age 56 in the Covid Unit of Peter Lougheed Hospital in Calgary. Allan was the loving son of
Sylvia Mah and Roy Mah (predeceased on October 6, 1994) of Calgary. Allan was a beloved
brother of David Mah (Tricia, and nephews Thomas/Jeffrey) and Leslie Mah, all of Calgary, as
well as Connie Mah of Edmonton, Alberta. Allan grew up in Calgary with extensive paternal
relatives including a large Mah Family of uncles, aunts, and cousins plus a Wong Family aunt
and her son (Chuck & Sue Wong and their children). Allan was predeceased by many paternal
uncles/aunts and is survived by a paternal uncle (Joe and June Mah) and numerous cousins in
Calgary. Allan also leaves behind maternal relatives (uncles, aunts and cousins) in California
(San Francisco, Newark and San Jose), Connecticut and Hawaii, USA.
Allan was the second eldest of 4 siblings. The family moved to Drumheller, Alberta, for a brief
period from 1968-1970, and returned to Calgary. Allan attended Valley View Elementary School
in Forest Lawn until grade 5, when he transferred to the old Christine Meikle School (located at
12 St NE off of Memorial Drive) until age 18. Growing up among 4 siblings, Allan had an easygoing
nature, laughing and grinning frequently during regular family outings to Prince’s Island
Park, Stanley Park, Bowness Park, the Fish Hatchery, the Calgary Zoo, the old Planetarian,
Heritage Park and the annual Calgary Stampede parade and exhibition grounds; as well as
frequent fishing trips to Drumheller and regular trips to Banff National Park. His love of the
Calgary Stampede and the Calgary Zoo was life-long. In his childhood, Allan very much enjoyed
large social gatherings, which would continue into adulthood, as the family regularly visited
paternal relatives throughout the year; and the family went on day-long BBQ picnics
throughout the summers at city parks or in Drumheller/Banff with 2 other families who had
children of similar age (Paul Mah and Wayne Chow families), and the family enjoyed many
regular Christmas/New Year dinner parties each holiday season with different groups: paternal
relatives, the Mah/Chow families and the Harrison Family (Chris and Ellen with daughters
Lorraine/Marina). In his youth, Allan also enjoyed attending the occasional large picnics
organized by the Calgary Mah Association at Prince’s Island Park with activities for children.
Allan happily participated in the 92nd Group of Scouts Canada, from his youth until about year
2000, and was often seen following and assisting the scout leader with organizing the group.
From his youth onwards, Allan loved attending summer camps at Camp Horizon, operated by
Easter Seals Alberta, as well as some winter camps over the Christmas holidays and talked
about his activities thereat for weeks afterward. Due to the Covid pandemic restrictions, Allan’s
last winter camp at Camp Horizon was Christmas of 2019 after which he proudly showed his
family the crafts he created including a functional wooden gum ball machine and the presents
he received from anonymous donors. Although registered for summer and winter camps in
2020, these were deferred due to Covid pandemic restrictions. The family is grateful and thank
all the organizers at Easters Seals Alberta and its donors for providing Allan with such wonderful
experiences at Camp Horizon, which was one of his most favourite social activities.
Allan’s mother Sylvia fondly remembers that Allan was always curious about everything. Allan
unfortunately developed epilepsy at age 3 due to an accident, and over the years, as it
progressed to frequent grand mal seizures that were uncontrolled by medication, the epilepsy
caused developmental delay such that he was not able to retain new learning. Hence, after
finishing school at age 18, Allan began attending the full day program (5-days a week) at Vecova
(the Vecova Centre for Disability Services and Research), which was then known as the VRRI
(the Vocational and Rehabilitation Research Institute). Allan attended the full day program
located on-site at Vecova/VRRI from 1982-2013 (age 18-49) and his day programming changed
over time. Allan began day programs that included educational classes and training activities,
such as computer classes and taking apart old rotary telephones for repair. Allan considered his
time attending Vecova/VRRI as going to work, as he received a small envelope with nominal pay
in the early years; and for many years, he insisted on dressing smartly for work with a white
button up dress shirt and tie. After almost 2 decades, Allan relaxed his attire by removing his
tie. He continued with a white dress shirt for some time until he decided on a more casual look.
