Courtney Stoate

In Oakville, following a tough battle, on September 15, 2017 in his 93rd year, after an exciting and adventurous life. Born in Bristol, England on December 11, 1924, he was a proud “Bristol boy”. The youngest of three children, he spent the war years in the Royal Air Force as a navigator/bomber and after the war attended University of Bristol where he studied Economics and French on an ex-serviceman’s grant, proof of the benefits to society of free University education. He met the love of his life, Jean, on a blind date, and they married the following year. He joined the RAF again as an education officer, but in 1955 the couple and their two sons emigrated to Perth, Australia and Christ Church Grammar School where he taught French and introduced the game of Rugby. Always looking for adventure, the family, now with a daughter, emigrated to Montreal in 1961, returning to Canada, where he had fallen in love with the vastness of the Canadian landscape in the Commonwealth Air Training Scheme with the RAF.

The golden years of his career were spent at St. Andrew’s College in Aurora, where he was a Housemaster and again introduced Rugby, coaching a number of championship teams, at the same time completing a Master’s in French at the University of Toronto; and
at White Oaks Secondary School in Oakville, where he was Head of the French Department. While at St. Andrew’s, he and Jean built a family cottage, and there on Weslemkoon Lake they entertained their family from around the world.

In 1970-’71 he took a sabbatical to pursue doctoral studies at the University of Aix-en-Provence, focusing on Women in the Work of Emile Zola, while the family lived in France for a year, a wonderful life changing experience for all his children of which the repercussions are still being felt.

Retirement was delayed as Courtney functioned best in a stimulating environment and loved the classroom. He taught part time until he was in his early 70’s while sailing, travelling and reading extensively which made his life full.

His personality cannot be summed up easily, but there is no doubt that his depression era boyhood and the war made all other challenges seem trivial. It made him determined, fearless and ready to seize the day. He was more than the sum of his many parts: a loving kind man who created life-long friendships; a man who believed in and demanded integrity and fair play; a tremendous athlete who could walk up and downstairs on his hands; a crossword “smith”; a wicked bridge player; an adventurer; a voracious reader whose knowledge of and insight into world events made him a fascinating conversationalist—yet a lover of lame puns and ribald jokes to be repeated as we refreshed his whisky glass. He made us proud of being his children. He will be remembered – how could he be forgotten? If he had had a motto it would have been: “Life is lived well by those who live it full tilt. Mourn not long for me, but play on.” And to him we say, as often he called out in appreciation of boys he coached and coached against – “Well played that man!”

Predeceased by the love of his life and wife of 66 years, Jeanie Fraser Cameron Stoate
and will be missed by all of his family around the world, but especially by sons Christopher (Patti Harbman, who loved him as her own father), Timothy (Edwina), Jocelyn (Michael Trepanier), and his granddaughters Katharine, Sarah (Magnus Karlsson), Hayley and great-granddaughter Mathilda, and Michael’s children Andre, Nancy and Melissa and their children. A special thanks to his faithful and loving nephew Ian Hodge and his entire family, and our gratitude to his many caregivers. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Halton Learning Foundation www.haltonlearningfoundation.ca.