In Memoriam: Cedric Marsh

Remembering Cedric Marsh, a former member who Joined Oak Bay Rotary on his birthday, March 2, 1999, and who died on January 21, 2013.

Cedric, left with Bedrija Hromic, Lorna Curtis and Bob Beauvais  during a Mount Finlayson hike.

Born in Wigan, Lancashire, Cedric graduated from Cambridge University, England, in the 40’s and joined the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough where he remained until the end of the war. He worked at Alcan in Switzerland and Canada designing ‘things’ in aluminum, including an aircraft hangar at Heathrow Airport, a 16-acre exhibition hall roof in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the familiar railway wheat car with curved sides, and the ‘tuning fork’ goal posts used by the CFL and NFL.

He was an Adjunct Professor at the University of Waterloo, followed by Sir George Williams (now Concordia University) in Montreal, all the while maintaining a consulting practice. The combined roles took him to many countries in South America, with lecture tours in South Africa and Australia.

He chaired committees on aluminum structures in Canada, the USA and Europe and belonged to the body that writes the National Building Code of Canada. He had many ideas for earthquake proofing buildings.

Cedric was married to Patricia, who shared part of his childhood. Three children and nine grandchildren are scattered across the world. He retired as Professor Emeritus and moved to Victoria in 1998. He is a past member of the Westmount, Montreal Rotary Club.


The following obit. appeared in the Times Colonist: