deborah for my life and the wonderful time in Victoria. Ian’s book on polymer chemistry is an asset for our MSc students and me. I wish you rest in peace, and you will always be remembered.
I am so sad to hear the news. I first met Ian as a PhD student 40 years ago – Ian was a year ahead of me at Bristol, and the Connelly lab in which he worked was the one across the corridor from where we were located in the crystallography office. I’ve run into Ian a number of times of the past few decades, mostly at conferences on occasions when our interests intersected as inorganic chemists. As many others have noted, what an amazing academic career Ian has had and what an influence he has had on so many he has worked with directly or who have been influenced by his research. I haven’t caught up with Ian for a few years, but throughout all the time I’ve known Ian he was always the same easy going person, easy to chat to whether about science or not. My condolences to Ian’s family – I’m really sorry he’s gone, but it’s great that he had the opportunity to have such a positive impact on so many people.
Deborah
Deeply saddened to hear of Ian’s untimely passing. My sincere condolences to you and your family. I followed Ian from Bristol to Penn State and he was extremely welcoming and helpful when I first arrived as a naive young postdoc. He was a brilliant and inventive scientist, as well as modest and kind. A role model and a lovely man, he will be sorely missed.
Mike Turner
Dear Deborah and family!
Sincere condolences! What an enormous loss. I remember the joint time with Ian, the joint organization of 7 ACS Symposia we organized together with George R. Newkome, his visits in Jena, and our joint publications, besides all the great discussions private times, also at our home. Ian was such a great human and chemist.
Ian, rest in peace.
Ulrich (Schubert)