Roger Eaton

Born September 13, 1927, in Hamilton Ontario, to Myrtle Wilhelmina (née Slater) and Archibald Tweedle Eaton. He died on December 29, 2017 in Ottawa. He is survived by sister, T-Bu Grieve-Wry (Chuck) of Cape Cod, sons Patrick (Heather) of Abbotsford and Peter (Jennifer) of Calgary, daughter Robin of Burnaby, B.C. and third wife Frances Scott, along with ten grandchildren and one great grandchild. Roger was predeceased by son Allan (Agi) of Basel, Switzerland, his first wife Sara (née Sneath) of Village of Queen Charlotte, B.C., and his second wife, Beatrice Dunning (née Bedford) of Ottawa. At an early age Roger demonstrated mental acuity and a love of science. He completed a B.Sc at University of Toronto in 1949, an M.Sc. at Université Laval in 1950, a Ph.D. at University of Leeds, U.K. in 1953 and a post-doctoral fellowship at the NRC in Ottawa, all in the fields of physics and chemistry. Roger joined the federal government as a research scientist based in Ottawa and Washington D.C. and distinguished himself in positions with National Defense, External Affairs, Atomic Energy Board, and Health Canada. He married fellow Trinity College grad Sara Sneath in 1949, and together they raised Allan, Pat, Peter and Robin. Roger and Sally divorced in 1983. In the latter part of his career, Roger integrated his love of sciences with a growing interest in public health. At Health Canada, he was devoted to managing the health risks of radon gas and radioactive materials. A highlight of his career was leading the recovery of the nuclear-powered Cosmos 954 satellite that fell in the Arctic in 1978. Roger married Bea Dunning in 1987 and together they travelled to Europe and the Middle East. After Bea's death in 2011, he enjoyed the continuing friendship and support of Bea's children, Cindy Dunning and John Dunning, and the large, close-knit Dunning clan. Roger was an avid fine scale model railway enthusiast and long-time member of the British Railway Modellers of North America. He was known for his many contributions to fine scale modelling and his simple, clever inventions in that field led to international recognition with a prestigious award from the Scale Four Society (UK). The family thanks Dr. Elaine Biggs, Sherri Lee and Angele of Retire at Home, and the doctors and staff of the Queensway Carleton Hospital for their efforts managing Roger's recent health challenges. A memorial service for Roger will be held on April 28, 2018, at All Saints Anglican Church Westboro, 347 Richmond Road, Ottawa, with visitation at 1 p.m. and the service at 2 p.m. Donations in lieu of flowers may be sent to the All Saints Westboro Memorial Fund, 347 Richmond Road, Ottawa, Ontario, K2A OE7.