Peter Michael Byrne

Dr. Peter Michael Byrne
March 5, 1936 - August 17, 2017
Peter passed away peacefully on August 17th surrounded by his family. He leaves behind his loving wife Jane, sons Sean (Elen) and Craig (Alessandra), granddaughters Rebecca and Greta, brother Donald (Shirley), sister Dr. Marie Arnall, special niece Miriam (Wayne) and numerous nephews and nieces in Canada, England and Ireland.

Peter Byrne was born in Dun Laoghaire, County Dublin and gained his first engineering degree from University College, Dublin. He completed post-graduate studies at the University of British Columbia and was a Professor of Civil Engineering there from 1967 until his retirement in 2001. He continued his association with the University as Professor Emeritus of Civil Engineering.

Peter was highly regarded as a geotechnical consultant. In 2014 he was awarded the prestigious R.F. Legget Medal by the Canadian Geotechnical Society. The R.F. Legget Medal is the Society's highest honour and is presented to an individual for 'outstanding life-long contributions to geotechnique'. In 2009, Peter was presented with the Julian C. Smith Medal by the Engineering Institute for 'Achievement in the Development of Canada'. The Canadian Geotechnical Society noted at the time that his achievements were demonstrated by a wide range of projects on which he had been consulted, including bridges, tunnels, dams, rapid transit projects, airports and a wide variety of other facilities in seismically active areas in Canada and around the world. Peter gained further professional recognition by winning the Geoffrey Mayerhoff Award from the Canadian Geotechnical Society..

Peter also built a reputation as a researcher, having written many papers in his area of expertise while pioneering many new procedures. He was also much in demand at national and international conferences as a consultant on several projects. .

To the Vancouver sailing fraternity Peter Byrne was well known as a competitive sailor. His passion for sailing led to his winning a Bronze Medal for Canada in the Flying Dutchman class at the 1967 Pan American Games and being selected as a member of Canada's Olympic sailing team at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. In 1973, with his wife Jane as crew, he won the Enterprise Class World Championship, held that year in Vancouver.

Peter was a popular and respected member of the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club for over fifty years. Jane, Sean and Craig, along with many friends and family members, will forever cherish the memories of summer sailings with Peter along the coast of British Columbia.

The family is grateful for the exceptional tender loving care shown to Peter by the nursing staff on the fifth floor at Parkview. Donations in Peter's memory may be made to the Parkview Unit, Youville Residence, 4950 Heather St., Vancouver, BC, V5Z 3L9. A celebration of Life for Peter will be held at the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club on Monday, September 11, from 2PM to 5PM