Christopher John Basil ENGLISH

1939 - 2023

CHRISTOPHER JOHN BASIL ENGLISH Christopher John Basil English died peacefully, with his family around him on August 11, 2023, at St. Clare's Mercy Hospital, St. John's, NL. He was born on January 3, 1939, in Toronto to Kathleen (née Westman) and the Rev. Basil Redvers English. His father was rector of St. Aidan's Anglican church in the Beaches, where he enjoyed his younger years with his sister, Margaret. Christopher was educated at Trinity College School in Port Hope and at the University of Toronto, where he studied Honours History. On graduation, he had a brief career in journalism at the Barrie Examiner. He left the paper to pursue a PhD with a dissertation on nineteenth century French history. He was hired in the history department of Memorial University, where he remained a tenured professor until his retirement. He published numerous historical articles, and his last publication was as editor of Essays in the History of Canadian Law. During his stay in Europe, he met a Danish au pair, Inge Kurman, who, following his proposal, joined him in Newfoundland. They married in 1968 and raised two daughters, Katinka and Ellen. In 1987, in mid-career, Christopher obtained his LLB from Dalhousie University law school and subsequently used his legal training to set up a legal history programme at Memorial University. This programme remains popular today, as many candidates take this course prior to attending law school on the mainland. In 1997, Christopher married a Memorial colleague, Jean Guthrie. Christopher is survived by his wife, Jean Guthrie; daughter, Katinka English (Rocco Bruno); stepdaughters, Sheelagh (Ben Davis), Deirdre and Mairi Chadwick; former wife, Inge Kurman; nieces and a nephew. He was predeceased by his daughter, Ellen English; and sister, Margaret Frazer. Celebration of Life to be held later. Please contact Katinka at: kenglish529@gmail.com for celebration details. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Canadian Mental Health Association (cmhanl.ca) or the Alzheimer Society of Canada (alzheimer.ca/en) are gratefully accepted.