Charles Ralph Collyer

Charles (Chuck) Ralph Collyer, born on May 12, 1930 in Montreal, Quebec, passed away peacefully at Canmore General Hospital in the early morning of Friday May 2, 2025 - 10 days short of his 95th birthday. Chuck was the son of Ralph and Mary Collyer, devoted husband for 62 years to his dear wife Paula who passed away in 2017, beloved father to sons Dave (Pat), Alan (Hanneke) and Brian (Carol), and a cherished grandfather and great-grandfather. He will be profoundly missed by his family and friends.

Chuck’s life was marked by his love of family, devotion to his wife Paula and a career in the global energy and construction industry. Upon graduating from Lower Canada College in Montreal, Quebec and the mechanical engineering program at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario he joined Imperial Oil at their Montreal East refinery. Much of his career with Imperial involved engineering and construction management for projects in the oil and gas industry in western Canada. One of the proudest accomplishments in his business career was the leadership role he played in the construction of the Syncrude oil sands project near Fort McMurray in the 1970s. The final phase of Chuck’s career was as a partner with the Bechtel Group, focused largely on projects in the global downstream business from Bechtel’s Houston and San Francisco offices.

After having an opportunity to travel much of the world in his business career, for the last 30 years Chuck lived a quieter life with Paula at their home in Canmore, Alberta. He was active on the Board of the Canmore Golf and Curling Club and enjoyed retirement with friends and a growing family of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. More recently Chuck resided at the Origin at Spring Creek independent living facility in Canmore, enjoying his regular evening meals and lively conversation with a close group of friends at the Mineshaft Tavern.

As a family, we will miss our father’s unconditional love, unlimited support and thoughtful guidance. We will carry you in our hearts and will always remember your leadership, and your gracious, caring and generous spirit.

The Collyer family wishes to acknowledge and thank the doctors, nurses and staff of the Canmore General Hospital and the Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary, all of whom provided great care over the final weeks of his life. We also wish to extend our appreciation and gratitude to the staff and care providers of Origin at Spring Creek, and to the staff of the Mineshaft Tavern for the incredible kindness and support they provided Chuck and our extended family.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Canmore Hospital Foundation, 1100 Hospital Place, Canmore, Alberta T1W 1N2 (https://www.canmorehospitalfoundation.com).