Bryan Gourlie

It is with deep sorrow that our family shares the unexpected, though peaceful passing, of Bryan Gourlie, at his home in Calgary, Alberta. He was 74 years old. 

Bryan was a loyal husband, loving father, grandfather, a brother, an uncle, and a steadfast friend to us all. 

Bryan was born in Trail, BC to the late Lloyd and Johanna Gourlie.  He grew up in Genelle, BC with his three brothers, Neil(deceased), Jim, Ian; two sisters, Gale and Karen; and his two best friends, Jerry and Dan. Bryan graduated from High School in 1967 from JL Crowe Secondary and went to College in Selkirk before attending UBC.  In 1971, Bryan graduated from the RCMP finding himself posted initially in the Airdrie Detachment, then Calgary Airport detail, later at the Banff and Lake Louise Detachments, moving on to the Calgary Commercial Crimes Section and finally the detachment in Cochrane AB during his years of service. Many of Bryan’s true lasting friendships have come from his life as an RCMP officer.

Bryan changed careers in the early 80’s, and his path as an investigator took him to the Insurance Crime Prevention Bureau, Alberta Consumer & Corporate Affairs and finally the Alberta Securities Commission where he retired in 2006.

Bryan made his home in Calgary in 1975 where he met and married Dolores Noonan. Together they created a loving home and family of two daughters, one son, five granddaughters and one grandson.  Bryan devoted his life to his family and provided love and support for all of them. 

Bryan and Dolores had many laughs over the years, spending time with their close friends on golf and ski trips and getaways. There was never a river dunking or a food fight in the too distant past. They shared a love of being with their children, grandkids and special family members they took under their wings.  Over the decades, Bryan regularly attended their athletic, school, and extracurricular activities to cheer them on with pride.

Bryan also shared his love and support with many nieces, nephews and cousins.  He was always up for last minute gatherings, breakfasts, graduations, or sport games. With over 60 dear nieces and nephews, some more like siblings to the Gourlie kids, most notably Krista, Wyatt, Riley, Colette and Holly, his up front, no-nonsense love and advice will be dearly missed. 

A sportsman himself, Bryan played baseball, hockey and golf for years.  As a member of the “FB” running/coffee and donuts club, Bryan participated in many marathons as well. 

Bryan was an avid Flames and Blue Jays fan.  Game nights you would find him in his lazy boy, on speaker phone with Spencer as they watched the game together and shared the excitement.

He loved to garden and took great pride in his yard, a trait passed to him from his father and one he passed onto his daughter, Heather.  They spent many an hour talking about the gardens and yards or enjoying the sunshine and their hard work together.  

Bryan was a jack of all trades and put value on being of service to his family.  He enjoyed spending time with Deanne at her house, be it great conversations, renovations, landscaping, house, child or dog sitting, he always said yes when he was needed.  

Bryan enjoyed travel and saw some amazing parts of the world, from their honeymoon trip to Maui, Hawaii, to cruising through Colombia and Panama.  He also took trips to San Diego and Washington, DC and managed a few additional trips to Hawaii with his family over the years. Every long weekend for years, Bryan would load the family into the car and head home to Trail to spend time with Grandma and Grandpa Gourlie or pack up the camper for adventures through Canada and the USA. 

As Bryan’s children got older, it was a gift for his family to include him on their vacations and he enjoyed trips out to Invermere and Windermere with his kids and grandkids multiple times a year. He took his grandkids to car shows, the aviation museum and pioneer days to learn the “old ways” and share stories of his life growing up.  

Bryan loved a good movie, in the theatres or the comfort of home. May we suggest “Master and Commander” and “Greyhound” as two of his most recent favorites.  We think he had them memorized, he watched them so often.  Bryan was introduced to the world of YouTube by his granddaughter Emryss.  This was a whole new world of exploration and he loved watching treasure hunting shows and videos exploring western BC from the view of a drone. “Diesel Creek” and " Jay Leno's Garage" were his favourites, where he learned all about refurbishing old machinery and cars.

Bryan had a sweet tooth for ice cream, cookies, pie and chocolate and took every opportunity to share those with his grandchildren too.  “Thanks for the ice cream Pa!”

Bryan may have had a gruff exterior at times and a cheeky sense of humour, yet we know he was a big softy inside when he let you in.  He often got teary-eyed over a tender moment, a card, a gift or a piece of art from his grandkids, revealing a kind, loving and gentle man with a deep dedication and love for his family.

He is lovingly missed and cherished by his wife of nearly 48 years, Dolores; his children and their families,  Deanne (Harold), Hannah, and Carter Robertson; Heather (Chris), Emryss, and Isla Agren; and Spencer (Jenny), Juliette, and Jack Gourlie. Pa, you will be forever in our hearts and missed very much everyday.

The family welcomes you to join us in honoring the Life of Bryan on Saturday, September 23, 2023 from 1-4pm at the Cuff and Billy Social Club, 3730 Westwinds Drive NE #100, Calgary, AB, T3J 5H3.

We would love for you to share your favourite memories and photos of Bryan, please email them to: gourliefamily@gmail.com

liefamily@gmail.com

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory to the Libin Cardiovascular Institute, 2500 University Dr. NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, 403-210-6055 or by clicking here.