Cameron David Christie

With heavy hearts we announce the passing of Cam on December 16, 2020, after fighting a courageous battle from a glioblastoma brain tumour, diagnosed in September 2019. Cameron David was born on April 15, 1982 in Victoria BC, predeceased by his proud and loving father David Christie on September 4, 2020. He leaves behind his beloved mother Susan, his brother Kyle, his sister Noelle and brother in law Jesse, his beloved wife Melanie, his adoring children Isla (5) and Callum (3), his loving Aunts, Uncles and cousins and many friends in Canada, the USA and Europe.

He was loved and admired and highly respected by his family, many friends and coworkers in Canada and the USA. Cam graduated from the University of Victoria in 2005 with a B.Eng. in Electrical Engineering. In 2007 he moved to the Silicon Valley being employed by VW Electronics Research Lab in Palo Alto. He was then headhunted by Tesla in 2009, being one of the original employees and headed the team designing the Infotainment screen found on all Tesla's, eventually becoming Head of Electronics at Aurora Innovations from 2017-2020, designing the platform for the autonomous car. Cam has many patents attached to his name.

Known for his love for his family, his intelligence, determination, ingenuity, perseverance and his wonderful sense of humour, Cam will be greatly missed and remembered by all those whose paths he crossed in his short life.

A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date at the BC Aviation Museum in North Saanich, BC

“Anything is possible.” That is what Cameron David Christie believed about life. He was a creative man, a perpetual inventor, who seemed to be able to find a solution for any difficulty confronting him. He had faith in his ability to find those solutions. Cameron thoroughly enjoyed understanding how things worked. He possessed an inquisitive, confident, and rational nature matched with a versatile and agile mind. Cameron was a person who believed that he could achieve whatever he set out to do.

Cameron was born on April 15,1982 at Victoria General Hospital in Victoria, British Columbia. His parents were David (Dave and later endearingly nicknamed "Monkey" or "Monks' by Cam) Christie and Susan (Sue) Smyth Christie. Cameron was raised in Victoria, British Columbia. He showed his ingenuity even as a child. When he was confronted with a problem, Cameron could develop an imaginative solution, and he derived satisfaction from knowing he had that ability. Cameron was lovingly raised in Victoria BC with his two siblings. His younger brother Kyle arrived when Cameron was 2.5 years old , and his younger sister Noelle arrived when he was 4.5 years old. He was the instigator, leader and creative director for the many endevours the children did as a threesome.

As a young boy, Cameron could be found building and inventing new useful and interesting gadgets. He was curious, creative, resourceful and interested in anything original. He particularly enjoyed designing and playing with his Duplo and Lego, playing with his cars and trains, creating projects out of cardboard, tape and string and being the creative director of many concerts and plays with Kyle, Noelle, his cousin's and friends. At the age of five, Cameron took part in soccer (playing Left Defender), baseball (playing Outfielder, where he spent most of his time throwing his mitt up in the air and catching it, as no balls were coming his way and being bored, you create your own game in the outfield!), swimming, gymnastics, skiing which led to snowboarding and bike riding. He was a Beaver Scout, followed by a Cub Scout, with his brother Kyle, during the time his father Dave was a Scout leader. He belonged to the Victoria Sailing Club where he acquired his skills of being a master mariner. Cameron's memorable achievements included becoming an accomplished skier/snowboarder, competing in the Youth Triathlon at the age of 10 doing a 100 m swim, a 5 km bike ride, followed by a 2km run, placing in the top ten. At the age of 11 years old, when Cam was in grade 5 (this was also the age when he was now being called Cam instead of Cameron), he participated in a swimathon and swam100 lengths of the pool in one hour to raise money for charity. It was a difficult swim but Cam persevered and pushed through to go above and beyond his original goal, increasing his goal to 100 laps from 75!

He built his first “car”, ( actually a go kart), with the guidance of his father Dave, at the age of 11, competing in the Times Colonist Soap Box derby in 1993, a fundraiser for Big Brothers and Sisters. He painted it in his favourite colour of blue and called it the Blue Streak.

