Riverboat engineer in the Yukon for more than thirty years, George McKay Rose died suddenly at his home in Whitehorse Saturday morning. In his usual good health, Mr. Rose had enjoyed a family dinner party the evening before, to celebrate his 7lst birthday. He was taken ill early Saturday, and died within an hour.
Born in Inverness, Scotland, he had come out to Canada as a young man and enlisted in the Engineers in the First Great War in Vancouver. He served overseas and met his wife there, the former Gertrude Bowyer. They were married in 1920 and came to the Yukon two years later where he worked on the S.S. Keno, the S.S. Whitehorse and other river boats. For thirty years he was engineer on the S.S. Tutshi out of Carcross. When the Tutshi was laid up in 1954, Mr. Rose came to the Federal Building in Whitehorse as First Engineer, and, after retirement, was at The Whitehorse Inn for some time.
For the past two years, he had been Captain of the M.V. Schwatka, running up the Yukon River and back to the Hydro Lake. His friendly and genial personality made the trip doubly enjoyable for all his passengers.
A member of the Masonic Lodge in Atlin and Whitehorse, Mr. Rose was also a member of the Canadian Legion, and a willing worker for the Canadian Red Cross and Cancer Society. His friends were many and he had a cheerful word for everyone. The sympathy of the community is extended to his widow, and to his two daughters, Mrs. A. J. Squirechuk of Whitehorse and Mrs. T. O. Roberts of Penhold, Alberta. Six grandchildren and
three sisters survive: Mrs. Donald Matheson of Dingwall, Scotland, Mrs. J. McKay, Victoria and Miss Mary Rose in Vancouver.
