Commander Macgregor Fullarton Macintosh, OMM, died peacefully at Saanich Peninsula Hospital on 8 March 2026 at the age of 96, following kind and loving visits from family, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and friends.
Born in Victoria, British Columbia, on 27 January 1930 to Macgregor F. Macintosh and Margaret Sidney McBride, Gregor was the second of four children, his older sister Jane (Carrothers) and his younger brothers Dick and Ian. Though Gregor suffered in childhood from asthma, he had many cherished memories of country life on Saltspring Island.
Gregor’s lifelong connection to the sea began early through the Scouts and Cadets. He attended Oak Bay High School, where he was elected school president in his final year.
He joined the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve as an officer candidate in 1947 and his naval career would include service with both the Royal Canadian Navy and the Royal Navy. His early service included time in HMCS Ontario, HMCS Antigonish, and HMCS Magnificent, where he gained valuable experience at sea.
His career took him to the United Kingdom, where he trained and served at several naval air stations, flying with operational squadrons as an Observor with the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm.
Returning to Canada, he continued his aviation and naval service in squadrons based at HMCS Shearwater and aboard HMCS Magnificent.
He went on to command HMCS Resolute and later served as Executive Officer of HMCS Chaudière. In 1971, he was promoted to Commander, subsequently serving as Executive Officer of HMCS Preserver before he became CO of HMCS Yukon from 1973 to 1976.
His later appointments included senior staff and administrative roles as Base Administration Officer at CFB Esquimalt, Senior Canadian Officer for NATO at Northwood, Middlesex and Queen’s Harbour Master at Esquimalt.
Commander Macintosh retired from the Canadian Armed Forces on 27 January 1985. In retirement, he continued to serve the naval community as Commandant of the Naval Reserve Training School at Naden.
Gregor continued to live a full life. Finally settling in North Saanich, Gregor and Liz created a very pretty home with a lovely garden. It would become a place of enchantment for grandchildren and a space for Macintoshes, Ridewoods and friends to gather. And gather they did, under the maple tree, for boisterous themed gatherings with music.
Retirement also allowed Gregor to return fully to the sea he had loved all his life. His favourite past time was to take friends out on his boat around the Gulf Islands and beyond. Many happy years were spent with his boats and pals at Westport Marina in Sidney. Gregor was committed to his faith community as church Warden at Holy Trinity Church, North Saanich. He canvassed many years as a fundraiser for ALS.
He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Military Merit (OMM).
Gregor was predeceased by Elizabeth (Ridewood) (1930–2015), his beloved wife of 63 years. He is survived by his children Tessa, Catriona (deceased), Sheila-Alexandra, Malcolm, and Sara, as well as his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, who brought him immense pride and joy.
A funeral service will be held at Holy Trinity Anglican Church, North Saanich on Sunday 12th April 2026 at 1pm.
Our sincere condolences to the Macintosh family, who have lost their father. Macgregor became a friend to my husband Andrew and myself through my heartfelt friendship with his daughter Sara. We met in London and worked in the music business together, both Canadian, both loving to sing.
When I moved back to Kelowna, my trips to the Island usually ended or started with a visit to the Macintosh house to see Macgregor. We’d share a meal, a laugh with a beverage of some kind, or even better, a boat trip through his memories. As we boated past certain places, his knowledge and stories always seemed to fill the air with wonder, because history like that wasn’t written down, just told.
A few years back, Andrew and Macgregor had plans to take to the sea once again, but we knew those were far-fetched dreams that wouldn’t come to fruition. Still, we let him dream, and as a result, we’ve kept some lovely memories inside our hearts.
Sending you so much on your journey to meet your maker — peace be with you and a heart full of love.
With God’s blessings,
Anna Jacyszyn & Andrew Jopling
Sending our deepest condolences to the Macintosh family in the loss of Macgregor, your father, brother, grandfather, great-grandfather and friend. There are no words for the loss of such a pillar. Macgregor was a remarkable man and his legacy of love, wisdom, and strength will live on in all of you. We are honored to have been a part of his life and will cherish the memories we made with him.
Holding you close in our thoughts
Jack & Doris Humphries