Mr. James Ian Maxwell-Smith

With heavy hearts we announce the passing of Ian Maxwell-Smith on November 10, 2020. Ian was a loving husband to Pat (nee McLennan), his wife of 63 years, and a much-loved father to Trish (Marrion), Robyn (Littleford), Sue (Thornley), Michael, and Sarah (Jegodtka). He found great joy in his nine grandchildren Kristina, Jessica, Thomas, Sam, Stephanie, Mie, Leigh, Nicole, and Cristian, and in his two great grandchildren, Lucy and Logan.

Born the youngest of three children in Powell River in 1929, Ian moved with his family to West Vancouver before attending Brentwood College in Victoria. While there, he developed his life-long passion for boating, which he engaged in as a lifetime member of the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club.

Ian and Pat married in 1957. They moved to West Vancouver, raised five children and built their dream home on Barnham Place. It was a full-time job to support the children who pursued a multitude of activities: West Vancouver Band, piano lessons, Painting in the Park, field hockey, ice hockey, swim team, synchronized swimming, badminton and tennis. On occasion, they had time for curling at Hollyburn Country Club.

Ian enjoyed an extremely successful career as an insurance adjuster, proudly developing his own company, Ian Maxwell-Smith Inc. He went above and beyond for his clients and his employees, and was notably generous.

In his spare time, Ian took up bee keeping in the back yard. He was a sought-after apiarist, particularly when the bees were swarming in a neighbour’s back yard. Honey was a lovely by-product, but things got crazy when bees got into Ian’s headgear or his bee-keeping suit.

In 1980, Ian and Pat bought “The Cedars,” a waterfront cottage in Beachcomber near Parksville on Vancouver Island. Here, Ian built the ‘M-S Railway’ to move his boat in and out of the water. An avid gardener, he also invested countless hours creating gardens at the cottage.

Shortly after retiring, Ian and Pat moved to Craig Bay in Parksville. They joined the Schooner Yacht Club and bought ‘Harmony’, a 28-foot Prowler. Later, they became proud owners of ‘Njal’s Saga’, a 36-foot Grand Banks. Ian loved his boats and enjoyed many summer adventures exploring the coast with other members of the club.

Volunteering to support the community was important to Ian. He was very involved with St. Mary’s Church, the strata council at Craig Bay, and the Heart and Stroke Foundation board. Ian also enjoyed coffee with “the Senators”, many Port Theatre musical events, and was a supporter of the local symphony.

Travel was a highlight in Ian’s life. While he did not care to plan the trips, he loved entertaining the travellers! He and Pat visited Northern Europe, Portugal, Greece, Turkey, China, India and the Caribbean, plus many trips to England to visit relatives. Ian was so proud of his English/Scottish heritage and he loved to tell stories about his various relations.

Ian had an extremely happy and fulfilling life surrounded by his loving family and many friends. He will be remembered for his kind heart and generosity, and will be forever loved and forever missed.

The family would like to express their gratitude to the incredibly kind caregivers at Sunrise of Lynn Valley who looked after Ian during an exceptionally difficult time.