Craig passed away peacefully at home September 29th in his 85th year. The only child of Theodore and Ada Kamcke (Reid), he was predeceased by his beloved wife, Mary (Coulthard) and will be sadly missed by his daughter and best friend Meghan (Watkinson), her husband Matthew, and two treasured grandchildren Sophie and Andrew. He will be fondly remembered by his many friends.
Craig was educated at Upper Canada College, Ashbury College and Victoria College, at the University of Toronto where he was active in alumni affairs for many years, serving on the Board of Regents for six of them. For fifteen years he taught at St. Andrew’s College and was principal of Trafalgar Castle School for seventeen years. He had a long association with the military as a cadet, as a serving officer in the regular forces, in the reserves, and as a cadet instructor. He was a long-term member of the Royal Canadian Military Institute. Active in church work, he served as a warden at both All Saints Anglican Church, Whitby and St. Matthew’s Anglican Church in the Glebe, Ottawa. He served on many committees and boards, often in a leadership role.
An avid if somewhat dangerous golfer, Craig enjoyed a life-time love of the theatre. Although his many productions exhibited more enthusiasm than talent, they were almost always crowd pleasers. His attempts at writing poetry attracted a small but loyal following; Northrop Frye was not among them. He enjoyed bridge more for the society it provided than for the competition. Never fully at ease if he didn’t have a good book on the go, he fully enjoyed his book club where consideration of that month’s selection was often eclipsed by a discussion of current affairs and much laughter. He blamed his addiction to ketchup on his 8 years in boarding school. Never a smoker, he had a hard time resisting the offer of a well put together manhattan.
The family would like to thank the staff at the Ottawa Civic hospital and the LHIN who provided excellent care following a stroke last week. Craig was so happy to return home and be surrounded by friends, family and music for his final days.
A private family service, where Craig will join Mary, will take place with Military Honours in the National Military Cemetery, located at Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa.
A Celebration of Life will be organized at a later date when we can have the joyful music and jolly reception Craig wanted.
Donations in his memory to Victoria College, University of Toronto, c/o the Alumni Office will be warmly received.
Digital Guestbook
Linda Metz
Dr. Nina Graham (Saunders)
My sincere condolences to Meghan and her family on the passing of Mr. Kamcke. You are in my thoughts and prayers.
Stephanie Nickson
Dear Meghan and family,
I was very sorry to learn of your father's passing. He was such a force of nature and clearly had an impact on countless people based on this guestbook. He had a profound influence on me as a student at Trafalgar and the many years since then. Thanks to your father I never chew gum; my socks are always pulled up; I sing along to so many musical numbers; I appreciate history and tradition and most of all, I have a strong sense of self-worth. I was lucky to have known him.
May you find comfortable with your memories and know we wish you all the best.
Thinking of you, Matt and your children. xoxo
Deirdre Brown
So sorry to hear about your dad Meghan. He left an imprint on so many of us, that will impact generations to come.
thinking of you...D
Margaret and John McDougall
Dear Meghan:
As a class mate of Mary at TGH and a member of our"Bridge Club" I was privileged to meet Craig when ever they hosted us in Aurora or Whitby. When we moved to Cobourg for the remaining 25 years we enjoyed picking her up on our way to "Bridge" in Toronto. This gave us the pleasure of conversations (uninterrupted by others) and a opportunity to appreciate both of your parents. We still have Craig's book of poetry which we treasure, and know you were always a very special daughter.
Our sympathy to you and your family.
Margaret and John McDougall
Carr Hatch
Craig arrived at St Andrews the same year I did. I had the fun of imitating him in our skits of teachers a few times. He was a fun but seemed grumpy teacher. he made us work and was an excellent cadet drill instructor. The obit was bang on and we all like Manhattans.
Robb Palmer
Dear Meghan
Louise and I wish to pass on our deepest condolences to you, Matthew, Sophie and Andrew. Craig was a real gentlemen with a wry sense of humour. We had a natural connection in our common love of history, politics and teaching. Back in 1983, we enjoyed a 12 part BBC series, entitled Reilly, Ace of Spies; for the final episode, Craig turned up at my house in a tuxedo no less, carrying a bottle of champagne. He wanted to make the evening memorable in his own unique, theatrical way and certainly accomplished that. He will be sorely missed by all who knew him.
Catherine, Maggie and Walt Draper
Craig was one of the first people I met at St. Matthew's in the Glebe. He was truly a gentlemen. My first discussion with him ended with our family enrolling in the GIFT program. He was always a pleasure to talk with; I truly enjoyed our time when shared stories of his life.
Maggie, our daughter, helped Craig publish his second book of poems. She enjoyed her time and experience with him. It was a privilege to help him with this valuable legacy.
He will be always fondly remembered. Walt Draper
George Briggs
Catherine and I offer our condolences to your family at this difficult time. Craig obviously had a deep and lasting impact on the students and faculty at Ontario Ladies College and Trafalgar Castle Scool.
Tory Crewe-Nelson
If not for Mr. Kamcke I doubt I would have studied history at University. He did a brilliant job sharing his enthusiasm for learning and every time I hear about the "Marshall Plan" I think of my first day of class with him.
Dear Meghan and Family,
So sorry to hear about your Dad. Such a wonderful gentle Man. So enjoyed the time I spent at Trafalgar when he was Principal. My condolences to you, your Family and his friends. Godspeed Mr. K