William C. Tate Memorial Page

William C. Tate: May 12, 1925 - April 10, 2008

William C. Tate, "Bill" passed away April 10, 2008 peacefully in his sleep, surrounded by loving family after a mercifully quick battle with cancer. Bill is missed and loved by his wife, Sylvia (nee Murphy) and children Bruce Tate (Kim), Deborah Burgess, Michael Templeton (Nancy), Brad Templeton (Kathryn) and Ty Templeton (Keiren), along with grandchildren, Jesse, Curtis, Kellam, Cale, Jordan, Taylor, Sean, Will, Katie and Marika.

Born May 12, 1925 in Regina, Bill served in the RCAF during World War II and then received a Bachelor of Commerce from Queen's University and a CA degree. In 1955 he joined fledgling Garrett Manufacturing Limited (GML) in Toronto, a division of the growing Garrett aerospace company in the USA. Four years later he moved to the LA headquarters, but his rising star took him back to Toronto to run GML. He built it from a small operation to a major manufacturer with over 1,400 employees, producing top quality equipment for the aviation and aerospace industries. If you've flown on a major commercial airliner, Bill's systems, among many roles, helped control the air you breathed for a comfortable flight.

He rose to become president of Garrett Canada, as GML was renamed after being acquired by Fortune 50 corporation Allied-Signal. Bill served on the board of Allied-Signal Canada. After retiring he co-founded Tulmar, a leading vendor of aviation life support supplies based in Hawkesbury.

Bill also worked in international affairs, twice serving as chairman of the Canadian NATO Industrial Advisory Group, and also as chairman of the Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers Assoc. of Canada.

Out of the office Bill was passionate about golf, and was once recruited to play hockey for the Detroit Red Wings before the war intervened.

Bill was predeceased by his first wife Daphne (nee Scott) and brother Dr. Robert G. "Bob" Tate.

A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, April 15 at 12:00 p.m. at Turner & Porter Funeral Home, 2180 Hurontario St. Mississauga, Ontario. Family, friends and colleagues are welcome to come celebrate and remember a life well lived. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Bill's name to the Canadian Cancer society.

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