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In memory of those who have Crossed the Bar
McMILLAN, Colin James - once reflected on his years passed with three simple words: "A good life." Anyone who knew him at all would recognize that as a gentle understatement immediately. Colin died peacefully, on December 21st, at his home in Stratford, Prince Edward Island. He leaves a legacy defined by a lifelong commitment to his family and community. Born in Charlottetown in 1942, he was the eldest of six children of Dr. Joseph Alexander McMillan and D. Eileen (McQuaid) McMillan. Colin, beginning at an early age, excelled at everything he did – from formal studies to extracurricular activities, including athletics. As a Queen's Scout, he was selected to represent the Island at the 1957 World Jamboree in England. As a teenager, Colin also played bass fiddle in a popular local country band, The Downeasters, and joined the University Naval Training Division in 1960. At St. Dunstan's University, where he was President of the Students' Union in his senior year, he studied history and philosophy, played varsity football and hockey, and competed at the national level in intercollegiate debating. In 1964, Colin was named a Rhodes Scholar. At Oriel College, Oxford, he read modern history and was captain of the Oxford University hockey team. He returned to Canada in 1967 to study medicine at McGill University, where he completed his residency in Internal Medicine and then a fellowship in Cardiology. It was during this time that he met Sandra Flintoft, a nurse at the Royal Victoria Hospital. They married in 1976, beginning a partnership of nearly 50 years. Though his professors urged him to remain at McGill, Colin's heart was in Prince Edward Island. He returned home to practice medicine for more than 40 years: first at the Charlottetown Clinic (co-founded by his father); then at the Riverside Medical Centre; and, finally, at the Parkdale Medical Centre. For Colin, providing health care to Islanders was much more than a profession, it was a privilege he embraced with deep humility and a strong sense of responsibility. In the years that followed, he held many roles. Those included serving as the first Head of the Department of Medicine, then Chief of Staff, at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. He also served as President of the Medical Society of PEI. Nationally, he served as Chair of both MD Management and the Canadian Medical Association Board of Directors. In 2006, he had the honour of serving as President of the Canadian Medical Association. Colin's extensive volunteer work spanned the performing and fine arts, health-related causes, and politics and government affairs. He spent over four decades on the Board of Directors of the Confederation Centre of the Arts, including four as Board Chair. He also served as Board Chair of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and as a governor of the National Theatre School of Canada. His many contributions were recognized with an honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University of Prince Edward Island (1999), the Senate 150th Anniversary Medal (2018), the Coronation Medal (2023), and the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal (2023). Above all, Colin was devoted to his family. He was an adored father to Andrew, Alexandra (James), James, Victoria, and Virginia. In retirement, he and Sandy travelled the world, satisfying his insatiable curiosity and lifelong love of history. At home, he enjoyed golf, teaching bridge to younger family members, reading, and catching a UPEI hockey game. At family gatherings, he was very much the patriarch, regaling his audiences with remarkably detailed and often hilarious stories. "A good life," indeed. Colin is survived by Sandy, four of his five children, and cherished grandsons, Lochlan and Beckett; his siblings, Charles, Thomas, Maura, and John, as well as many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents; his sister, Eileen Fulford; and his beloved daughter, Victoria. A Celebration of Life in honour of Colin will be held at the Confederation Centre of the Arts in Memorial Hall on Friday, January 9th, at 2:00 p.m. All are welcome. A private interment is to take place at a later date in Sherwood Cemetery. If so desired, donations in Colin's honour can be made to the Victoria McMillan Memorial Scholarship Fund at Holland College, Charlottetown, PEI. (The Globe and Mail 27 Dec 2025)
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