Dr. Emil H. Nenniger

1928 - 2024

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Emil, at the age of 96, after a brief illness. He was predeceased by Dorothy, his wife of 63 years, in 2017. He is survived by his children, John (Gina), James (Kim), Anne (Tobin), and Stephen (Stephanie); and 13 grandchildren, with each of whom he had a close personal relationship. He is also survived by seven great-grandchildren, who were just getting to know him. Emil was born in Montreal on February 25, 1928, to Emil and Frieda Nenniger, recent immigrants from Switzerland. He obtained a BSc. from Queen's, a Master's from McGill, and a PhD from Manchester, all in chemical engineering. His new wife, Dorothy, went with him to England, and their first child was born there. Upon their return to Canada, Emil joined his father's engineering firm, Surveyor, Nenniger and Chenevert. (SNC) while also teaching at McGill. He designed and built a beautiful home on the shores of Lac St. Louis for his growing family and took up sailing. After many successful projects at SNC, Emil joined Hatch Associates. Subsequently, he was hired away by Inco to head its chemical engineering department and moved his family to Oakville. Eventually, Emil rejoined Hatch's Toronto office, designing metallurgical plants and processes for clients all over the world. A specialty was designing processes to recover costs and reduce pollutants by recovering valuable materials from effluent. He took pride in mentoring young engineers. Throughout his career, Emil gained respect and recognition for his expertise, insights, problem solving skills and integrity. He served as president of the Chemical Engineering Society of Canada and was a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineers. Emil was also an inventor with a number of patents to his name. Emil had many interests and hobbies. He applied his engineering skills at the family sugar bush, and with Dorothy became an award-winning maple syrup producer. Both loved and supported classical music. He sailed with his family, played tennis into his late-80s and skied until he was 90. He cherished family time, and supported his children and grandchildren no matter what activity they were involved in, be it sports, music or high-tech start-ups. Emil was always grateful for the good things in his life. He kept in contact with friends from his youth and work colleagues his entire life. He spent his last couple of years at Churchill Place, where he formed new friendships. His regular walks through old Oakville were very social, as he invariably met friends along the way who stopped him to chat. He was engaged and mentally sharp to the very end – he never lost his optimism. He set a wonderful example for his family – we will miss him. Celebration of Life at the Oakville Club (56 Water Street, Oakville, Ontario) from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on August 20th. Friends are also welcome to contribute memories at Koprivataylor.com. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Oakville Symphony would be appreciated.