It is with great sadness that I note the passing of RAdm(Retired) Bill Christie this week.  

William Borden (R/Adm) Christie

Passed away suddenly on April 10, 2019, in Ottawa, Ont., aged 99. Son of the late Wilmot and Ruby Christie (Digby), he was predeceased by his loving wife, Maxine (Bailey). Survived by children, Peter (Susan Fitzgerald), Andrew (Maria) of Ottawa; and Susan (Robert) Boulerice of Aurora, Ont. He leaves much-loved grandchildren, Kim (James Cameron) and David of Ottawa; Kieran (Vanessa Crooker) McManus of Toronto; Jeffrey (Jenn) McManus of London, Ont.; and Kyle and Ryan of Ottawa; also great-grandchildren, Asha and Malcolm Cameron, Emily, Lauren, Kaitlin, Elise and Will McManus, Ayva, Kassia and London Christie; as well as his only sister, Dorothy (Jack) O'Connor of Toronto; ex daughter-in-law, Debbie (Rick) Nystedt of Sault Ste. Marie; and a number of nieces of nephews. Born in 1919 in Calais, Me., U.S.A. and raised in Digby, he went off to sea in the Merchant Navy in 1936 until joining the Canadian Navy in 1941, serving in several ships in the Atlantic and in Korea (1950-51). He was much involved with ship system design and construction, particularly the aircraft carrier Bonaventure and "O" Class submarines in the United Kingdom, and went on to positions of increasing responsibility in that field. In the latter 60's he was in command of HMC Dockyard Halifax and CF Base Halifax, later became Chief of Engineering for the Armed Forces in Defence Headquarters, Ottawa, and then Associate ADM (Materiel). He retired from the RCN in 1974 as Rear Admiral and then served as Director General of the Shipbuilding Branch of DSS Ottawa for five years. After leaving Government service, he was president, successively, of three companies: Versatile Systems Engineering Inc., YARD Inc. and VSEL Defence Systems Canada, all in Ottawa. He was a graduate of Dalhousie University and the Nova Scotia Technical College in Halifax and the Imperial Defence College of London, England. He was an avid sailor all his life and a past Commodore of the Britannia Yacht Club. He chaired area chapters of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, the Engineering Institute of Canada and the Naval Officers Association of Canada. A private interment in Beechwood Cemetery will be held at a later date. In his memory, donations to the Ottawa Heart Institute or the Canadian Cancer Society would be appreciated.