Born in Victoria, Hong Kong, 1928. Died peacefully December 27, 2012 at home in Cobble Hill. Predeceased by his beloved wife Alice Louise in 2007, he leaves to mark his accomplishments and mourn his passing: his daughters and their families Marjorie and Mark Stintzi (grandsons Paul, John, and David) of Bergland, ON; Katherine and Patrick McCune (grandsons Colin and Sean) of New Westminster; Eleanor Elston and her husband Chris Meyer (grandsons Fraser and Nevil) of Colwood; Suzanne Elston of Coquitlam and brother Jeremy and his family (wife Gill, nieces Frances and Charlotte) in England.
Mick’s greatest legacy he said was his 7 grandsons and watching them grow into fine young men. He took great pride in his engineering achievements with a 31 year career in the Ministry of Highways and his volunteering as a docent for over 20 years at the Royal British Columbia Museum.
The family thanks the numerous medical and home care staff who cared for Dad during this final year, a very special thank you to Joanne Derby RN, and Dr. Bill Reynolds for their excellent care and support. Flowers gratefully declined, donations to the Royal BC Museum Foundation, to support museum programs.
A Celebration of Life memorial reception will be held at McCall’s Downtown, Johnson & Vancouver Streets, on Friday, January 11, 2013 at 2 p.m.
Condolences may be offered below.
McCall Bros. Funeral Home
www.mccallbros.com
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Brenda Marin-Link
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David Anidjar-Romain My condolences to all the family. Mick was a quintessential engineer of status and not inconsiderable stature. I have great respect for him from our interactions on bridge projects.
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Richard H. Dixon I offer my sincere condolences to all of you on the loss of your father and grandfather. I had the pleasure of knowing Mick from working in various branches of the Ministry first in Bastion Square and later Blanshard Street. He was a man of great integrity and knowledge. He was renowned for his brevity but would also recite The Canterbury Tales in Middle English with a twinkle in his eye. He was liked and respected in both his professional life as well as being a true gentleman. He will be missed by all of us that he touched ~
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Howard Hunter My sincere condolences to all of Mick’s family. He inspired me to take on the role as a Provincial Approving Officer, and I will forever be greatful to him for that. In making decisions in that role I often thought of his advice and the mentoring that he had given me. I will miss our visits, conversations and e-mails. He was truly an amazing man and I am very thankful to have had the opportunity to have known him.
Take care…
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Peter Masterton My condolences go to Michael’s Family. Michael was a tower of strength with the Docents at the museum. He always had information to pass on to us younger docents. Every day I was on duty, he was already in the lounge, prepared to giving us the benefit of his knowledge and experience. We shall certainly miss him greatly.
God Bless
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david lee Michael was a friend and mentor at the RBCM
I learned how to ‘smile’ without smilingI
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Lorne Hammond Michael was a gentle giant of a man. He loved to teach young minds as a volunteer at the Royal BC Museum but he was also busy behind the scenes digging into the subjects he knew so well and working tirelessly to help the community of mentorship that joined curators, public programmers, docents and classroom teachers in supporting the learning and imagination of school children. He kept me on my toes with his short and accurate comments and emails. Nor did he allow his concentration camp experience limit his love for teaching and humanity, and his approach to life.
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Robyn Mirlin (Frayne) Hello-this mesage is for Marjorie Elston. I had the great pleasure of working with Marjorie at MSP- claims for a couple of years & just had to drop a line to her to offer my condolences to her & her family. Sorry for the loss of your Dad, Marjorie. Take care. Love Robyn (Frayne) Mirlin.
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Neil & Jo-Anne Vickers To the family, we are saddened to hear of Mick’s passing. We both knew him and admired his professionalism and gentle spirit, when we worked with the Ministry of HIghways many years ago. Our deepest sympathy to you all.
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Lee Dodds My condolences to the family. Mick was a great mentor to all who worked in the Development Approvals section of the Ministry. I relied on his teachings throughout my career as a Provincial Approving Officer. He made us all better and he will be missed.
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Peter Brett My sincere condolences to the family on their loss.
I was fortunate to have worked with Mick on a number of very challenging bridge projects during my time with the Ministry of Highways & admired his intelligence, integrity & knowledge on wide range of topics.
I also enjoyed his sense of humour, which contributed to an enjoyable working relationship, & regarded him as a.source of wise counsel, from whom I occasionally sought advice long after we had both left the Ministry.
He will be missed.
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Rod and Sandy Steck El and Chris…Our sincere condolences on the passing of your father, and the boys grandfather. “Love lives on forever in the heart”, and he will always be with you, just look up to the stars…
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Christa, Jason, Ceiludh, and Grady Ruff We are sorry for your loss of your amazing father and grandfather.
We are happy you could have him at home and have support of his family all around. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
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James (Jimmy) Galloway My deepest sympathy on the passing of your father and grandfather. I wish you all peace and comfort in your time of mourning and in the celebration of your dads life.
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Maggie Nichol Kate, Pat, Colin and Sean, we are so sorry for your loss. Your stories paint Mick as a true character and wonderful grandfather, and he will be sorely missed. Please know our thoughts are with you,
Maggie & Ron
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John (Jack) Lisman Please accept my condolences at the sad loss of your father and grandfather.
Mick Elston was a fine and kindly gentleman who was known for his proffessional integrity and wise conduct of engineering in the Ministry. His kind have become increasingly rare: they just don’t seem to make them like him anymore.
To work for him was always a stimulating and satisfying experience. He was famous for his gift of precis-as if every memo was to be treated like an expensive telegram-with as few words as possible.
We will all miss him.
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Ms. Joan Laharty Sincere condolences to the family. I spent many early Monday mornings with Michael in the RBCM Volunteer lounge listening to his adventures and his words of wisdom. Many thanks Michael. A lot of people will miss you. Joan L.
This message is for Eleanor as, of the Elston family I know only Eleanor. I send my sincere condolences to her and the family.
It is a milestone in our lives as our parents leave us. We celebrate them and the time that they spent with us in their nurturing. A Father is very special.
Take care your selves. Keep well.
Brenda