Michael John Moore

Mike was born in Doncaster, Yorkshire, England in 1930.  He was educated at Doncaster Grammar School and Durham University.  He dropped out of University to join the British Army’s Royal Artillery and was commissioned in time to serve in the Korean War.  Later on, he saw active service in Borneo and Malaya and in the withdrawal from Aden.  He was a pilot in the Army Air Corps and he also served in a Commando Artillery Regiment.   In 1969 after seventeen years in the army, he retired as a major and came to Canada.

Soon after getting off the boat, he was drawn to the North and joined the Government of the Northwest Territories in Fort Smith.  He worked in the North for twenty years and was at various times Regional Director of the Baffin Region, Secretary to the Cabinet, Deputy Minister of Local Government and Chairman of the Workers’ Compensation Board.  Mike used to say that his happiest times in the North were when he lived for seven years in Frobisher Bay (now Iqaluit) and got to know people in all the communities of the Baffin Region.  But it was in Yellowknife that he discovered the joy of sailing and qualified as a CYA Advanced Level Cruising Instructor on Great Slave Lake.

Mike retired for the second time in 1989 and lived aboard his yacht “Arctic Willow” in Sidney, B.C. teaching sailing and running skippered charters.  In April 1994, he married Irene Stilwell, his close friend of many years, in a ceremony onboard “Arctic Willow” in Victoria Harbour.  He later became involved in Outreach activities at First Metropolitan United Church and took a leading role with the Inner-City Dinners and the Out of the Rain night shelter for homeless youth.  He also served as Chair of the Ministry and Personnel Committee and Co-Chair of the Management Group.

Mike and Irene had twelve happy years together in Sidney until Mike suffered a major stroke in 2006, from which he never recovered. He remained in Extended Care at Saanich Peninsula Hospital until he died. He leaves behind his beloved Irene, his stepdaughter Kerry Schaffer (Warren) and grandchildren Ian and Taya of Haileybury, Ontario; and stepdaughter Dawn Woodhurst (Ed) of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Also left to mourn is his sister Sally Cant (Peter) of Scarborough, Ontario.

A Celebration of Life will be held at a future date.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the” Out of the Rain” night shelter for homeless youth through Beacon Community Services, Victoria BC.

 THOSE WHOM YOU TRULY LOVE NEVER DIE

Condolences may be offered to the family below.

McCall Gardens
www.mccallgardens.com

Print Obituary