Graham John Tappin
April 20, 1930 ~ December 15, 2020
We are sad to announce that Graham Tappin died suddenly on the morning of December 15th, 2020 at Rogers Cove Retirement Home in Huntsville with his wife of more than sixty-eight years by his side. Graham was predeceased by his parents Emily Tappin (nee Marshall) and James Tappin as well as by his youngest son Nigel Tappin (d. 2016). He was also predeceased by his elder brother David Tappin and his youngest niece Roweena Hanson-Abbott. Graham is survived by his loving wife Sheila Tappin (nee Falconer); eldest son Stephen Tappin (Pamela Morgan) who live in England and his daughter Sheena Tappin of Huntsville. Left to mourn him are his Grandsons; Alexander Tappin (Alina Ianovskaia); Karl Tappin (Amber); and, Alex Morgan. He will be dearly missed by his adored great-granddaughters; Etella Tappin and Silva Tappin who were the lights of his life. Graham also leaves behind four nieces in England, Vanessa Moriarty, Sandra Townsend (Paul), Patricia Liddell (Martin), Fiona Moore (Michael) along with numerous cousins, great nieces, great nephews and friends. Also left behind is his niece Moira Smith (Michael) in South Africa.
Graham was born in London, England and, during World War II, he and his elder brother were evacuated to the relative safety of a farm in northern England. After leaving school in his mid-teens Graham went to work for Thomas Cook and Sons travel agency where he worked (with the exception of two years national service) until he and Sheila emigrated to Canada with their three children at the end of 1966. In Canada he worked for Calladine & Baldry Travel Ltd for many years before branching out as a travel consultant. Over the years he visited almost every country in the world and thoroughly enjoyed travelling. He wrote a travel guide entitled “The Best Is Yet to Come” which gave many useful tips on how to travel enjoyably and safely.
Graham teamed up with his friend Ray Sonin who hosted the radio show “Calling All Britons” to promote and act as tour guides on group trips to England. He also was the host of the earliest episodes of the television program “Discover Your World” which he thoroughly enjoyed participating in. While working in Ottawa Graham appeared on “Good Morning Ottawa” which was hosted by Margaret Trudeau. In addition to travel Graham loved to read; do Sudoku puzzles; take walks; play chess and collect hundreds of VCR tapes which he catalogued meticulously over the years and enjoyed watching in the evenings.
Cremation has already taken place as per Graham’s wish and due to COVID-19 there will be no service or celebration of life. Our thanks to the staff at Chartwell Roger’s Cove for their professional and caring assistance and for their support of Graham and Sheila. We would also like to express our gratitude to the paramedics who tried so hard to restart Graham’s heart and to the staff at Huntsville Hospital for their valiant attempts to resuscitate him. Thanks also to Graham’s doctor Robert Whaley for his unsurpassed care over the years. We are extremely grateful for the care, kindness and professionalism of Mitchell Funeral Home in guiding us through all the arrangements and legalities.