Aug 19, 1937 - Mar 17, 2018
Died peacefully in Kingston, ON, surrounded by his family.
He was born August 19, 1937 in The Pas, Manitoba to Oscar and Frida Wirsig. The family moved to a farm near Sundre, Alberta and in 1951 to Gray Creek, BC, where they operated a sawmill.
After attending school in Crawford Bay, BC, Ralph graduated high school in 1956 in Creston, BC, then attended the University of Alberta - graduating in 1960 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He then took a job with DuPont of Canada in Kingston, ON, where he met and married his wife Kathryn in 1962.
Ralph had a legendary work ethic. A lifelong learner and prolific inventor, he authored many patents at DuPont, where he retired as senior research scientist in 1996. He and Kathryn then designed and moved to their dream house on Buck Lake. He launched a company to sell his own patented inventions, the Kayaarm and the Kayaleg, essential devices for avoiding spills when getting in and out of a kayak. He also built a nesting platform on the lake and became surrogate father to generations of loons.
Ralph's most cherished life project was finding ways to have fun with his children and grandchildren. His ingenuity, athleticism, and boundless energy allowed him to keep up with them right to the last week of his life, skiing in Vermont. He built a tree fort to give the grandkids a place to play on their own but didn't pass up a chance to join them in a wide variety of winter and summer sports, dancing, card games, or to pick wild berries to make sundaes with cream. Ralph leaves a rich legacy. He is deeply missed.
He leaves behind his wife of 56 years, Kathryn; children Jay Wirsig (Margo), Susan Wirsig (Scott Gibbard); grandchildren Emma, Kate, Heidi, and Grace Wirsig, and Sydney, Molly, and Max Gibbard; brother Horst Wirsig; sisters Wally Oxtoby (Roy), Gertie Casemore, and Sieglinde Hogg (John); sister-in-law Ann Wirsig; brother-in-law Douglas McQueen, and 18 nieces and nephews.