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Craig Peterkin

CRAIG ROBERT PETERKIN
June 12, 1947 – July 10, 2025
Craig Robert Peterkin died on July 10, 2025. He was predeceased by his father Charles Robert (Bob); mother Elizabeth McDougall (Besse); and sister & brother-in-law Janet & Tony Centa, all from the Toronto area. He leaves to remember him his nephews Rob and Stephen (Andrea) of Toronto; and long-time friend and former partner Cathy Hogue-Hamer of Winnipeg.
Craig was born on June 12, 1947, spending his early years in Toronto until the family moved into Sugar Maple Lane in Richmond Hill, ON. He spent many summers at the cottage on Snake Island in Lake Simcoe creating memories he would talk about for years. Craig was a curious man and a true thinker, receiving his Bachelor and Master degrees in Mathematics at York University before moving to Winnipeg and getting his Masters in Computer Science with the other “Fallbrook Boys” at the University of Manitoba. He went on to work at Great West Life and later as a Professor both at the University of Brandon and later at the University of Winnipeg, launching the Business Computing program in the early 1980s and retiring in 2003. He was an excellent educator, consistently receiving accolades from his students.
Craig was a man who enjoyed his solitude, and was an extremely loyal, supportive, and generous friend, maintaining childhood friendships throughout his life. Craig had many romantic loves and could recall in detail memories and stories of significant events in his life, mostly fondly and sometimes regretfully. Atypically, most of these women remained his good friends well after the romance ended. He was a lover of history, words, grammar, languages, numbers, and nature. He had an endless curiosity with animals, birds, and ducks, spending countless hours earning the trust of many creatures simply for the pleasure of feeding them a carrot, a peanut, or some cracked corn or getting that perfect photograph or video. He loved his home on the Assiniboine River which provided endless opportunities to make a new furry or feathered friend.
Craig was diagnosed with dementia in 2021 but was able to stay living in his home until he needed more care than could be safely provided, and he eventually moved through a serious of underwhelming facilities until finally entering into Riverview Health Centre. Several private caregivers provided excellent care and companionship for Craig over the past 4 years, namely Jane, Donna, Jenny, Erin, and Paula. The family cannot thank them enough for looking after Craig’s best interests, keeping him as active as possible, and ensuring he was able to participate and socialize with others when his mood was good. You have been Craig’s saving grace and a true blessing for the family.
We send many thanks to the staff at Riverview 2B for your compassionate work. You have an incredibly difficult job dealing daily with residents who are alive but not really living in this moment and who are not the person they once were. It’s so hard on friends and family to watch the decline of their loved ones and the Riverview staff helps with the transition and performs the many, many difficult tasks of supporting people with dementia. It takes a special person, and Riverview has found many of them!
Per Craig’s wishes, he will be cremated and interred with his parents in Toronto at the Mount Pleasant cemetery. Craig was an incredibly private person and did not want a public service. If you wish to make a donation in his memory, please choose your favourite animal shelter.
Craig leaves you with the lyrics of his favourite artist, Van Morrison, from the song Brand New Day:
When all the dark clouds roll away
And the sun begins to shine
I see my freedom from across the way
And it comes right in on time
Well it shines so bright
And it gives so much light
And it comes from the sky above
Make me feel so free,
Make me feel like me
And it lights my life with love
Craig’s family kindly requests that all of his friends and relatives take a few minutes to honour his memory by sharing photos, memories, and stories, using the comment section on this page.
ETHICAL DEATH CARE
Cremation & Life Celebrations
1833 Portage Avenue - Winnipeg
204-421-5501 - www.ethicaldeathcare.com
Memories, Stories and Condolences
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Janne Williams
November 22, 2025 at 11:08 PM
He was a scholarly bright light at Richmond Hill High School A whiz at math. He spoke French. A mechanic who knew his MG inside and out. He loved a good joke and smiled often as he observed the behaviour of of creatures big and small. He moved away to that prairie town he loved to further his studies and build his career. He is remenbered as a renaissance man.

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Drew Davis
November 5, 2025 at 4:04 PM
My memories of Craig go back to when we met on our first day in high school in Richmond Hill. We had many good times together including running for students council together in grade 11. Post undergrad we renewed our friendship as he dated my sister for a few years before leaving for Manitoba. More recently we kept in touch through a close mutual friend. I remember him for all of the same reasons others have written in their obituaries. He truly was ""the one" in one of a kind.
.

