For Posterity's Sake         

A Royal Canadian Navy Historical Project

In memory of those who have Crossed the Bar 

MORTON, John Patrick Heddle (J.P.) - 87, son of Dr. John E. C. Morton and Dorothy F. Heddle, born in London, England on February 16, 1929 died suddenly in Ottawa, Canada on October 29, 2016. Predeceased by his wife Margaret "Peggy" Louise Cullens (March 3, 1932 - May 1, 2010) of South Cove, Nova Scotia. Survived by brothers Chris in Geeveston, Tasmania, and Michael of Newton, Kansas and sister Sylvia (McCue) of Plano, Texas; by his son John, daughter Ann (Parsons) and her daughters Diane Randall and Erika Randall, all in Ottawa, and by his grandson Patrick Randall of Vancouver, B.C. His family left London for Kingston, Jamaica in 1933. In 1939 they moved to Canada, living in Toronto, Linden and Waterford, Ontario before moving to Brandon, Manitoba in 1946 and settling in Halstead, Kansas in 1959. In 1946 Pat entered Royal Roads Naval College, Esquimalt, British Columbia. During the Korean War he saw action aboard HMCS Haida and was the chief gunnery officer when his ship set a record for hitting enemy trains. This feat led to an introduction to Lord Mountbatten and an offer to become his aide which he diplomatically declined, preferring to pursue his naval career. Pat married Peggy on September 11, 1954 in a Naval ceremony aboard HMCS Micmac in Halifax, Nova Scotia with his only son being born in 1955. In the late 1950s he and his family moved to London so he could attend the Royal Naval College, Greenwich. He was also posted to Portsmouth and Weymouth where his only daughter was born in 1958. In 1959 he and his family left England for Ottawa where he and Peggy bought land and hand-built their cottage on the Rideau Canal. Pat spent most of his Naval career in Halifax or Ottawa and as an Exchange Officer specializing in anti- submarine warfare, was posted to the US Navy in Norfolk, Virginia. While in Norfolk he built his first colour TV, raising an interest in electronics in the 1970s that led him to experiment with and build several computers from scratch. After retiring from the Navy Pat joined the Department of Supply and Services where he used his experience with the emerging technology of personal computers to pioneer their use within the department. After fully retiring in the early 1990s he remained in Ottawa for the rest of his life. Genealogy became his great passion and he particularly enjoyed the challenge of resolving inconsistencies in old family records. For many years he and Peggy spent spring to autumn at their cottage where he could always find a new project. During winter he worked on genealogy, read non-fiction and enjoyed the more complex versions of solitaire and strategic computer games. Both Pat and Peggy enjoyed travel - highlights being trips to Australia, China, the Orkney and Hebrides Islands, Ireland, Jamaica, Barbados and several other Caribbean islands. Acceding to his often expressed wishes, he was cremated and a public ceremony will not be held. Interment of Pat and Peggy's remains is planned for the Union Cemetery of Barrie, Ontario and will occur at a later date. In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made to the Alzheimer Society. (The Ottawa Citizen 11 Nov 2016)