Obituaries

BRIAN FORDE TAYLOR

February 8, 1926 – February 21, 2019

With sadness, we announce the passing of Brian on February 21, 2019 peacefully at his home.

Brian is survived by daughter Judy Bargen Verrier (Denis); son Douglas Taylor (Debbie); grandchildren Cale Bargen (Amy), Leeanne Bargen (Rob), Brooke Van Bussel (Glen) and Sarah Korchynski (Curtis); and four great grandchildren. Also surviving are his sister Maureen Teminski and sisters-in-law Tina Taylor, Molly Waechter (Rolly), Mary Jane Iwankow and Kathleen Schumann (David). He was predeceased by his beloved wife Terry; son-in-law Dennis Bargen; sisters Aldy McCosh and June Staehr and brother Ian Taylor.

Brian volunteered for service in WWII in 1944, serving on the mine sweeper H.M.C.S Clayoquot. He and everyone else on the boat were treated to a Christmas Eve swim in 1944, when a German U-Boat launched a torpedo at the ship just out of Halifax harbour. Brian was fished out of the Atlantic and returned to St James safely. (He missed Christmas Eve mass at home the next year as well, but his excuse was not nearly as good)

Brian married his wife of almost 69 years, Terry, in 1946, and worked at the main Canada Post building in downtown Winnipeg as a power engineer and superintendent. He and Terry raised their family and travelled warmer climates at every opportunity, visiting Central and South America, the US and every corner of the Caribbean. They settled on the tiny island of Bequia as their favourite. Despite his earlier dunking in the ocean, Brian qualified as a SCUBA diver and cheerfully trawled the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea.

After retirement, Brian walked from home through Assiniboine Park almost every day, occasionally hiking to the perimeter and back through Charleswood for variety. He was happy to help anyone build anything, and usually had the exact tools for any job. Brian would hop in the car and drive the 14 hours west to Strathmore to visit Doug, with plans to drywall, or install a bathroom or something. He was a keen reader and connoisseur of science and politics. He read every university textbook his grandchildren gave to him, as well as the Economist, the daily Free Press, MacLean’s, Time, and Scientific American. Brian took up golf in his seventies and enjoyed stomping around the links with Judy at every opportunity and was still at it into his 90th year.

Brian was a great guy. He loved warm weather, Monty Python, building things and a good rye and water. He hated the long winters. We will miss him every day.

A celebration of life will be held on Sunday, March 10, 2019 from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Airport West 2520 Portage Avenue.

Condolences may be sent to www.wojciksfuneralchapel.com