Bruce Ian Dewar
Always loving, dearly loved
On August 17th, with his family by his side, Bruce passed away peacefully in Canmore, Alberta, after a courageous battle with cancer. He will be deeply missed by his wife Jannean, his children Claire (Travis), Janice (Todd), Stuart (Shannon) and Clive (Carrie), his grandchildren Nolan, Kaden, Kyle, Madison, Macallum, Jonathan, Brendan, Simon, Rebecca and Logan, his brother Graham (Verna), his nieces and nephews, and by many friends.
Bruce was born on June 21st, 1944 in Johannesburg, South Africa, to Duncan and Patricia Dewar (nee Fisher). He completed his schooling at North View High School, and after finishing his compulsory military service, he graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg with an M.Sc. degree in Chemical Engineering. It was there that he met Jannean, who was the love of his life, for the next 56 years. Together they raised two sets of twins, all of whom followed in his footsteps and pursued careers in Chemical Engineering.
He and his family immigrated to Alberta, Canada, in 1987. After living in St. Albert for 17 years, he retired to Canmore in 2004, a town which he loved, both for its tranquil beauty and for the friendships he made there with its warm-hearted townsfolk.
A great joy for Bruce was to spend time with his family and participate in their lives, and to give them his sage advice when they asked for it, which they often did. He strongly believed in the maxim that “the further backwards you look, the further forward you are likely to see”, and he applied his extensive knowledge of history to many passionate discussions on world affairs. His career with various international companies led to wide-spread world travel and also to the building of numerous friendships in different parts of the world. A number of these friendships have lasted for many years and have been acknowledged by the warm tributes to his life and career which his family has received from far and wide. His ardent love of travel, and deep interest in other cultures, extended well into his retirement years. There were not many parts of the world left on his bucket list for him to visit.
Bruce was highly principled. He was always politically engaged, he was actively involved in community and charity work for many years, and he was a quiet supporter of a number of special causes.
Bruce’s family is grateful for the compassionate care that he received from the oncologists at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre, the Rehab, Acute Care, and Palliative teams at the Canmore Hospital, to Drs DuPlessis and Sonntag, and also to Roger, Kathleen, Gay, and Hannah, at the Save-On pharmacy, for their ongoing concern and support. The family are also very grateful to their many friends for their outpouring of respect and affection.
Anyone wishing to make a donation in Bruce’s honor could do so to the United Way of Calgary and Area (www.calgaryunitedway.org), the Canmore and Area Health Care Foundation, dedicated for use in the Canmore Hospital, 1100 Hospital Place, Canmore T1W 1N2 or to a charity of your choice.
A memorial service to celebrate Bruce’s life will be held at St. Michael’s Anglican Church in Canmore on Saturday, October 7, 2023, at 11 am.