Later, Allan’s day programs at Vecova/VRRI evolved to include some volunteer and some paid
work off-site, including some janitorial work at the Royal Canadian Legion, downtown Calgary,
and at a Church on Memorial Drive. Allan very much enjoyed going to Vecova/VRRI and
participating in these work activities, accompanied by his day worker, and spoke often of his
work at the Royal Canadian Legion. Allan’s strong work ethic was shared and learnt from
observing his parents/siblings. During this time, 2 day workers were of particular influence on
Allan. One of Allan’s former day workers, Claire Wood-Wiberg offered to take Allan and
another Vecova client on a week-long trip to Victoria, BC, in the 1990’s. Allan enjoyed this
adventure immensely as he had not travelled by plane since 1976, he was last in BC in 1982 in
the Okanagan, and he had never been to Victoria. Another of Allan’s former day workers, Fran
Switzer took many photographs of Allan and together, she encouraged Allan to creatively and
collaboratively assemble many memorable scrap books of happy memories using his
photographs and interesting stationery. Allan was very proud of these scrap books and was
immensely fond of his time spent with Fran.
In addition to the day programs at Vecova/VRRI, Allan’s mother Sylvia enrolled and drove Allan
to evening activities and classes that were designed for persons with developmental delay. In
his youth, in addition to regular participation with the 92nd Group of Scouts, Allan attended
weekly evening dancing classes/activities at the 5th Avenue Club in downtown Calgary. In the
1990’s to early 2000s, Allan, who loved to tinker with tools and to cook, bake (and eat),
attended 2-4 evening activities/classes a week, including wood working classes downtown and
cooking classes in NW Calgary. His mother Sylvia drove him to these classes, and fondly
remembers observing that Allan appeared to be very popular at all his group activities. This
was a credit to his easy-going nature, and propensity to joke around with people he was
familiar and comfortable with.
Allan continued to reside at home with his family until 2002 (age 37/38) when he transitioned
to “supportive roommate” living arrangements provided through Vecova/VRRI. Allan resided
with 3 sets of supportive roommates from 2002-2011 while continuing to attend day
programming on-site at Vecova/VRRI. During this period, Allan would return home to visit his
family during summer vacations and for Christmas holidays. During his summer holidays with
his family, Allan enjoyed a whirlwind of activities including attending the annual Calgary
Stampede, including partaking in Stampede Breakfasts around the city during Stampede week
at South Centre Mall, Chinook Centre and at the fairgrounds, as well as visiting the Calgary Zoo
and Heritage Park; and attending annual Mah Family Reunion events with paternal
uncles/aunts/cousins. During Christmas holidays with his family, Allan enjoyed attending family
dinners and potlucks with his brother David’s in-laws (the Clauesson Family events) as well as
with extended paternal relatives at Mah Family holiday gatherings. From time to time, Allan
bought Christmas presents for his family and would be so excited for them to unwrap their
presents that he would refuse to open his own presents before them. From childhood
onwards, Allan had a love of music that started with singing along to Christmas carols with his
mother while his sister played the organ. For many decades, Allan attended music therapy
classes. Allan attended Church with his last supported roommate at which he enjoyed the
singing of hymns. Allan’s first supportive roommate took him along on short trips around
Alberta. Allan had a love of animals and was fond of his third supportive roommate’s cat. His
third supportive roommate also regularly organized group bowling parties to celebrate Allan’s
birthdays and invited his long-time friends from Christine Meikle School and Vecova/VRRI as
well as his family to participate.
In 2011, Allan transitioned to group home living arrangements, also provided through Vecova.