Endowed with an appetite for knowing how his world worked, Cameron enjoyed school, especially when the learning experience involved dissecting and probing the unknown. He graduated from Glenlyon-Norfolk School in 2000, achieving Honours with Distinction each year. In his final year of high school he received the Russ Steele Award in Athletics, he was a major player on the Senior Rugby team at GNS and was the Senior Fraser House Captain.. Around the age of 16 when he got his drivers license, Cam started his first company, CDC Motorsports. He installed car stereos, along side of refurbishing cars, restoring and customizing them. In 1998 Cam had saved up his money from his first job of working at Canadian Tire and bought himself a 1982 Volkswagen Rabbit. He stripped this car down to its frame, fixed it up, rebuilt it and painted it, again in his favourite colour of blue, in a makeshift painting booth in his parents garage. With the money he received from the sale of the VW Rabbit, Cam went on to his next project, the "Mazdog"! He purchased a gray Mazda B2200 truck complete with a canopy. He spent many hours in his parents garage, lowering the truck into a “low rider”, reupholstered the interior (Yes he did his own sewing !), had it professionally painted white and replaced the canopy with a Tonneau cover. He installed his own stereo system with a sub woofer in the truck, you could always hear him before you saw him arriving in his Mazdog).Through dedication and perseverance, reading car manuals, researching on the internet, talking to experts, Cam took great pride in his completed projects. Whenever Cam came into the driveway, he had to drive so slowly to get over the curb to make sure that the truck did not bottom out. He and his brother Kyle would travel together to high school in the Mazdog, receiving complaints from the teachers at the school that his truck was too loud and too low! Kyle recalls that he would always try to turn up the speaker volume/subwoofer and Cam would turn it down.

When the Mazdog was sold, this enabled Cam to purchase his next project, a 1993 VW Corrado, which he worked on while attending the University of Victoria.

Because he was a quick thinker and adept at picking up on new things, Cam performed well at the University of Victoria (UVIC). He was always on a quest for knowledge and he relished the experience. Cam was adept at scrutinizing different possibilities and designing innovative solutions. Theories intrigued him, and he was good at solving complex problems. He always wanted to understand rather than judge.

In his 2002 CO-OP term at UVIC, Cam started his own business “Europlates”,which constructed and marketed novelty European style license plates to automotive enthusiasts.

In his 2003 CO-OP term, Cam started Foshezee Vaporizers Inc. being in charge of R&D, Accounting, Marketing and testing. His product was known to be shipped all around the world!

During his other CO-OP terms he worked for PBA Engineering where he aided in the design of the Stanley Park beautification project in Vancouver and set up the hardware for the lane control system in the Massey Tunnel in Vancouver. He also completed a work term at Carmanah Technologies designing high powered solar technology for airports and marine buoys.

During another one of Cam’s CO-OP terms, Cam was assigned the project of designing the “Wager” system. He was told that this was a project that would keep him busy for the full 4 month work term, as no one else at the company was able to solve it. They did not expect Cam to solve the issues, but thought it would be a good project to keep him busy. Cam loved challenges and loved to solve things which are deemed impossible and worked on it with determination. Two weeks prior to the completion of his work term, he solved the design! But since he was told that it was impossible to solve, he took the next week testing and retesting to make sure he was correct and had solved the design. During the last week of his CO-OP he approached his boss informing him that he had solved the design. His boss did not believe that this was possible so to humour Cam they did a test run and sure enough it worked! Cam earned the respect and admiration from his fellow students and co-workers

Cam was a major player in the yearly VW bug push around the UVIC circle, he initiated alot of pub crawls and was a member of the VW H2O car club, receiving many awards for his refurbished 1993 Corrado and made many good friends who shared his enthusiasm for VW cars.

He earned his Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from the University of Victoria.(UVIC) in 2005. His Grandad, Harry Smyth was a Chemical Engineer who graduated from UBC in 1950. They had a special bond between the two of them, as they were the only two engineers in the Smyth family, and being an engineer carried a proud distinction! His Grandad was exceptionally proud and honoured when he was able to attend and sponsor Cam at the private and secretive Ring Ceremony, every Canadian engineer partakes in, on becoming an engineer.

Cam was socially resourceful, an expressive person who was willing to try new things. He was sought after by people who recognized that he was generous with his time and energy, and these same friends found Cam to be very stimulating company. Cam's humor and curiosity were contagious for those around him. These qualities drew a lively circle of loyal friends around him. Cam had a lot of friends who shared his passion for cars and accompanied him in the garage working along side him over the years. His ultimate project was the restoration of his 93 VW Corrado which he meticulously took apart and rebuilt over 2 years, and for all you car buffs, reverse engineered a climate control system and had the engine bored out from 2.8 to a 3.1L VR6. Through his determination, stamina, perseverance, and quest to create a unique one of a kind show car, was accomplished. He went on to receive many awards for his restoration.

