Obituary for Alan Richard Brown
Alan Richard Brown passed away surrounded by his loving family on March 15, 2022. Alan was born at the Grace Hospital in Ottawa on June 14, 1938 to Robert “George” Brown and Emma Agnes Maxwell. Alan grew up in Ottawa, on Laurel Street and later on Grove Avenue but spent summers with his brothers on the Maxwell family farm in Wakefield, Quebec, which remained close to his heart throughout his life.
In 1963, he married the love of his life, Nancy Elizabeth Robinson, at Parkdale United Church in Ottawa, and settled in Toronto. A year later, they welcomed their first child, Stephanie Anne, followed three years later by David “Jeffrey”.
Alan was proud of his career at Imperial Oil, which, in addition to Toronto (three times) took the family to Stratford, Kenora, Thunder Bay and Sudbury. Fiercely loyal, on one family vacation Alan drove with the gas indicator at empty, passing gas stations until an Esso could be found to fill the tank.
Alan was an avid golfer, and could be seen regularly walking his home course, Cedarhill, until his dementia made it too difficult for him to play. Alan also loved hockey, first as a Montreal Canadiens (and Jean Beliveau) fan, and later as a fan of his hometown Ottawa Senators, to which he and his son, Jeff, shared season tickets for many years.
From his childhood summers on the farm, Alan developed a lifelong love of animals. The horses were always excited to see him, as they came to know that he would bring sugar cubes for them from the city. Alan adopted a similar habit for the dogs in his life, slipping a treat or two in his pocket for them whenever he would see them.
Alan and Nancy enjoyed many trips together, with his fondest travel memories including trips to visit Stephanie in her adopted home of South Africa. Even as dementia took hold of his mind, Alan would tell anyone who would listen that he and “Nance” had had a good life. A big part of that life was the joy that Alan took from being a grandfather to Benjamin and Marianne, to whom he was their devoted Grampa.
Alan was predeceased by his beloved Nance in March 2015, but she remained foremost in his thoughts until the end of his life. He was also predeceased by his parents, George and Emma (from whom he inherited a love of desserts), and his brothers David, Douglas, Stuart and Ronnie. He is survived by his sister Linda (Paul Sharkey), daughter Stephanie (Paul Farlam), son Jeff (Isabelle Panier), grandchildren (Benjamin and Marianne Brown) and a number of grand dogs all of whom were close to his heart.
A private service was held at the Central Chapel of Hulse, Playfair & McGarry. Watch recording of the service.
In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to the Dementia Society of Ottawa and Renfrew County, the Montfort Hospital Foundation or the Humane Society of Ottawa.