George Frederick Wilgress

George Frederick Wilgress

b. March 16, 1937 ~ d. September 5, 2024 

We are deeply saddened to announce that George passed away peacefully at Rogers Cove Retirement Residence on Sept. 5, 2024. 

George grew up in the small, rural town of Ayr, Ontario with his parents Edward and Millicent, and his younger brother David (predeceased George in 2017). 

One of his great joys was the Wilgress Family Christmas get together with his brother David’s family where he would reminisce with stories of the past. 

He attended Grades 1 through 6 in the one room school house to which his mother was the one and only teacher for all six Grades … “Couldn’t get in trouble at school without mom knowing it.” 

He was an active member of the Scouts. 

At a young age, he always kept busy working odd jobs with the anticipation of buying his first car. 

He left high school to work for the Canadian Bank of Commerce (1 1/2 years in Kitchener and 1 1/2 years in Listowel). He was quickly promoted to Head teller.   Deciding that a life of banking was not his thing, his focus shifted to the Navy.  

He enlisted and graduated first in his class from Cornwallis Basic Training, which provided him with choices. He completed the Air Fitter Trade Group One at the Naval Aircraft Maintenance School with top scholastic Honours.  Being first in his class, he chose the VF870 NORAD Jet Fighter Squadron, his home base being Shearwater N.S.. He served aboard the HCMS Bonaventure Aircraft Carrier.  During one LEAVE home from Shearwater, all his friends were busy working. He was bored so he showed up at the Waterloo / Wellington Airport and did a self-imposed two (2) week crash course to obtain his private pilot license.  

He told stories of being deployed at sea, especially the details of the “Fall Cruise of 59” ~ The Great Storm, having many pictures to back up his claims about the severity of the storm. 

During one LEAVE home, he met Jennie Dedman from Wrigley Corners, just down the road from Ayr.  They married July 4th, 1959. 

Their beginning of married life consisted of George at sea, and wife Jennie in Shearwater with baby Sue.  

Once discharged from the Navy, he worked at Fleet Aircraft in Fort Erie. Fleet Aircraft closed not long after, so he found work at Dehavilland, in Toronto. Albeit he was working on aircraft, it was more assembly line type work … not his thing. 

He heard of an opening at Trans Canada Airlines in Malton (Air Canada today) and was lucky enough to get hired on as a mechanic on the midnight shifts. 

On his own time, he found the necessary reading materials to study for and write his Federal endorsement to become a Certified Aircraft Maintenance Engineer, which was the beginning of his 27 year career with Air Canada, retiring October, 1992.   

With his strong scholastic aptitude, he continually sought to upgrade his endorsements with each new aircraft type purchased by Air Canada.  Working at Air Canada provided his family with many travel opportunities.

During their early years, George and Jennie lived in a small house in Malton backing onto acres of adjacent farmland. Although it was a three (3) bedroom house, it was very small. With a growing family of now six young children, he built an addition onto the house and added a garage where he could work on his many projects: Building and repairing tractors and cars, and working on anything mechanical.

He was an avid boater and swimmer and was in his element anywhere on or in the water.

With Malton expanding around them, George and Jennie sought some more rural experiences for the family so they bought a farm up Dundalk way with a little, old, run down house and barn.

On his days off from his job at Air Canada, he worked the fields planting crops of grain, taking off hay, and maintaining a fair sized vegetable garden. He once said … “If not for the opportunities presented to him in the aircraft industry, he thought he would have liked to become a farmer.

A few years later, George and Jennie purchased a rural lot just outside the little hamlet of Caledon East with plans to build the future family home there.

They moved the family from Malton to the Dundalk farm. This became the living transition while the family home was built on the Caledon East lot. During this time, George travelled back and forth, a significant distance, between the Dundalk farm and his Air Canada job in Malton.

He would stay over many nights in a little camper at the Caledon East lot, working on building the family home on his days off work. This was his routine for 1 1/2 years until the family home was built to the point of moving in.

Here George and Jennie raised their six children through their teenage and early adult years.

Any time away from work was always centred around the family home and a few close friends from his Navy years. During his retirement years, he enjoyed helping his children build their own homes, trips north to help with family moves, and working on small projects in the garage. (Boats, go-carts, motorcycles, tractors.)

George is survived by his beloved wife Jennie, children Susan (Norm), Tim, Paul, Peter (Serena), Andrew (Lisa) and Ruth (Chris).  Proud grandfather of Sam, Jennie, Bryn, Kylie, Jessica, Neal, Eric and Sheldon.  Great-grandchildren Harper, twins Georgia and Zoey, and Jackson.  Predeceased by his parents Edward and Millicent Wilgress and brother David. 

At George’s request, there will be no Visitation or Service. A celebration of life will be planned for a later date. As an expression of sympathy, if desired, donations can be made to Hospice Huntsville at www.hospicehuntsville.com

The family would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the Staff at Rogers Cove Retirement Residence for their loving care during his final days. 

George has gone before us, but he will never be forgotten.