Allan resided at 3 group homes operated by Vecova from 2011-2021. Allan resided at the
Bowness Transition Group Home from the Autumn of 2011 for 6 months where he happily
spent his time in the common areas joking around with and assisting the young female staff
with baking. It was a noteworthy tribute to the staff’s highly interactive inclusivity of Allan in
their activities that he had no seizures during his entire stay. As that group home was a
transition house, Allan moved to the New Outlook Group Home (aka Huntford House) on
February 14, 2012 and continued his day programing at Vecova until he began having
balance/mobility issues requiring the assistance of mobility aids.
On August 29, 2013, Allan moved to the 12 Avenue Group Home (aka 12 Avenue House), which
could provide services adaptable to persons using walkers/wheelchairs, where he resided for 7-
1/2 years. At this time, as Allan would use either a walker within the house, or a wheelchair
when travelling outside the home, he was not able to continue his day programming on-site at
Vecova, and instead his day programming was provided by Vecova staff who operated the 12
Avenue House. Allan found this transition difficult as he had attended on-site at Vecouva/VRRI
for decades, having made friends among many staff thereat and other clients alike. Allan
demonstrated his life-long strength of resilience and eventually adapted to his new physical
limitations and learned how to use his walker and understood the need for the wheelchair as a
mobility aid for traveling outside the home. Allan’s day programs were modified at the 12
Avenue House to include regular weekly activities outside the residence, accompanied by his
day workers at the house, including designated weekly scheduled trips to a sing-along group,
exercise/yoga classes, art classes, and social gatherings at the Golden Age Club and those later
arranged by the Special Needs Ministry of the Centre Street Church. The family is very
appreciative of the 12 Avenue staff’s creative modifications in 2020 to Allan’s day programming
due to the Covid pandemic restrictions such that his activities took place within the 12 Avenue
House, such as his art class projects being delivered to the house for him to complete, and
other modifications to create fun day activities for the clients within the home in keeping with
Allan’s interests. Allan was fond of his day workers at the 12 Avenue House and very much
enjoyed the additional activities they arranged for the clients throughout his 7-1/2 years
thereat such as festive large birthday parties on their patio and special occasion social
gatherings. The 12 Avenue House staff also assisted Allan with obtaining a City of Calgary
library card, an annual pass to the Calgary Zoo and a City of Calgary Recreation Card and
accompanied Allan for his use of these facilities in line with his interests and to assist him to
continue to be active in the community.
The family would like to thank the doctors, nurses and staff at the Covid Unit #53 at the Peter
Lougheed Hospital for their compassionate care of Allan for his Covid pneumonia.
The family would also like to extend heartfelt thanks to the current and past staff of
Vecova/VRRI for their assistance to Allan over almost 4 decades at Vecova/VRRI for his day
programming and support services, including but not limited to: on-site Vecova/VRRI staff
(program coordinators, day workers, medical/psychological services staff, social services, and
administrative, archives and IT services staff), the supportive roommates, and the staff working
at the group homes. The family would like to particularly thank the current and past staff of the
12 Avenue House for their steadfast compassionate care and consideration of Allan’s needs
since 2013. The family is extremely grateful to the 12 Avenue House staff for helping Allan to
overcome the challenging transition to using his mobility devices in the early days at the house
and to help him understand the changes to the location of his day programming, and for their
commitment and continued support of Allan’s needs throughout the last 7-1/2 years including
thoughtfully designing day programming at the 12 Avenue House that met Allan’s particular
interests. The family would also like to particularly thank Luke Blue, Vecova Housing Services
Team Leader at the 12 Avenue House, for his compassionate and thoughtful communications
with the family throughout Allan’s Covid illness and in his tremendous assistance and support of
the family throughout our difficult grieving process.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the in-person portion of the funeral service will be restricted to
the immediate family and speakers. However, for the wider audience, the service will be
provided virtually (live stream).
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