Son of James and Edith Topping, of Marysville, Ontario. Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte Band, ON. Survived by his parents and eight siblings - John Franklin, WM Harold, Edward Delbert, Thomas James, Clare Leonard, Mary Grace, Doris Ruth and Ethel Mildred. During his air training, Sgt Topping's superiors noted that he was "reliable, aggressive and mechanically inclined." These traits would come to serve him well throughout his military career.