Obituary of Christopher G. MacDermot

Christopher MacDermot, 95 of Guilderland, NY, passed away peacefully in his home as wished, on May 4, 2024. He was born in July of 1928 to Guy & Janet MacDermot in St. Rose, Quebec, Canada, the youngest of 5, growing up with 4 sisters. He attended Montreal High School and after graduation relocated to Troy, NY to attend RPI to obtain his BSc in Mechanical Engineering. It was at his time in Troy he met his future wife Julia (Poppey) and then married in 1951. The couple spent over 5 decades together until Julia's death in 2003. Chris spent 4 years in the US Military working in several capacities, spending time at Frenchman's Flats, CA, and Dugway, Utah, nuclear test sites. After the military he spent several years at Boston's Franklin Technical Institute as an Automotive Technology Instructor and then joined ALCO as the New England Service Rep in 1957. In 1959, Chris and Julia welcomed their only daughter, Elizabeth. Chris then moved back to NY in 1961 with his family while remaining with the company until it disbanded in 1969, when he joined the D&H Railroad. He eventually became the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the D&H, and held that title for over 30 years. Throughout his life he wrote several railroad books, contributed to railroad magazines and also wrote technical manuals still used today. After retirement, Chris continued to do consultant work and work on railroad governors well into his 80's. He spent a lot of time on his property. riding his tractor, enjoying nature, working on his home and traveling. He found comfort and companionship also in his retirement after his wife's death reuniting with an old military friend Mildred Mundis, who lived out of state. They spent about 10 years together until Mildred's death. He then reunited with his childhood sweetheart, Louise Lesperance after 71 years with no contact. He traveled many times to Canada in his last few years, to visit her until her death earlier this year. Chris will be sadly missed by his daughter Elizabeth Sparks, his granddaughter Cenease Sparks, his 2 great-grandsons CJ & Joshua Barker, as well as many nephews, nieces and other family. He will be greatly missed by a number of loyal friends, crews, colleagues and the engineering departments of the railroad industry. The funeral service will be held at 1:00 PM Friday, June 7, 2024, at Christ Church, 970 State Street, Schenectady, New York. Entombment to follow, at Saint Andrews church mausoleum, Scotia, New York.