It is with great sorrow that we announce the death of Donovan J. (Reg) Redknap on November 22nd, 2022. Reg was a true soldier to the end, facing serious medical challenges over the last year with resilience and valour.
Reg was born to Archibald and Violet in Windsor, Ontario in 1931. He moved with his family to Bournemouth, England in 1935 and returned to Canada in 1947, settling in Guelph, Ontario.
Reg joined the Canadian Army in 1951, and much to his father’s pride, was commissioned as a 2/Lt in the Artillery in 1952. It was at officer candidate school that he was nicknamed Reg and it stuck ever since.
Reg’s military career spanned some thirty years and included serving in the Korean War in 1953. He fought with the 81st Field Regiment and distinguished himself during the Battle of Hill 187, the last major battle Canadians fought in Korea. In 1960 he was posted to Germany as an exchange officer with a British artillery regiment (1RHA0). He was a forward observer and spent much of his time in a centurion tank! He then spent two chilly years in Fort Churchill, Manitoba avoiding polar bears and presiding over the minor hockey league, in addition to his varied duties as a staff officer. He spent an intensive year of study in Kingston, Ontario at the Canadian Army Staff College. This was followed by three years in Shilo, Manitoba as a senior instructor of target acquisition at the School of Artillery. He was fortunate to be able to do two UN tours of duty, peacekeeping in Cyprus and later observing in Kashmir. On retirement from the military, he settled in Ottawa and did a short stint working for the Royal Canadian Legion before returning to military intelligence as a civilian, where he was a strategic analyst for ten years. At the time, his children thought it was so cool that his office was a giant secure vault.
After retirement he took great pleasure in giving back to his local community. He spent eight years on the board of the Alzheimer Society of Ottawa, two of those years he served as the President. Reg delighted in sharing his knowledge of Canada’s military history with the young and old who visited the Canadian War Museum over the twenty years he volunteered there. He always believed that everyone should study history in school and encouraged the younger visitors to do so.
Reg was an intelligent, generous, and principled man who was proud to be Canadian and honoured to serve his Queen, country, and community. In 2012 he was awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for his efforts. He was astute, held strong views and reveled in sitting around the table and having a good debate on politics or world issues with friends and family. The outcome wasn’t important – it was the camaraderie and discussion that mattered to him.
Reading was a favourite pastime for him, as well as playing golf. Golf was a pleasure he shared with both Claudette and his son Geoff. Reg was also a keen model railway enthusiast, spending many hours building a mini railway and village in his basement. He and Claudette loved to travel and had some wonderful experiences both visiting Susan and her family in New Zealand as well as exploring many other parts of the world.
Reg loved the company of a dog (Scottish terriers in particular), and the feeling was mutual. Every day upon returning home from work, Reg would get a welcome fit for a king from Duffy the family dog. In his later years Reg found contentment sitting on his balcony in the evening with a cigar and a martini, contemplating life.
Reg is survived by his loving wife of 34 years, Claudette C. Légaré, his daughter Susan (Graham Southwell), his grandchildren Thomas Southwell (Rebecca Lister) and Lucy Southwell, his nephew Scott Harding (Sue Dupuis), niece-in-law Debbie MacDonald, grandniece Maddy Harding (Nick Johnson), his stepdaughter Christine Emond (Paulo Ouellet), and step grandchildren Cindy Ouellet and Zachary Emond (Danika Lavergne).
Reg was preceded in death by his son Geoffrey, his parents Archibald and Violet (Bishop), his sister Joyce (Warren Harding), nephew Paul Harding, his stepson Stephane Emond and his former wives Angela Hooper (mother of his children) and Lois Langill.
He was loved and will be greatly missed.
A private military service will take place at Beechwood Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family wishes that memorial donations be made to the Alzheimer Society of Ottawa, a charity close to Reg’s heart - https://alzheimer.ca/ottawa/en/take-action/donate.
Heartfelt thanks to Perley Health for their dedication and outstanding care shown to Reg when he needed it most.