He continued working on and refurbishing cars, his last project being a classic BMW M3 which he donated to a children’s charity in 2020.

As a born inventor, Cameron was definitely in his element in his work place. He could easily create new and innovative systems, and incorporate those changes to bring a fresh approach to any work situation. Cameron was a focused worker with a strong drive for achievement. He could assess all of the options before him and, using his analytical skills, could comfortably find answers that no one else had even considered. His personal initiative inspired those around him. Cameron was always good at getting a project started and then, at the appropriate time, handing it on to a colleague. His primary occupation was an Electronics Engineer and specialized in all aspects of embedded system design.

Cam's first job, at the age of 16, was at Canadian Tire where he completed "Canadian Tire University", a comprehensive course dealing with effective customer service. Utilizing his parents garage, he ran his own business CDC Motorsports, installing car stereos, along side of refurbishing his cars, restoring and customizing them, then selling them to enable him to acquire his next car project.

Cameron always made an effort to be a team player, doing above and beyond what was necessary in order to get the job done.

In 2007 Cam was hired by VW Electronics Research Lab in Palo Alto as a Senior Engineer. He was part of the "think tank" of the VW organization, developing forward thinking technologies for Volkswagen brands including Audi, Bugatti and Lamborghini.

He personally came up with the idea and prototype for “Dieter “ a three- dimensional corporeal figure for communication with a passenger in a motor vehicle, The Patent was issued on June 16, 2011. A second patent, Systems and Methods for presenting Information to an Automobile Driver, was issued in 2009, under Cam's name while at VWERL,

In 2009, Cam was headhunted to work for Tesla where he was responsible for architecting and designing the next generation Infotainment systems for the up and coming electric vehicles. He continued to work on Infotainment hardware design, (2013) acquiring more patent designs, with a shifting focus towards Advanced Driver Assistance Systems for Tesla’s new Autopilot system. He continued developing future architectures and lead hardware design for Tesla. His team was responsible for all Infotainment and Autopilot ECU designs at Tesla! So the next time you pass, see, or drive a Tesla, know that this was Cams work and design…quite the legacy!!

In 2017 Cam left Tesla and became a founding member of Aurora Innovation . He led a team of dedicated Electrical Engineers to architect and develop next generation self driving technology. Cam was one of Aurora Innovation (aurora.tech) earliest inventors. He recently received his first patent (posthumously in 2021) while at Aurora, for his invention, the Autonomous Vehicle Sensor Interface,(2018), a super computer, the first of its kind and years in advance of the rest of the industry. Only now do we see other folks doing similar work like this!

Aurora recognized Cams brilliance and valued Cams inventions so they wanted Cam"s family to have the Ribbon Copy (which is the official copy and usually kept by the company), of the issued patent. The ribbon copy is unusual, it can’t be replaced if lost, you can get a “commemorative copy”, but they are not the same. Giving the Ribbon Copy of the patent to Cam’s family, was a very special gesture on behalf of Aurora Innovation and Sterling Anderson.

There are more pending patent applications from Cam during his time at Aurora.

Cam’s presence is missed tremendously by his coworkers, his intelligence, his sense of humour, his work ethic and his creative and inventing mind were all valued and respected.

Cam was one who was able to bring out the best in others. He was an entertaining conversationalist, in fact, those who knew him often remarked that Cam loved to argue for argument’s sake. People wanted to be with Cam, for the stimulating conversation and the upfront honesty.

On November 1, 2014, Cameron exchanged wedding vows with Mikaela Marie Bock at the San Francisco Zoo which gave rise to the birth of his adorable daughter Isla Marie on February 1, 2016. On August 24, 2020, during Covid 19, Cam and Melanie Carmack exchanged their wedding vows at their kitchen table in San Francisco, California. This union gave rise to the birth of his charming son Callum Philip on December 12, 2017.

Cameron's remarkable talent for being inventive influenced his relationship with his children. He would create original, clever and fun games for his children and had a knack for finding ways to make everyday events, even chores, enjoyable for them. He built cardboard jails and boats, an outdoor playhouse and birdhouse, created a playlist of childrens songs so that they could all join in on the weekend dance parties held in the living room ,accompanied by a fabulous light show synchronized to the music. He had them assist him with cooking and baking, showing patience and encouragement. Someone who was quick to laugh, Cameron found it easy to spend lots of time with his children, precious moments he cherished.

