Thomas Crichton Wilson

After a hard-fought battle with Covid-19 and resulting complications, it is with a heavy heart that I announce the peaceful passing of my beloved husband Crichton at the Montreal Jewish General Hospital, just a few months after his 85th birthday.

He leaves behind in mourning his wife Christa, his younger sister Sandra (wife of Peter Abraham), late sister Anthea (wife of the late Giles Langton), his sister-in-law Waltraud (Hans-Wilhelm Molitor) and many nephews and nieces in the UK, Spain and Germany.

Uncle Crichton will be dearly missed by all of them. Even though he lived abroad, he always remained part of their lives.

Dearly missed also by the Wodzicki family - Anula and her sons Michael, Christopher and Tony. Crichton became their fatherly friend after the untimely death of their own father and Crichton’s best tennis pal Frank Wodzicki.

Crichton was born in Eastbourne, Sussex, to Olive and T. Henry Wilson, a doctor and surgeon in the town. He attended Eastbourne College, did his military service with the Royal Air Force and went on to read civil engineering at Cambridge University (Clare College). After a few years of working in the aviation industry in the UK, CAE Electronics came calling and in 1966 he immigrated to Montreal, Canada. There he had a career in Project Management taking him on assignments to many different countries and provinces in Canada. He was a life-long aviation enthusiast, a bug and a name he got from his adored God-father, Uncle Crichton Boxer, who himself was a flying ace for the RAF during WWI, specializing in stunt flights for the entertainment of crowds.

Crichton prided himself on having learned to fly in an open-cockpit Tiger Moth during his RAF service. One of his cherished assignments for CAE was being project manager for the Hand Control Simulator for the Space Shuttle in Houston, Texas. There he met many of the astronauts…happiness is!

In 1976 the Olympic Organization Committee offered him a position as project manager for Field Hockey, a sport he played in England for many years. He was proud to be part of the Montreal Olympics and over the years retained the friendship of so many of his co-workers.Being a Brit he also was an accomplished cricketer and tennis player.

Tennis became part of his life when he came to Montreal and in 1967 joined the Monkland Tennis Club which became his second home. There he made life-long friends. And it was here where in 1978 he found his true love-match in Christa and for 40 years they made a wonderful life together, traveling for pleasure or more often for the many tennis tournaments, locally and internationally, representing Tennis Canada on many occasions. He was a member of the MTC for 55 years where along the way he served as President, member of the Board or in later years, being a Welcome Ambassador for new members.

He was the epitome of a charming gentleman with a wonderful sense of humor, who brought smiles into the lives of all he knew.

He was loved by all – young and old.

A special thanks to the Montreal Heart Institute, who looked after him after his heart operation in 2016. Cardiologist Dr Marie-Claude Parent and the nurses Maria Ida and Zohra - we are forever grateful to them.

Thanks also to the staff at the JGH for their incredible care and compassion during his final days and hours.

According to his wishes his ashes will be interred at the beautiful rural cemetery in Wenham, East Anglia - joining his older sister Anthea and brother-in-law Giles Langton, both of whom passed away three years ago.

A celebration of Crichton’s life will be held at the Monkland Tennis Club at a date to be announced.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Crichton’s honor can be made to the Montreal Heart Institute.