William “Peter” McPherson Christie
unknown - unknown
Mr. William McPherson (Peter) Christie passed away on Sunday, 18th February, 2018 at Doctor’s Hospital, Collins Avenue, Nassau, The Bahamas.
A funeral Service will be held at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Kirk, Princes’ Street, Nassau, The Bahamas on Saturday, 17th March, 2018 at 3:00 p.m.
Rev. Bryn McPhail will officiate.
William McPherson Christie, aka Peter Christie, is survived by his wife, Anna Rosemary Christie; daughters Catherine Wallas and Cara Christie, son John Christie; grandsons Dwayne Wallas, Dylan Christie and Kai Christie; granddaughters Tanya Shannon, Megan Milano and Jasmine Wallas; sons-in-law, Anthony Wallas and Cairo Rocha; John’s partner Paola Alvino; grandsons-in-law, Damian Shannon and Daniel Milano; granddaughters-in-law Sheree Wallas and Laura Putnam; great grandchildren Clara Wallas, Huck and Mia Shannon.
Peter was born on December 17, 1929, two months after the 1929 hurricane, the second son of Percy and Dorothy Christie and the nephew of Sir Harold Christie and the Hon. Frank Christie. He attended Queen's College, serving as Head Boy in his final year. In 1947 he studied law at the Inns of Court in London. He was called to the English Bar at the Middle Temple in 1950 and The Bahamas Bar the following year, when he began his law practice William McP. Christie and Co.
In 1953 Peter married Rosemary Calder, daughter of the US Consul in The Bahamas, and they went on to have three children – Cathie, Cara and John. Rosemary joined Peter in the law practice in 1972, and the following year they both joined the firm of Higgs and Johnson with Peter as partner. He became President of H.G. Christie Ltd. in 1979 after inheriting it from his uncles Sir Harold Christie and the Hon. Frank Christie, and in 1990 left Higgs and Johnson to run the company until his son John was able to take over in 1993. Peter remained active in H.G. Christie Ltd. as President until his death.
Peter was an enthusiastic sportsman and in his early life he enjoyed playing rugby, polo, horseback riding and later snow skiing and tennis. He remained active in the rugby community throughout his life and loved to watch the games on Saturday afternoon at the rugby pitch.
His principal love was sailing and he became a member of The Royal Nassau Sailing Club when he was a teenager, serving as Commodore in 1963-4 and remaining an active member throughout his life. He competed internationally many times in world championships in the Snipe and Sunfish class and was selected to represent The Bahamas in the 1960 Rome Olympics in the Dragon Class. Peter was the national secretary of the class for the last 40 years of his life, being fully engaged in all the Snipe regattas held in The Bahamas. Peter also sailed larger sailing vessels as part of The Bahamas yacht Squadron and has many trophies to his name. He took part in a number of ocean races including the Miami Nassau race and Fort Lauderdale Key-West, and in 2016 raced from Miami to Havana Cuba. Sailing the open seas filled him with delight. He was also a regular participant in the Regatta Time in Abaco and won many races there over the past 40 years.
Peter was elected as the Member of Parliament for North Andros and The Berry Islands In 1967, joining his uncles Harold and Frank Christie, who were also serving as MPs, and his father Percy, who had previously served three terms – thus joining them in the tradition of service to The Bahamas. Peter was an active member of the Bahamas Real Estate Association and was integral in getting the Real Estate Act passed in 1994 which to this day serves as the backbone of the real estate industry.
Peter was an active member and past President of the Rotary Club of Nassau. He joined in 1963 one year after its founding and was until the time of his death the longest standing active Rotarian, receiving many awards from the organization. He followed in the footsteps of his father Percy, who founded The Star of The Bahamas (Charity Guide #35), setting up a summer camp for underprivileged children in the Out Islands and helping many youngsters become productive adults. In service to his fellow man he was known to be very generous to those in need, always lending a helping hand.
In lieu of flowers donations may be sent to The Bahamas Sailing Association, c/o The Nassau Yacht Club, P.O.Box N.752, Nassau or The Bahamas National trust, P.O.Box N.4105, Nassau in memory of Mr. William McPherson (Peter) Christie.
Arrangements by Kemp’s Funeral Home Limited.
