George Anthony Ching

He was predeceased by his parents, Mary (Leahy) and George Ching IV. He is survived by his wife, Pauline Thornham, daughters Christina (Adam) Kimont and Emily (Michel Carpentier) Ching, and his cherished grandchildren, Caleb and Caitlyn Kimont, and by his siblings Kathryn (Paul) Higgins, Shelagh Wolfe, and Geoffrey (Sharon) Ching, as well as his siblings in law Nancy Firth (James David) Thornham, Susan (Maureen McAlpine) Thornham, and John (Joyce) Thornham.

George Ching was born on September 2, 1952, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the first of four children for George Allan Ching and Mary Cecilia Leahy, and the fifth of his name. The family spent time in Chester, Nova Scotia, before moving to Dartmouth, where he started school at Shannon Park Elementary with other children of Naval personnel.

When his father’s career brought the opportunity for an overseas posting, the family moved to London in 1964. It was there that George began one of his most enduring friendships and thrived as a student at the prestigious St Paul’s School.

On the family’s return to Nova Scotia, George forged life-long friendships, bonding over a shared love of cycling, cars, photography, and the arts. He started university at St Francis Xavier in Antigonish in 1969, studying English literature and philosophy.

In the 1970s, he moved to Toronto, before enrolling at the University of Guelph to study microbiology. In 1976, he met Polly, chatting in the Older than Average Students’ Lounge. They married on their shared birthday, September 2, 1978, at Christ Church Brampton.

Up until the mid-1980s, George was an active volunteer at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Hamilton, helping to restore vintage aircraft to flying condition, and combining his love of aviation with his passion for photography.

Throughout his life, George was a curious person with a keen intellect and varied interests. He made friends all over the world through his interests in aviation, Naval history, genealogy, computer science, reading, and an early adoption of the Worldwide Web. He was a dedicated and generous volunteer, giving thousands of hours to his daughters’ schools and to the Squadron Sponsor Association of 758 Argus Royal Canadian Air Cadets, where he served on the executive committee from 1999-2022.

George was a great supporter of those he loved, and a man of integrity. He would quietly do whatever was needed to help people succeed. He was very proud of his wife’s and daughters’ accomplishments and could always be relied on to show up to concerts, ceremonies, competitions, and elections.

A memorial will be held on Sunday, January 19, 2025, at 1:00 pm in the hall of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 15, 80 Mary Street, Brampton.

In lieu of flowers, the family would welcome donations in his name to the Air Cadet League of Canada or the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.