Wylie Hamilton

We are very sad to share the news that our wonderful dad Wylie Hamilton passed away on Thursday, July 20th, somewhat suddenly but peacefully at age 87, with his daughters by his side. He was very well cared for in his final hours by the kind nurses and doctors at Victoria General Hospital.

Wylie was a geologist and engineer by profession and was tremendously well-respected in his field but his work never took precedence over his family. He loved us with the calm, mighty strength of the mountains and the rocks and the earth that he studied.

Wylie was born in Lumsden, Saskatchewan, in 1936 and enjoyed a rural childhood with his sisters Sylvia and Linda. He played baseball, went fishing, and reluctantly took piano lessons. He was a brilliant and extremely conscientious student who, like many of his peers, skipped out of school at harvest time to get the crops in.

Wylie completed his master’s degree at the University of Saskatchewan and went on to work in the fledgling oil and gas sector in Alberta. His escapades from this time were adventure-film worthy, including clandestine spy work to discover how deep competitors were drilling at different sites out in the wilderness.

Wylie ultimately settled into a long and successful career at the Alberta Research Council in Edmonton specialising in industrial minerals. There, his adventures continued. From cougar encounters and getting charged by an angry mother moose, to remote helicopter exploration, he was always working on something interesting. He wrote books, took amazing photos, provided expert witness testimony, and even joined a multi-day trek by horseback into the Cline Valley to retrieve unique rock samples when he was in his 70s.

Being an exceptional husband, however, was his main claim to fame. Wylie and Margaret caught each other’s eye on a ski train to Jasper and, being a methodical man, he took his time contacting her. But there was no moss growing on mum and after spotting him at the local Safeway, she entranced him. They married on April 16, 1966. He was the perfect Prince Charming and they remained blissfully in love for the rest of their lives.

Endlessly kind and patient, Wylie loved trees and lakes and fishing. He filled our house with literature and classical music, gourmet food and single malt Scotch.

A listener more than a talker, he was usually the smartest person in the room but never made anyone feel small. He had a great sense of humour, and was a frequent and enthusiastic host, delivering an outstanding Address to a Haggis each year at their Robbie Burns dinners.

Wylie was a keen and attentive granddad and played a major role in the lives of his grandsons, with him and mum splitting their time between Edmonton and Victoria after the boys were born before moving out to the coast to live full-time in 2019. He shared a certain dandy quality with Campbell, and loved going to the opera with Rowan, who sings beautifully. He took them on hikes and patiently explained the geology of the region as he did back when we were kids. “The Boys” meant the world to him.

Wylie and his beloved Margaret had a strong, true and beautiful love for each other and it gives us great comfort to know that they’re together somewhere. Their co-mingled ashes will reflect the single entity that was “Mags and Wylie” — our mum and dad.

Condolences may be offered to the family below.

McCall Gardens
www.mccallgardens.com