MOFFAT, William Keith
1939 - 2023
William Keith Moffat departed this earth on August 22, 2023, succumbing to cancer and heart failure, with his wife and two sons by his side.
Poet, author, artist, photographer, raconteur, sailor, teacher, wildlife and nature conservationist and so much more. But most of all, loved by all who shared his life journey and all at a loss now with the void he has left in our presence.
Keith began life on the edge of the Lake District of the northern UK, near the Scottish border in a town named Carlisle. His sense of adventure and curiosity for the outdoors found him wandering the dales and climbing the fells rain, shine, freeze or thaw. He attended the Eskdale Outward Bound Mountain School where he was awarded a gold medal, the youngest ever recipient of that award.
At the age of 22, Keith “flew the coop” and emigrated to the Wild Canadian North where he settled in the Laurentian Mountains. From then, every spare moment was spent sailing, skiing, hiking, biking, and tennis. Here he was to spend the next 60 years of his life.
In his teaching career, he was promoted to principal of an elementary and high school in the region and, later on, department head at the Laurentian Regional High School in Lachute.
After retiring from teaching, adventure kicked in one hundred percent. He logged many hundreds of hours sailing on Lake Ontario, the Gulf of St Lawrence, and up and down the east coast of North America. His Canon SLR never far from reach, his photographs became a storybook of his travels.
Always in tune with nature, he began photographing wildflowers. In 2010, illustrated by his photographs, he wrote and published a book on the evolution from spring to fall of Laurentian wildflowers. The same book was released a few years later in the format of a trail guide. In 2013, he wrote about the history of Lac Brûlé and in 2014 published another book, Preserve and Protect, on the stewardship of Lac Brûlé. In 2020, inspired by the antics of his wife’s dogs, he published a book of children’s stories Tales from Red Fox Hill. At the time of his passing, the second edition is ready for publication.
September 2017 saw Keith, his wife and 4 dogs moving to Arundel. There he discovered a community that welcomed with open arms and caring. He became an active member of the congregation at Grace Anglican Church, he joined the local book club and the Rouge River Canadian Legion. He supported activities from social to historical. He lectured on the wildflowers in his book and presented his photographs in the Arundel Art show. Keith had found his new home. It was to be forever.
Keith leaves behind his beloved wife Margaret Ann; his son Timothy, Tim’s wife Joelle and their children, Darcy and Claire; his son James and his children, Shay and Indi; his brother Neil; and many nephews and nieces.
He was preceded in death by his first wife Margaret (née Sewell), mother of his two sons.
A Farewell Gathering will be held at Arundel Grace Church on Thanksgiving Weekend.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make a donation to the
Canadian Cancer Society https://cancer.ca
or
The Nature Conservancy of Canada https://natureconservancy.ca
“I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by.”
John Masefield
