MONTREAL – Ward Pitfield, a prominent Canadian financier, who served during the Second World War and was the oldest surviving McGill University hockey graduate (BCom '48), passed away in his sleep on May 14 in Toronto. He was 95.

Also a thoroughbred racehorse owner and a trustee of the Ontario Jockey Club, he was believed to be the last surviving member of McGill's stellar 1945-46 squad that won the Queen's Cup as champions of the Senior Intercollegiate Hockey League. That team was inducted to the McGill Sports Hall of Fame in 1997.

Born Ward Chipman Pitfield, Jr., on Sept. 6, 1925 in Montreal, he was the second of seven children produced from the marriage of financier Ward Chipman Pitfield and Grace MacDougall-Pitfield. His siblings included Mary, Sally, Robert, Tony, Susan and Michael, who was later appointed to the Canadian Senate by prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau in 1982.

Pitfield spent his early years training race horses on the family farm, near Saraguay, Que., on Montreal's North Shore. He was educated at Bishop's College School in Lennoxville, Que., then served with the Royal Air Force's transport command from 1942 to 1944. He skated for the McGill varsity hockey team from 1944 to 1948 and graduated with a management degree.  During his freshman year, he also toiled for the Montreal Royals of the Junior Amateur Hockey Association. The fleet-footed right-winger once lost eight teeth in a game when hit with an errant stick during McGill's 4-1 loss to the Toronto Varsity Blues on Jan. 31, 1947 at Varsity Arena. After a short stint in a Toronto hospital, Pitfield returned to Montreal and suited up for McGill's next game, just a week after the injury, scoring the opening goal (and collecting a pair of penalties) in a 10-0 victory over Queen's.

In September, 1948, Pitfield  was invited to the Boston Bruins rookie camp in Hershey, Penn. He played in a few exhibition games but was sidelined by injury and returned to McGill in early October.

After graduating, he went into the family business and spent the next 36 years at Pitfield Mackay Ross, a stock brokerage firm co-founded by his father. Following a 1984 merger with Dominion Securities, he served as chairman until his retirement. Pitfield also served on the board of trustees at the University of Guelph and was a board member for 16 years at Fletcher Challenge Canada.
 
According to the Equibase website, which tracks horseracing results, Pitfield's horses had 11 victories in 95 total starts since 2000, with 10 second-place finishes and 12 thirds for a combined winnings of $398, 933. Among his top results was a first-place win by Get Western, a gelding, in the Old Friend Stakes at Kentucky Downs, on Sept. 5, 2019, which resulted in a purse of $250,000.
 
In addition to a strong work ethic, Pitfield's lifelong passions included thoroughbred breeding, riding horses, fly fishing and the company of a good dog. He was particularly proud of Tweedhill Farm and its herd of purebred Angus cattle.

Pitfield enthusiastically shared his opinions and proffered advice even when such advice was not actively solicited. His family suggests that he was often correct. Known as a charismatic, funny, kind and generous individual, he discreetly provided financial support and encouragement to many people. In his final years, he received compassionate care from the staff at North York General Hospital and the Sagecare retirement residence.

He is survived by Diana Sutherland-Pitfield, his wife of 67 years, three sons (Chip, John, David) and two daughters (Liz, Sally), a dozen grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
 
His ashes have been interred -- along with his favorite cowboy boots -- at Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in Toronto. A celebration of his life will be announced when COVID restrictions have been lifted.

The family has indicated that donations in his memory to Second Harvest, a food rescue charity with a dual mission of environmental protection and hunger relief, would be gratefully appreciated. Condolences and special memories can posted online and e-mailed to chip.pitfield@gmail.com


SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
Sports Information Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
514-398-7012 (Tel.)
earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca