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In memory of those who have Crossed the Bar
STERLING, Finlay Paul - Fin passed away peacefully at San Pen Palliative Care with family by his side after a three year 'conversation' about his health. Always positive, he was active and grateful all the way to the call. A Navy Pilot until the end, he wasn't going to "accept a low meatball" ... and instead passed over peacefully in his sleep ... "Ready Aye Ready".
Born in Vancouver, Fin will be returning home and will be laid to rest beside his Mother and Father there. He is pre-deceased by his wife Donna (nee Mott) (who passed over in January at Victoria Hospice, and whom he visited every day on the ferry); his parents Finlay & Margaret Sterling; and Ella Sterling. And is survived by sons; Shawn (daughter in law Ruth-Anne and granddaughters Piper and Sydney); and Craig "Ret" (whose closest friends called Fin 'Captain' and whose best friend Tex named his son Finlay in his honour).
Dreaming of flight, Fin followed those dreams to HMCS Venture (Officer Training Establishment) in Esquimalt where he began his Naval career. It is from here that he travelled to the Gulf Islands as an eighteen year old with a compass and a bed roll in search of a piece of land for his father (also Finlay) who, having come home from the War years earlier, was looking for some quiet, which he found ... thanks to his son. Having graduated from HMCS Venture with the Class of '61 (men who would remain his core group of best friends his entire life) he began his Naval Flying career with stops at RCAF Centrailia, RCAF Penhold, RCAF Saskatoon, HMCS Shearwater, USS Intrepid, USS Essex, and culminating with the VS~880 Squadron flying off the HMCS Bonaventure. One of the greatest joys of Fin's life was "flying planes off boats" as he liked to say, with his 'tail hook' lapel pin a source of great pride. To his last day, he stamped all outgoing mail with his "Canada's Naval Aviators ... A Rare And Vanishing Breed" mark.
After leaving the Navy, Lieutenant Sterling joined Air Canada where he rose up the ranks eventually becoming Chief Pilot of the 747-400. Always one to 'do the right thing' it was his practice to take junior pilot's holiday blocks so they could be with their young families ... which would explain why Christmas often came on the 27th in our house. But his favourite flight each year was the Dreams Take Flight trip where they would fill a 747 with deserving kids in need and fly them to Disney World for the day ... "can't believe they pay me to do this" he would say. And it was that kind of dedication to the job, to aviation, that had the President of the company waiting at the gate after his last flight ... "not bad for a kid from East Van" he thought.
Fin
retired to the Gulf Islands with his wife Donna and built their dream home
on that same piece of land he had picked out for his father before him ...
'Tip Top Bristol Fashion' was how he described it. Having travelled the
world over, he had little interest in further doing so, and was instead
happy sit in his lounger on the deck and watch the "backyard
traffic" go by in the Pacific, binoculars and notes in hand ...
"It doesn't get much better than this" he said ... (often).
Bravo Zulu Pops … "Blue Side Up" (The Victoria Times Colonist 28 Sep 2024)
Ships served in: HMCS VENTURE - Graduated from VENTURE in 1961 RCAF CENTERAILIA RCAF PENHOLD RCAF SASKATOON USS INTREPID HMCS BONAVENTURE - Served in BONAVENTURE as part of VS-880 Squadron USS ESSEX
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