Obituary of Colonel (Ret'd) Christopher Guy Simonds CD
Colonel (Ret'd) Christopher Guy Simonds CD
It is with great sorrow we announce that on Tuesday the 13th of October Colonel (Ret'd) Christopher Guy Simonds CD, aged 62, of Ottawa Ontario passed away in hospital following a very complex medical journey which began in July. Christopher's four boys were able to visit with him prior to his passing. With his wife at his side, Christopher slipped away peacefully with love and the words of his boys in his ears.
Christopher was born in Kingston Ontario to Colonel (Ret'd) Charles Richard Simonds, OMM, CD and Barbara Rose Simonds (nee Lynch) on 26 September 1958. His school years were spent at St. John's-Ravenscourt School (Winnipeg MB), Glebe Collegiate Institute (Ottawa ON); Loyalist Collegiate Vocational Institute (Kingston ON), and Trinity College School (Port Hope ON). He went on to earn a Chemical (Nuclear) Engineering Degree from the Royal Military College of Canada, Kingston Ontario, in 1980. He served with unwavering commitment for 37 years in the Canadian Armed Forces, Royal Canadian Artillery.
Christopher's life was one of dedicated service to the military, his family, and to his dear friends and colleagues. While his work often took him away from those he loved, when he could, Christopher enjoyed golfing and curling, watching the Blue Jays, and travelling the world with his family. Over the course of his life, Christopher received many honours and awards for his contributions to both the military and civilian communities he served. He lived his life guided by the values of duty, loyalty, honour, and valour; he will be missed for his outstanding leadership, strategic vision, and wonderful sense of humour.
Christopher is survived by his wife Major (Ret'd) Krista Caroline Simonds CD (nee Blaser), his four sons Lieutenant William Alexander, Nicholas Anthony, Matthew Thomas, and David Nathaniel Simonds; his father Colonel (Ret'd) Charles Richard Simonds; his brothers Stephen Andrew Simonds (Elizabeth Baxter Simonds; John and Katie Simonds), and Eric Charles Simonds. He is predeceased by his mother Barbara Rose Simonds and his brother Captain (Ret'd) David Taylor Simonds.
Given the unexpected and devastating nature of the medical challenges Christopher faced, being with family at home whenever possible was immensely important throughout his period of care. This journey, while difficult, nevertheless proved to be tremendously unifying and he and his family were grateful for each precious moment they had together. Christopher never faltered in his determination to optimize every opportunity to extend life and spend time with those he loved. He remained optimistic to the very end. The family wishes to extend their gratitude to the First Responders and the Community Support Services that made this possible, in particular: the firefighters at Fire Station 51 in Ottawa, the Ottawa Paramedic Services, the University of Ottawa Heart Institute and the larger Ottawa Hospitals Network Oncology Services, the Champlain Local Health Integration Network, and Carefor Ottawa.
A funeral will be held at James Reid Funeral Home in Kingston, Ontario on Thursday 29 October at 1 p.m (with RSVP's required for attendance as spaces are limited, to RSVP please call the funeral home between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Monday - Wednesday or by signing up below). Burial will follow at the Cataraqui Cemetery in Kingston, Ontario. The funeral will allow for both physical attendance (with masks, social distancing and contact tracing measures), as well as a live streaming digital component to enable those unable to attend in person due to COVID, to participate. Please register for the live stream using the following link:
https://event.forgetmenotceremonies.com/ceremony/?c=4f475289-a565-48ba-a493-abb77e14837c
Link for the graveside service:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzAvmQmeuXk
Memorial donations may be made to: The University of Ottawa Heart Institute Foundation; The Ottawa Hospital Foundation - Cancer Research; Carefor; or, The University Hospitals Kingston Foundation - Cardiac and/or Cancer Care.
