Norval Hipwell

1916 - 1988  (72 years)

• Name	Norval Hipwell
  Born	1916	Arden, , Manitoba   [1]
  Gender	Male
  Eby ID Number	Waterloo-14547
  Died	15 Mar 1988	Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [1]
  Person ID	I14547	Generations
  Last Modified	7 Nov 2024

  
  

• Notes

  Man who built Maid of Mist dies Norval Hipwell, the man responsible for putting the first Maid of the Mist afloat at the base of Niagara Falls, died in a Kitchener retirement home Tuesday after a long illness. He was 71. Hipwell, whose daughter Lynn Widmeyer lives in Waterloo, spent his last years at Victoria Place. Hipwell began his career in ship-building as a controller for Russell Brothers Ltd. in Owen Sound and became president of Russell Hipwell Engines Ltd. - the company that built the original, all-steel Maid of the Mist in 1956. The boat was retired from service in 1983. Business associates described Hipwell on Wednesday as a "fine and successful" man. Born in Arden, Man., he moved to Ontario in 1937, where he established himself as an industrial tug boat builder while living in Owen Sound. His company supplied fire boats to the Toronto Fire Department. The old Canadian $1 bill features one of Hipwell's tugs on the back. During 24 years in the Georgian Bay community, he served on the board of the General and Marine Hospital, the Division Street United Church and was a member of the local board of trade. He moved to Toronto with his family in 1961 and became president of Cummins Eastern Canada Ltd. Under his leadership, the company greww to employ 400 people in seven offices from Thunder Bay to Newfoundland. Hipwell retired from Cummins in 1968 but kept the title of president. Kitchener-Waterloo Record 17 Mar 1988

  
  

• Sources

  [S74] News - ON, Waterloo, Kitchener - Kitchener-Waterloo Record (1948-1994), Obituary of Norval Hipwell - 17 Mar 1988.

  
  

• Event Map

  Born - 1916 - Arden, , Manitoba Died - 15 Mar 1988 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  = Link to Google Earth