April 19, 1945 – January 30, 2023.
On January 30, 2023, after a recent series of illnesses, Michael William Pidgeon died unexpectedly at home on Salt Spring Island with his partner and spouse, Richard, at his side.
Michael was born April 19, 1945, in Rochford, Essex, England, the only child to his parents, Fredrick and Doris Pidgeon. Two years later his parents decided to come out to Canada. With toddler Michael in tow, they travelled by sea and then by train to the west coast and settled in White Rock, BC until moving to Vancouver Island where Deep Cove would eventually become their permanent home.
Michael attended school near his home and graduated from Sidney High School. He was among the rst students entering the new University of Victoria where he studied English and continued with a master’s degree in linguistics. His thesis dealt with the survival and preservation of First Nation languages on the Saanich Peninsula.
His teaching career took him to the University of the West Indies, Barbados for well over a decade before returning to Canada. He taught at Vancouver Community College’s programs of English as a Second Language to students and teachers being prepared to teach that subject. He became a respected educator and valued friend to both colleagues and former students but elected to take one of the early retirement packages o ered by the government as downsizing began at VCC.
His passions were the English language, literature, music, theatre, and art. In 2017, he could move to Salt Spring (a place he had spent summer holidays as a youngster with his parents), join Richard and purchase a home. He engaged in cultural life through Artspring and was a patron of the Vetta Chamber Music Society for many years in Vancouver and Salt Spring. He thrived in the cultural atmosphere of this island.
He is remembered as generous and open-hearted, a lifelong learner always ready to experience something new, an engaging conversationalist, a faithful friend, a caring spouse, and a committed Anglican Christian. He is missed so much. As was once pointed out, after all, an important part of life is just walking one another home.