Ian Paul Mochrie died on Tuesday, July 9, 2024 in Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre with his family close by his side. Ian was born September 14, 1943 to Ethel (née Kaposy) and John Mochrie in Hamilton, Ontario.
Ian had a difficult start to life when both his parents had to be hospitalized for tuberculosis, so he was partly raised by his grandparents. He excelled in school and skipped a grade even though he suffered frequent asthma attacks, which would later dissipate with his eventual move to Northwestern Ontario. As a boy, he unknowingly broke his neck diving into a swimming pool, forcing him to spend a long time in hospital in traction. He emerged with an incredibly muscular neck and a love of Horatio Hornblower novels.
Ian’s mother, Ethel was a devout Catholic and he attended Catholic schools throughout his childhood. Perhaps owing to surviving his near-death experience breaking his neck he decided to pursue a life as a Catholic priest. This led him to schooling in Ottawa with the Oblates and he had placements in Thunder Bay, British Columbia, Ottawa, and Mexico before serving as a priest and missionary in Peru. After 2 years in Peru he returned to Canada after just surviving a terrible bout with hepatitis. Soon after his return he hung up his priestly duties and went to teachers college. This led him first to Geralton for a one year posting and then to Red Lake where he taught Accounting, Computers, Law, Civics, Geography and even English to high school students and adults. Ian also volunteered as the coach of the high school volleyball team for many years and he was a passionate if quirky teacher, always dressed in a suit and tie. He loved cross-country skiing and was a volunteer instructor with the local club’s Jack Rabbit program.
He met his wife Catherine (née Rose) in Red Lake when she moved into the apartment above his. They married on July 28, 1984. Together they had two wonderful children: Cameron and Elizabeth, of whom he was extremely proud. Both children were raised in their home on Lakeview Crescent in Cochenour Ontario where Ian built increasingly larger vegetable gardens which would become his overarching passion. Every year he harvested a large variety of vegetables, but his pride and joy was his corn.
Ian could be described as a Renaissance man who was knowledgeable, educated, and proficient in a wide range of interests. With some help, he taught himself how to play the piano and guitar. He played by ear to the delight of many, and had a wide range of musical tastes and knowledge ranging from classical and opera to the Beatles and CCR. While in the seminary he was involved in the musicals they often put on as a performer and even as a composer. He also used his musical and acting talents in his later years, most notably starring in the local elementary school’s production of “Pinocchio and the Fairy Godmother” as Geppetto. Although reluctant at first, he grew to love the experience and would recall those times fondly. Ian had a beautiful singing voice that was in demand at many weddings – including his own.
Ian was an avid reader and lover of detective novels. He enjoyed sterner stuff too, reading tomes on history, science, and politics. Post-retirement he became an avid reader of The Economist magazine, almost always reading each issue cover to cover. He was a fount of information – no “need” for Google, or, with a map in hand, GPS either!
He was a great lover of nature and the outdoors. Ian loved birds and he knew them by sight, song and flight pattern! He led his family on dozens of camping trips through northern Ontario, western Canada and the United States. A lover of wide open spaces, mountains (or “big rocks” as his children occasionally complained), the Rockies were a frequent stop. He loved mountains and waterfalls and would often, much to the chagrin of his adoring children and friends, take trips the long way round just to see them.
Following their retirement from teaching, Ian and his wife would begin to travel further afield: Newfoundland and Labrador, the British Isles, Europe, North Africa, India, Nepal, Southeast Asia, New Zealand, and Peru.
In the fall of 2019 he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and this diagnosis would define the remaining years of his life. The following year, he and his wife moved to Thunder Bay for his ongoing health care needs. Despite living with cancer, however, Ian continued to pursue his passions, building new gardens at his Thunder Bay home, playing the piano, and learning Italian. In 2023, he welcomed his first grandchild and became “Grandpop”. Ian formed and kept many close friends in every stage of life. During his final days in the hospital, he received many visits, phone calls, and emails that he was deeply moved by. He is survived by his wife of nearly 40 years, Catherine; his son, Cameron and daughter-in-law, Kristen Koch; his grandson, Callan; his daughter, Elizabeth; his sister, Joanne and her husband Eddie Patterson and family; sister-in-law, Janet and her husband, Glenn Harrison and family; and sister-in-law, Mary Jane Hutcheon and family.
Ian was a son, brother, cousin, husband, father, uncle, grandfather, and a great friend and was described as “a very congenial, thoughtful, kind, and modest person, with a particularly wry sense of humour.” His daughter, Elizabeth, aptly sums up our emotions at this time with, “Now that he’s gone, and I keep bumping into his absence like an awkwardly placed piece of furniture I can’t get around, there’s still comfort in all that he left behind.”
Funeral Services for Ian will be held on Monday, July 15, 2024 at 2:00pm in the WESTFORT CHAPEL, 420 West Gore Street at James. Interment will take place at a later date. Should friends so desire, donations made in Ian's memory to Shelter House would be greatly appreciated.
Please sign the online condolences at everestofthunderbay.com
