It is with great sadness that we share the loss of Ian MacLachlan. Ian passed away on Tuesday, March 29, 2016 at the Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital, in his 84th year after a brief illness. Ian lived a life full of adventure and shared his love of travel, strong wit and humour, and generosity with all who knew him.
Ian is predeceased by his wife of 59 years, Patricia, who passed away in 2015. He was a wonderful father to Ruth (Jeff Cassidy) and Neil and an adored grandfather to Duncan, Riley, Robert and Sarah. He will be sadly missed by his sisters, Irene (Alex Profit) and Morag (Peter Spencer), his nieces and nephews and many other relatives and good friends from Canada, the United States, Australia and Scotland.
Born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1932, Ian's quest for adventure and travel began early on when he studied at Leith Nautical College leading him to join the Merchant Navy and set sail at the young age of 17. This was the beginning of a lifelong love of travel and the sea.
A stop in Australia introduced him to his beloved wife Pat, and the adventure for two then began.
A long trip by sea to Canada with baby son Neil landed him in Montreal in time for Expo 67 and the arrival of daughter Ruth. His career in computer science started at the University of Guelph and from there he helped build Cincom Systems Canada and Australia. This allowed him boundless opportunities to travel the world, where he immersed himself into every culture he landed in. A man with more passport stamps will never be found and no exotic food was left without sampling! Wherever he went, he always had great stories to share. Even in his later years, his wanderlust and love of the sea continued. In 2007, at the age of nearly 75, Ian was in all his glory when he embarked on his last great maritime voyage aboard the Flottbek, a cargo ship which sailed from Montreal to Liverpool, and onto Antwerp.
Though Ian was a proud Canadian, he never forgot his Scottish roots and was heavily involved in the Clan Lachlan Association of Canada.
Above all, Ian was a true gentleman, a devoted family man and the most generous person you will ever meet. Nothing was more important to him than his family and throughout his life he remained dedicated to his parents, his wife, his sisters, his children and especially his grandchildren. In his later years, Ian assumed the role of caregiver to Pat when she was faced with mobility issues and lovingly took great care of her. Ian has made a huge impact on the lives of many and will be truly missed by all those who knew him.
A memorial service will be held at 2:00 pm on Wednesday April 6, 2016 at St. Simon's Anglican Church, 1450 Litchfield Road, Oakville. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions to the Old Castle Lachlan Project at www.oldcastlelachlan.com or via www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/lachlan-trust-of-canada would be appreciated.