Engineer, administrator.
Born at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England on 16 November 1923 to Margaret Jane Hudson (1891-1940) and Robert Dunn Atchison (1874-?), he apprenticed in his youth as a machinist. His talent in engineering was soon recognized, enabling him to study for and qualify as a professional engineer in both electrical and mechanical engineering. In 1950, he married Muriel Brown (1928-2005), a schoolteacher from his home community, with whom he went on to have four children. In 1956, they immigrated to Canada in search of adventure and opportunity and settled in Winnipeg.
During his 32-year career with Manitoba Hydro, he held progressively more senior positions, retiring in 1988. He made an important contribution to the development of the company's first direct-current transmission line between northern Manitoba and Winnipeg—then the world's longest—as well as creating its export services division and establishing a high-voltage research laboratory at the University of Manitoba.
In retirement, he served for several years as President of Creative Retirement Manitoba, a not-for-profit organization providing opportunities and activities for seniors, as well as a volunteer installer for Victoria Lifeline. He was active in the Anglican Church throughout his life, serving first in the choir and for many years on the church vestry, first at All Saints Anglican and later at St. George’s Crescentwood.
He was also a lifelong sports enthusiast—mountain-climbing and playing cricket and tennis in his youth, while golfing and curling well into his 80s. With his family, he enjoyed summers at the cottage at Victoria Beach on Lake Winnipeg. While there, he continued to fulfill his engineering skllls doing renovations and repairs.
He died at Winnipeg on 3 January 2013.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 11 January 2013.
“John Thomas Atchison,” Atchison Family Tree, Ancestry.
This page was prepared by Lois Braun.
Page revised: 7 October 2026
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