TOPPING, Christopher Robert

Age 71, of Wentworth, NS, passed away peacefully with his family by his side on March 18, 2024, after a brief stay in hospital. Chris was born to Fred and Doris (Pearson) Topping in North York, Ontario, on January 12, 1953, the second of four children. In his early years he enjoyed church league hockey, high school football, and summers at Wasaga Beach. He married the love of his life, Norah (Hart) in 1975, and together they moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1976. Chris and Norah went on to have two children, Tim (Cassie Boutilier) and Kaila (Brent Crawford), and two grandchildren, Cyrus and Mavis. Chris was an active participant in his children’s lives and encouraged them in anything they did, from soccer, to skiing, to music lessons, and much more. After giving up on his brief thoughts of becoming a hippie, he had a long career with the Province of Nova Scotia, where he held a number of roles including database administrator and project manager for the year 2000 project. In 2012, he retired to beautiful Wentworth Valley, where he enjoyed skiing, hiking, tending to his flower garden, working on his photography projects, continuing to research and learn about new things, and spending time with his family and friends. Chris is predeceased by his parents, and his youngest brother, Doug. He is survived by his wife; children; grandchildren; sister, Marylin (Doug Mclaughlin); brother, Ted (Wendy Goodyear); sister-in-law, Jill (Davidson); and a large loving extended family by blood, marriage, and circumstance. On May 15, 2019, Chris was gifted with a new set of lungs from a generous donor. This was the greatest gift he and his family could have asked for and gave him a second chance at life, an opportunity to get to know his two grandchildren and fully enjoy his retirement. While never enough, we are forever grateful for those five extra wonderful years. We encourage everyone to make their families aware of their desire to be organ donors so other families can experience this miracle of life. Arrangements are in the care of Macdiarmid's Funeral Home & Crematorium. A celebration of Chris’ life will be held at 2 pm on Monday, March 25, in Wentworth Recreation Centre, in Wentworth, NS. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his name to The Lung Association of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. www.mmcfunerals.com