Obituary of Angus McKechnie Robb Beattie

Angus “Gus” McKechnie Robb Beattie
October 3, 1954 - June 1, 2025

It is with great sadness and loving memories that we announce the passing of Angus McKechnie Robb Beattie. He passed away peacefully on June 1, 2025 at the Salvation Army Rotary Hospice House, after a 9 month journey with brain cancer. He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Karen Beattie, his sons Duncan (Natalie), Colin (Jordana), Iain (Sana), and his four grandchildren Lachlan, Mackenzie, Henry, and Graham. He is also survived by his sister Kathryn McLellan. He was predeceased by his parents Marion and James Beattie.

Angus was a humble man. He preferred to celebrate the success of others rather than himself, but as we commemorate a life well lived, he was not without accolade. Angus’ life was work and church, family and friends, and of course a sprinkle of baseball and golf too. He grew up in Saint John, New Brunswick and in his teen years Air Cadets was a focal point for him, achieving the rank of Warrant Officer first Class of the 527 Simonds Squadron. During his youth he was also involved with Scouts Canada and achieved the designation of Queen Scout. He was also a recipient of the Gold Duke of Edinburgh award, a prestigious honour given to those dedicated to self improvement, leadership and community service. The leadership skills he acquired and honed through these experiences, led him to become an entrepreneur and engineer in his professional life. He earned a degree in Professional Engineering from the University of New Brunswick in 1977. He began his career in Saint John at JW Lindsay (now Lindsay Construction) as Regional Director for NB. He left in 1985 to start his first company Beattie Construction and in the 1990’s was given recognition as “one of the 50 fastest growing companies in Canada”. He founded other companies as well, including Global Design and Construction and was a member of the Young President’s Organization. The latter half of his career was situated on the west coast in Vancouver, British Columbia. The work opportunities found him on the leading edge of construction innovation, working with companies like Structure Craft as GM and Omicron as Vice President of Industrial Development. He was involved in many projects in the city, and one he enjoyed sharing with others was his involvement with the Richmond Olympic Oval for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. He was working with Nexii as Vice President of the Industrial Business Unit in North America, when he was diagnosed in August 2024.

Angus valued giving back to others and found many ways to be an engaged member of the communities he lived in. He was president of the Rotary Club of Saint John from 1997-1998 and was recognized by Rotary International as a Paul Harris fellow for his efforts toward international camaraderie. On a local level he was an active member of his spiritual community and was a church elder at the church of Saint John and St. Stephen in NB, and at St. Aiden’s Presbyterian church in BC. He offered a considerate ear, thoughtful leadership and dependable friendship to his church community in an effort to grow the church and make a positive impact in the lives of others. There was no better example of this than his most recent work with the “Don’t Go Hungry” food bank which began in 2020. He was on the management team, under the leadership of Karen, and developed close connections with both his volunteer group as well as the community members he served.

While he was proud of these achievements, he would tell anyone that his greatest accomplishment was his family. Angus met his wife Karen in 1980 and within 11 months they were married. Indecision was not something he struggled with often - when Gus knew, he knew. Karen continued to capture his heart for the next 44 years and he would always say she was the reason his life had so much joy and adventure. They raised their boys in NB and began their move to BC in 2006. Gus enjoyed traveling with Karen, rounds of golf with his sons, attending Robbie Burns events and spending holidays with family, playing catch and hockey with his grandchildren, playing cards and having dinner and a dram with friends, and so much more. Karen and Gus spent every day together throughout his cancer journey and she provided him with a great deal of comfort and peace in his final days.

We all hope to leave our mark on the world; to live out God’s purpose for our lives and Angus felt a deep sense of purpose as a father to his boys. In his words, he believed that we “are the product of generations of family who have hoped for our future”. He spent his lifetime filling us with the values, traditions and integrity of our ancestors. Those who were blessed enough to receive a season of Angus’ leadership in their life can appreciate how fortunate we were to have a lifetime of it. We are now tasked with the responsibility to reflect these values to our own children that they may learn about their grandfather - their “Papa” - and his character through us.

There will be a service at 2pm on July 8th, 2025 at Gordon Presbyterian Church located at 7457 Edmonds St. Burnaby, B.C. (604-521-4242). Donations can be made to the church in Angus’ name through the following: E-transfer to staidans@shawbiz.ca

For those who are unable to attend the service, please join the family via Zoom or YouTube Live, both of which will begin on July 8 at 6pm AST. 

To view via Zoom: Zoom ID: 258-434-180 / Password: 023367

To view via YouTube Livestream, please visit Grace Presbyterian Church's YouTube channel (in Saint John, NB), or by using the following link: https://www.youtube.com/live/jchXDNSrYM8