Raymond Phillips Capt. RCN (Ret'd)
"Honorary Captain, Class of '56"
Born:
1921
Died:
08 February 2014
Ray Phillips died peacefully at the age of 92. Ray was educated at Brentwood
College on Vancouver Island, Lisgar Collegiate Institute in Ottawa, and briefly
Queens University in Kingston.
Ray joined the Navy in 1939 and was already at sea when war was declared. He
served aboard HMS Southampton, HMCS St. Laurent and, for four years, HMCS Haida
including escort duty across the North Atlantic and to Murmansk. After the war,
he earned his wings in England and then flew from the carrier HMS Triumph with
the Fleet Air Arm. On his return to Canada as a career Officer in The Royal
Canadian Navy, he commanded HMCS Antigonish and later HMCS Fraser and was
Commander at HMCS Venture (cadet training) in Esquimalt.
After retiring from the RCN, Ray continued his service to Canada with the federal Department of Supply
and Services, Treasury Board and National Defence before finally accepting full
retirement in 1987.
He was predeceased by his parents Capt (RCN) Tom and Elizabeth Phillips, his brothers Geoffrey and Adrian, and his daughter Carolyn. He leaves behind his beloved wife, Beryl, their son John and their daughter Moira, his daughter-in-law Cathy and his grandchildren Kate (Arthur Ruff), Michael and Jamie and his great grandchildren Charlie and Tenzin Ruff. Ray also leaves his sister Evangeline Murray of Montreal, his sister-in-law Sheila of Vancouver and many nephews and nieces thoughout Canada.
Ray's entire family warmly and sincerely thanks the staff at Saint-Vincent Hospital who with joy, charm and compassion made Ray's last months as tolerable as they could possibly be.
A memorial service will be held at The Church of St. Bartholomew, 125 MacKay Street in Ottawa, on Thursday, February 13, 2014 at 11:00 a.m.
For those who wish, please consider making a memorial contribution in Ray's memory either to the Canadian Naval Memorial Trust in support of The Battle of the Atlantic Place, PO Box 99000, Stn Forces, Halifax, NS, B3K 5X5 www.canadasnavalmemorial.ca ; or to St. Jude's Cathedral in Iqaluit, The Diocese of The Arctic, PO Box 190, 4910 51st Street, Yellowknife, NT X1A 2N2. www.arcticnet.org
Published by The Globe and Mail - 08 February 1014
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