Squash Ontario regretfully shares the news of Past President (1978-79) Dr. Ian Milne’s passing on March 20th. Dr. Ian Milne was a member of the Ottawa squash community and played squash at the Ottawa Athletic Club and the Rideau Club.
Ottawa & District Squash Association Obituary:
Ian Milne was one of Ottawa’s most accomplished squash promoters and planners during the heyday of our game in the 1970s and 1980s. The ODSA was sorry to note the passing of Ian Milne at the age of 87, on March 20, 2021.
Ian emigrated from Scotland to Canada in the 1960s and eventually settled with his family in Ottawa in 1970, where he established a highly regarded dentistry practice. As a great supporter of young people, he contributed his services once a week to the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario for over 25 years. He also mentored many young aspiring orthodontists, as well as well as being a past President of the Canadian Orthodontic Association. Family, fishing and golf were always big in his life, but squash then became another lifelong passion.
When the International version of squash racquets was reborn in Canada in the 1970s, after a 50 year abeyance, Ian took a very active role, joining the Skyline Squash, and later the Rideau Tennis & Squash and the Ottawa Athletic Clubs. He was President of the National Capital Squash Racquets Association (now the ODSA) from 1975-1977, and then President of Squash Ontario in 1978/79.
During the period from 1970 to 1983, when Ian was so active on the Ottawa scene, the game reached the apex of its popularity, with 37 new courts alone being built in the eight month period to May 1977, bringing the total to 65 at that time, and subsequently exceeding well over 100.
With modern new courts, some with large viewing galleries, came large events for which Ian and others were responsible for attracting to Ottawa. These included the 1977 World Amateur Team Championship, the 1982 World Junior Women’s Individual Championship, as well as exhibition matches featuring then current world champions like Geoff Hunt, Heather McKay, and past champion Hashim Khan. During this period many National and Provincial tournaments were also awarded to Ottawa.
At the club level, he was very actively involved with organizing club tournaments and city league teams, but will particularly be remembered for his part in coordinating the very successful annual Rideau Summer Team tournament, which attracted top players (professional and amateur) from all over Eastern Canada.
Ian will be fondly remembered by his contemporaries, for his warmth, wit, patience and ability, and for his many contributions to the game of squash. Our condolences go to Janine, his widow, and all the family.
Obituary:
Dr. Ian Mclauchlan Milne (D.D.S, M.Sc.), age 87, died peacefully at his home on Saturday, March 20th. Ian passed away after a courageous battle with cancer, surrounded by his family, who will continue to honour his legacy by living life to the fullest.
“An honest man here lies at rest,
The friend of man, the friend of truth,
The friend of age, and guide of youth:
Few hearts like his, with virtue warm'd,
Few heads with knowledge so inform'd;
If there's another world, he lives in bliss;
If there is none, he made the best of this.” - Robbie Burns
Ian will be sadly missed by his wife Janina (Dudley), his children Christina (Dan Dambrauskas), John, Peter (Julie Colbourne-Milne) and Stephanie (Andrew Popp) and his grandchildren Elliot and Matthew Layne, Aleda, Alison and Ian Milne and Martin and Finley Popp. He will be sadly missed by his brother-in-law Peter (Patricia Dudley) and his niece and nephews Christina, Jonathan and Jamie. He will also be dearly missed by his office staff and all of his colleagues, friends and golfing buddies.
Ian was born on November 30th, 1933 in Dundee, Scotland. The only child to John Milne and Ann Milne (McLauchlan). Ian served his military service in Malaysia and took advantage of the opportunity to travel and see the world. He returned to Scotland and graduated dental school from the University of St. Andrews. Ian’s dental class, The Tuskers, got up to numerous high jinks and still get together every two years at different locations around the globe to raise a glass (or two!). Ian’s wanderlust then took him to Paris, Ontario (we still aren’t sure if he saw the job posting and thought he was off to Paris, France). Regardless, it must have been fate as his hop across the pond took him to the small towns of Paris and Brantford Ontario where he met the love of his life. Ian and Janina were married on December 11th 1965 and rolled happily into family life with the arrival of their first daughter, Christina in 1966. 1967 was an eventful year with the arrival of their first son, Johnny and a move out to Winnipeg to complete an Orthodontics degree at the University of Manitoba. Ian must have been bitten by the fishing bug (or maybe it was just the mosquitoes) while in Winnipeg surrounded by all those glorious lakes and he continued to fish regularly (both fly fishing and rod fishing) for the rest of his life. One more big move for the family to Ottawa in 1970 where Peter and then Stephanie were born. Ian established his orthodontic practice in downtown Ottawa, first on Somerset and then a move to Argyle, and also in Manotick. 50 years later he is still creating beautiful smiles!
Ian is a gentle soul who understood the importance of giving back to his community. In addition to his busy Ottawa practice, Dr. Milne spent time at CHEO once a week as a member of the cleft palate team and as part of CHEO’s dental team for over 25 years. He is also a past President of the Canadian Orthodontics Association and a past President of the Ontario Squash Association (Rideau Club and OAC). Ian was always keen to see the practice of Orthodontics progress in Ottawa and spent countless hours mentoring young orthodontists as they set up practice. An avid learner with a keen sense of curiosity, Ian was always up for learning new approaches and applying them in his orthodontic practice.
And we can’t forget the countless hours on the golf course - with family and friends. Ian could always be counted on for a round at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club (or pretty much any golf course around the globe, too numerous to count here). He also organized numerous golfing trips with ‘the boys’ where he introduced them to the joy (rain, wind, bunkers the size of the grand canyon!) of playing links golf across Scotland and Ireland. Janine would also like to thank the Wednesday night and Thursday night golf buddies for keeping her weeknights social calendar free!
Ian opened the world to his family. International travel, ski slopes and beaches, from the coasts to the peaks and everything in between, he instilled a love for nature and a passion for outdoor activity in all of his kids which we have passed down to his grandchildren. Each summer there was always another camping or fishing trip planned and every winter saw us on the ski slopes around Ottawa and all over North America and Europe.
Ian, you are the world to all of us. Through you we learned patience, trust, kindness, and compassion. We saw that honest work pays off and rewards deserve to be enjoyed. A better husband, father, grandfather, teacher, and friend could not have blessed us the way you have. Your curiosity is our curiosity. Your values are our values. Your history is our history, and our future will be your future. Through you, we became better. Through your family, you became more than the sum of your many accomplishments. You are there in our love, in our life, in our laughter. You are with us and in us and always a part of us.
We love you so very very much Ian. Forever and for always.
Our deepest thanks go out to Dr Bosse, Dr. Fitzgibbons and the entire oncology team at the Ottawa General Hospital. Your kind and gentle care helped Ian through his battle with cancer. Thank you also to Dr. Douglas and the palliative care nurses. You anticipated Ian’s every need and ensured his last few days at home with us were comfortable. Thank you for everything you do.
Friends can visit at Hulse Playfair & McGarry, 315 McLeod Street, on Thursday March 25th between the hours of 1pm and 8pm. To comply with COVID attendees must register on the Hulse, Playfair & McGarry website at www.hpmcgarry.ca. A funeral mass will be held at St Patrick’s Basilica on Friday, March 26th at 10am. Attendance is by reservation and you may register to attend the service on the Hulse, Playfair & McGarry website. For friends and family who cannot attend, the mass will be live streamed and the live stream can be accessed through the funeral home website.
In lieu of flowers, friends are welcome to make a donation in Ian Milne’s name to the Ottawa Hospital Cancer Center or to St. Patrick’s Basilica.