Ian concluded his life long battle with entropy on December 6, 2023. He was born in Toronto in 1946 and grew up in Port Credit, Ontario. He studied at Ryerson and Brock, then moved to Calgary to pursue a PhD. Having run out of degrees and diplomas to pursue, he married and then raised his family in Leduc. He was a beloved brother, friend, husband, Dad and Grandpa, who could never finish telling a joke because he was already busy laughing.
Since moving west, and no longer able to sail, Ian willingly took up Dorothy’s pursuits of cross-country skiing, hiking and camping. He supplied tomato plants to much of central and southern Alberta each spring (not quite, but it sure felt that way). Whenever he was thanked for his generosity, he would briskly state “of course” as if his spirit of giving was an accepted fact of day-to-day life, as stable and predictable as gravity.
A botanist and scientist to the core, he found a spot of life to marvel at each and every time he ventured outdoors. Ian would always find the first flower to pop up in the spring and was quick to identify (in Latin) the most unassuming of plants for friends and family on every hike. A history buff since an early age, the mysteries of history, especially Oak Island, captured his fancy.
Not seen without a moustache since the 70s, he was easily spotted in his signature aviator sunglasses while outside. He’ll be fondly remembered for his love of order and data (keeping handwritten Halloween trick-or-treat statistics annually). He loved music, listening to CBC in the morning, CKUA in the afternoon, and attending concerts whenever he could.
Most of all, we’ll miss his steady and consistent nature. He is the bedrock on which all of our foundations are built. We send him off, with all our love, to the great curling bonspiel in the sky, to fish with all of the anglers who have gone before, and putz around in the garden of eternity.
Ian’s favorite charities included Stars, Brock University and the Nature Conservancy of Canada.
A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.
COMPARTA UN OBITUARIO
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