.
.
.
Nouvelles des anciens

OBITUARY: Walter Sherwin Gilman Cottingham ’43

Walter Sherwin Gilman Cottingham ’43, died April 1, 2020 peacefully at home in Toronto. Born in Montreal in 1928, Walter attended Selwyn House School and McGill University. At McGill, he met Virginia (Ginny) Clare, the love of his life, to whom he was married for 67 years. His family, Ginny, his five children: Diana, Bill, David, Andrew and Tey, and eleven grandchildren: James, Emma; Walter, Kerry, Charlie; Edward, Jono, Wyatt, David, Alexander and Nico, were the centre of his life. Walter’s strong values are instilled in each of his children and grandchildren. Robert, Tina, Kathy, Caroline, Greg and Sally, his daughters and sons-in-law, enriched his life. His grandchildren fondly remember cold chairlift rides with math and history trivia, sitting on his lap riding the tractor and climbing Mt. Mansfield. In his 90s, despite all his health issues, he still persisted in rowing his ancient wooden rowboat across the bay at the cottage. While at McGill, Walter was an active member of the Alpha Psi chapter of the Zeta Psi fraternity. After graduation, he worked in Montreal for Armstrong Corporation, Pepsi-Cola and Cargill, then going on to co-found Formula Growth, which continues today. Walter moved to England, where he successfully ran Eagle Investments for many years. Walter had a dry sense of humour, insatiable curiosity and a passion for history. He valued friendships, honesty and hard work, and set high expectations for his family. Once a friend, you were his friend for life. He was our family poet, and never failed to write a thoughtful birthday poem for each of us. We are grateful to his dedicated and innovative team of doctors, who worked hard to extend his life. Dr. Chaim Shustik, Dr. Steven Treon, Dr. Sabrina Stables, and Dr. Anca Prica provided him with unparalleled care. We appreciated the compassionate nursing support at the Oncology clinic of Mt. Sinai. Memorial donations may be made to: The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation at www.thepmcf.ca or 416-946-6560 or 1-866-224-6560 (option 1), directed to the Lymphoma Research Fund. Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia Foundation of Canada, 905-337-2450 www.wmfc.ca Please consider donating blood to the Canadian Blood Services www.blood.ca
 
Published in The Globe and Mail from Apr. 4 to Apr. 8, 2020
Back