Walter John (Kip) Holloway

Walter John (Kip) Holloway passed away on January 13, in his ninetieth year. Born in Portsmouth, England, on September 25, 1933 to Bert and Ethel Holloway, he experienced the Second World War as a boy. He and his younger sister were due to be evacuated to Canada on the ship, The City of Benares in 1940. At the last minute, his mother panicked and pulled them off the ship - fortunately, as it ended up being torpedoed and sunk by a German U-Boat, which resulted in the death of 77 child evacuees. 

With his family, he moved to Canada in 1948. In 1950, he joined the Royal Canadian Navy as a Medical Assistant. He served in ships and shore establishments on both coasts, and in 1962, he was commissioned. Like so many sailors of his generation, he was disgusted by the Unification of the Armed Forces, which led him to resign his commission in 1968. 

Kip’s civilian career was in health administration in New Brunswick and Ontario. In 1984, he moved to PEI and returned to public service, working for the Department of Veterans Affairs, which has just opened its headquarters in Charlottetown. He worked in veterans health care administration before being instrumental in the creation of the DVA Commemorations Unit during the final years of his public service career. 

After his retirement from DVA in 2001, Kip remained in Charlottetown. He became an inveterate volunteer and PEI booster and was well-known around Charlottetown and the Island as a whole for his involvement with Hospice PEI, the Navy League of Canada, the Charlottetown Christian Council, the Probus Club of Charlottetown, the Royal Commonwealth Society, and many other organizations. He was also a founding member of Community Baptist Church in Charlottetown. He was proud to share that in December, he enjoyed his 34th consecutive performance of Handel’s Messiah. He also served as an Aide de Camp for the Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island for several years, a role that he cherished, partly because it allowed him once more to wear a naval uniform. All of this led him to be nominated more than once for the Order of Prince Edward Island. 

Kip is survived by his children, Ian (Mousumee), Emily Christina (Rob Falconer), his four grandchildren, Mohana and Ishaan Holloway and Hannah and Callum Falconer, his sister BJ, his brother Patrick, and by many nephews and nieces. He is especially remembered by his dear friend, Ethel Wolfe. He was predeceased by his parents, his son Benjamin, and his sister Pauline Hoad.

Resting at Belvedere Funeral Home. A memorial service will be held at a later date. An announcement of time and place will be published in advance. For those who wish, remembrances may be made online to Hospice PEI.