Plankowner
Posts: 5024
Location: Gulfport, MS | Subject: Obit Messenger results for 10/17/09 (Royal Navy
Fraser McColl was a self-made man. He was never complacent and always sure he could make something or do something better, said his son, A. Fraser McColl. The 84-year-old well-known Victoria developer passed away Saturday after a long history of health problems. "He would probably be looking at something like his obituary and making corrections on it, saying, 'well this could be written better.' And this was a guy who left school at 14 because he had to go and work to support his family," he said. McColl was born in Scotland in 1925. He joined the Royal Navy Submarine Corp during the Second World War. He later moved to Venezuela to work for Price Waterhouse and Royal Dutch Shell. In the 1960s, he moved his family from Texas where they had been living, to Victoria because he wanted his children to grow up in a positive environment. But he was known for his sense of adventure, leaving his family for months at a time looking for oil in the Middle East. "He was traveling in places where the body guards were wilder than the bandits," A. Fraser said. "He was followed around by secret police ... But these are the things he told you later." When he did come home, his idea of a good time was to travel somewhere to scope out opportunities, or where there might be something interesting to look at, his son said. "Work was his passion ... projects were his passion to do something, to create something. That was his passion." McColl was a successful developer and partnered with others on projects like Broadmead and Wedgewood. He was involved with many pieces of land and at one time owned the Broom Hill golf course in Sooke and the area that is now known as Christmas Hill. He also built several office buildings downtown in St. Andrews Square. McCall owned the Western Hockey League's Victoria Cougars hockey team for 10 years. He loved the atmosphere, the friends and the sport. But he took his job seriously and worked hard. "The joke amongst the hockey players was, 'the only time Fraser took time off was when he had a heart-attack.' That was his style," A. Fraser said. McColl is survived by his wife of 58 years, Denise and their three children Fraser, Yvonne and Debbie.A public celebration of life will be held at McCall Bros. Floral Chapel, 1400 Vancouver St. at 11 a.m. Saturday (Oct. 17) with a reception to follow at Uplands Golf Course. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Mercy Ships Canada, 5-3318 Oak St. lweighton@vicnews.com
|
Obit Messenger results for 10/17/09 (Royal Navy
