Gordon Hill Paterson

Funeral service for the late Gordon Hill Paterson, 94, Port Hawkesbury, was held December 19 in St. Mark’s United Church, Port Hawkesbury, with Nan Corrigan, DM, officiating. Burial will be at a later date. Mr. Patterson died December 12, 2018 in St. Martha’s Regional Hospital, Antigonish. He was born in Durban, South Africa on April 23, 1924. Towards the end of the Second World War, at age 20, he served with the South African Forces in Egypt and Italy. He lived in Natal, South Africa before moving to Bulawayo, Rhodesia in 1952. He could turn his hand at fixing anything, cars, electrical appliances, etc. He built his own home in Bulawayo laying 1000 bricks a night when he came home from work. He worked as chief mechanical engineer on the Rhodesian railways until his retirement. He married Laura Phyllis Dell in 1992, moving to Port Hawkesbury in 2002. He enjoyed making and flying gliders, tennis, fishing, golf and sailing. He made the yacht The Fireball which he crewed for his son and together won the South African championships three years in a row. In Port Hawkesbury, he continued his hobby of faceting gemstones. He researched the Bluenose and made models in his workshop in the basement which he took to craft markets. He is survived by his wife, Laura; son, Roger (Sandy); two daughters-in-law, Irene,Theresa; two step-daughters, Cheryl (Dennis), Shirley (Americo); 10 grandchildren, Ryan, Mark, Alisha, Charise, Andrew, Heather, Dale, Robert, Daniella, Graham; nine great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his first wife, Bobbie; two sons, Ian, Tim. Memorial donations may be made to Strait Richmond Palliative Care Society. Online condolences: www.haverstocks.com