Cameron's passion for finding a better way to do things was often an end in itself for him. In fact, that interest by itself became something of a hobby for this perpetual problem solver. Since Cameron was always searching for new and unusual activities, he developed many interests and leisure pursuits. Some of the things he became an “expert” in might come as a surprise to those who knew him, but most friends and family understood that Cameron simply couldn’t be limited to just a few activities or ideas. His favorite pursuits were designing and building. The ultimate project was his dream woodworking shop/garage, which became his favourite hang out. For those of you who knew Cam, he had the garage/shop which is the envy of all mechanics and carpenters. It's a well organized, top of the line, meticulous garage, designed and built by Cam (even the handles on the cupboards are Tesla car handle rejects),which included all the top quality tools imaginable, table saws, a vacuum system, a fabulous sound system playing funk, rock or hip hop music and a well stocked beer fridge with a variety of IPA's. This is where he would spend time refurbishing and working on his cars, and designing and constructing beautiful furniture, a built in desk for his office and stero cabinets (which unfortunately was not completed due to his illness). going to concerts,

Cameron's talents were well suited for being actively involved in professional and community organizations, something he did throughout his life. He enjoyed being involved and was willing to jump in and help out in most any situation. Cameron could bring a breath of fresh air to any organization, simply by introducing his novel ideas and problem solving strategies. He was a valued member of the VW H2O Car Club.

With all of his talents, his ingenuity, his solutions and inventiveness, it is no surprise that Cameron received public recognition for his competence. With the drive and ability to meet any challenge, Cameron accumulated a long list of achievements throughout his life. Some of his most prestigious awards included the Russ Steele Athletics award at GNS in his final year, and the many patents in his name while working at VW ERL, Tesla and Aurora Innovations.

Having the opportunity to visit and explore a new place always intrigued Cameron. Travelling and going away on vacations offered yet another opportunity for Cameron to expand his ever-growing inventory of knowledge. In his younger years favourite vacations included the yearly family skiing/snowboarding vacations to Whistler BC, the yearly summer Whistler Vacation week at the family timeshare, Hawaii, the GNS /Japan student exchange in Japan, in his 9th grade, all inclusive resorts in Mexico with his family,camping weekends, visiting family in Ontario and Quebec, cruising the Panama Canal after graduation from UVIC with his parents and Michelle, spending two weeks in Panama with Mike and Phil, the Bachelor party in Germany during Oktoberfest,discovering Scotland with Mikaela and travelling to Australia with Melanie.

Cameron cherished his pets. He acquired his first pet when he was 9 years old, two goldfishes, Goldie and Bugsy. They were best friends for 1 1/2 years, taking his responsibility of their care very seriously. In his later years Cam and Mikaela looked after orphaned kittens until they were able to be placed in a home. Unfortunately it didn't last a long time as Cam found out he had an allergy to cats.

Shortly after Cam's father Dave was diagnosed with a reoccurring cancer in August 2019, Cam experienced a seizure. After a month of investigation, Cam was diagnosed with an astrocytoma brain tumour in the communication and movement area of his brain. In June 2020 the diagnosis was changed to a glioblastoma brain tumour. During these 15 months, Cam stoically received radiation, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy. His calm demeanor and eternally positive outlook served him well during this arduous treatment.

Cam's father predeceased him 3 months prior to his own passing. Cam passed away in his home on December 16, 2020 in San Francisco, California at 11:50 am at the age of 38 in the presence of his beloved wife Melanie, his loving mother Susan, his sister Noelle, his brother Kyle and his sister in law Molly.

During his lifetime, nothing appeared impossible to Cam. He met the words “it can’t be done” with the enthusiastic challenge of a “wanna bet” attitude. Cam was able to recognize the possibilities a new idea held, even when those around him could not. For Cam, the traditional way of doing things fell short of his expectations, especially if there were original and untested methods for handling a challenge. For Cameron David Christie, the fun of living his life could be found in the challenge.

Cam's only regret was that he would not be there to see his children reach adulthood, to show Isla and Callum the immense love and pride he had for them, to share his expertise, knowledge and the stories and experiences of his life, to guide them, and to share the joys of being a parent and a partner with Melanie. Cam will be dearly missed by all the people whose lives he touched, his family, schoolmates and fellow colleagues and the many friends he met on his life's journey. We all so fortunate to have our paths cross with Cam's. We love you so much Cam and feel so grateful that we were a part of your amazing life's journey.

May you Rest in Peace.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.firstmemorialsaanich.com for the Christie family.