INNIS, Quentin Gerald - It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our father Quentin Gerald Innis, on Wednesday, September 25, 2019, peacefully and in the company of family.
He was predeceased by our mother Aileen Mavis Innis, née McIntyre, and is survived by children Susan de Soldenhoff, Brian (Julie), Frederick (Lorna), Mary Saulig (Edi), Quentin (Elaine), and Richard (Laura); grandchildren Michael (Claire), Zoe, Marek, Esme (Adam), Brendan, Bronwyn, Rhiannon, and Gareth; great-grandchildren Sasha, Reece, Scarlett, Cassie, Misha, Otis and Roscoe; Aileen's brother Jim; Quentin's older brother Mick, and in-laws Bev, Eunice, Jean, and Barbara, and many nieces and nephews.
He was predeceased by siblings Robert, Iris (Girlie), Frederick, Conrad, Pamela, Cyril, Ruth and Malcolm. Quentin was born in Delhi, in British India, on July 21, 1921, and attended Lawrence College in Murree, in the foothills of the Himalayas, where he met Aileen in 1933.
A gifted student, he was on his way to higher education until an earthquake levelled Quetta in 1935, killing his father and two youngest siblings. Leaving school to help his widowed mother, Quentin joined the Indian Army as an apprentice. Graduating as a technician in 1938, he rose through the ranks, eventually running a Divisional Workshop in the 14th Army in Burma.
In 1944, he earned the coveted para wings and transferred to 6th (Indian) Airborne Division. He and Aileen married in 1946.
In 1948, Quentin was demobilized in the UK after a long sea voyage with Aileen and two young children. Settling in Manchester, he quickly found work in the Civil Service and at Metropolitan-Vickers, while finding time to fix cars, build a television set, and work on his tennis game.
In 1960 the family moved to Edinburgh, until Quentin was headhunted from Ferranti by Canadair in 1966. In 1970 he moved from Montreal to Ontario, and in 1973 bought a house in Bramalea where he and Aileen lived until 2014.
Working until well into his 70s, Quentin maintained an interest in all things mechanical, persistently trying to convert his old Chevy half-ton to an electric vehicle.
He kept active into his 90s, and only reluctantly moved to retirement homes in Toronto and then Hamilton due to a combination of blindness, deafness, and dementia. These conditions eventually necessitated his move to a care home in June 2019, shortly before Aileen's death.
In accordance with his wishes, Quentin's body has been donated to McMaster University's Education Program in Anatomy, fulfilling his lifetime goal of reaaching university while leaving nothing to waste.
The family would like to thank the staff at The Grenadier, Toronto, and Caroline Place, Hamilton, for their dedication and care. Their engagement with Quentin helped make his last years comfortable despite his failing senses. The patience, kindness, and attention of everyone at Extendicare, Hamilton, who helped Quentin through his last few weeks, is truly appreciated.
A celebration of life for Quentin and Aileen will be held on Tuesday, October 15th, at 10:30 a.m. at The First Unitarian Church of Hamilton, 170 Dundurn St. South, Hamilton, Ontario.
Despite his best intentions, Quentin never built his own electric car.
In his memory, we think that he would have liked you to take a ride in one.
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