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Cal Brown
August 17, 2025 at 11:17 AM
Craig and I met and quickly became friends almost forty years ago.
At that time, Craig was an Associate Professor at The University of Winnipeg. He was responsible for creating and managing its Business Computing programme and for hiring me as his colleague. In his many years there, Craig’s primary focus was ensuring the best possible education for students. His dedication to teaching consistently generated recognition from his students that he as extraordinarily good at it.
Years later, after Craig and I had both retired, we frequently met for lunch. There was always much to discuss, and we were often in a restaurant for two or three hours. Even then, Craig’s instinct to be a teacher showed. He would almost always arrive with a folder of discussion items. Typical was that he would present me with a newspaper clipping and ask my opinion, thereby providing fuel for a lengthy discussion. The topics ranged widely. We might discuss world events, local politics, or perhaps significant people. And we almost always included information about our recent wildlife sightings. Craig enjoyed hearing about any furry or feathered creatures that had appeared in my rural yard, and he loved describing any that had recently showed up in his. He worked diligently to attract wildlife, particularly birds, by providing something for them. That might be seeds in birdfeeders for songbirds or corn on his lawn for ducks and geese. He even had wooden nesting boxes on trees in his backyard to attract wood ducks. Inside those boxes, he and another friend had installed cameras to monitor and record the birds’ activity.
We also spent many hours discussing the technical aspects of writing. For years, Craig gave me crucial feedback on material that I wrote. I would provide Craig with pages of something I had written, and, at a subsequent lunch, Craig would return my pages. They would be filled with his written comments about my grammatical sins. His knowledge of English grammar was amazing, and I was the beneficiary of years of his meticulous feedback. Even though I had previously thought my use of grammar was quite decent, those conversations about my writing clearly began with him as the teacher and with me his student. Eventually, after I had absorbed some of his wisdom, the conversations evolved into discussions and debates about subtle issues concerning clear and correct writing.
I miss those lunches and those conversations. I miss the extraordinarily intelligent, knowledgeable, capable, and helpful person I knew for almost four decades.
I greatly miss my friend, Craig.

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Sherry Eastwood
July 20, 2025 at 4:10 PM
I was saddened to hear of Craig's passing. Strangely, I was thinking of him just the other day and then a few days later ran into Cathy at the Fringe. I first knew Craig from years ago when I and my then husband bought his beloved home on Mandeville Street. He graciously showed us around his home, instructing us about the bird's nest in the kitchen fan and the oak tree which was home to generations of squirrels. A few years later our lives crossed again and I was invited to his new home on Assiniboine Avenue. Craig was a gentle man and a lovely human being. My condolences to Cathy and his family.
Sherry Eastwood

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Neil Williams
July 19, 2025 at 1:58 PM
Craig was my Computer Science professor for either a 2nd or 3rd year course in data structures at the University of Manitoba (thinking it was 1974...). He was one of the best teachers I had there. Was always interesting and patient with the students. I think of him often as I teach my own students...

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Linda Matheson
July 17, 2025 at 12:11 AM
Craig was an excellent teacher, a cat lover and a very dear friend. It is painful to accept he lost his outstanding and detailed memory. My sincere condolences to his family. Be assured he was appreciated and loved by many.

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Michael & Lise
July 16, 2025 at 9:01 AM
Craig was a loyal and generous friend who was willing to help in any way. He spent many hours helping Lise and I write and edit the business plan that is now Frescolio, for which I will forever be grateful. We shared his love for the Assiniboine, nature and music. Rest in peace.

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Jackie and Neill Corrigan
July 16, 2025 at 8:16 AM
Conversations with Craig were always enlightening. He had such a breadth of knowledge and was so curious about the world. Condolences to all who loved him.

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Donna, private caregiver at Shaftesbury
July 14, 2025 at 7:22 PM
My deepest condolences to his family and many dear friends.
I can picture Craig standing at the kitchen sink, He had the greatest smile to greet you with to start your day.

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Maria Gilbert
July 14, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Uncle Craig was a gentle man if I ever met one. My favourite memory is when he came to visit us with Auntie Cathy to our home on Rainy Lake in Fort Frances, Ontario. When we went to say our goodbyes after a wonderful visit, he turned around in the hallway, picked me up to where my feet were dangling off the floor and hugged me tighter than ever before. I said "oh that was a good squeeze hug!" From then on, any hug with Uncle Craig became a squeeze hug. I'm sending you a squeeze hug. All my love <3

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