Captain Alan Holland Brookbank

Born on November 17, 1929, in Rosetown, Saskatchewan, Alan was a true son of the Great Depression. Growing up on the rugged Canadian prairie, his early education began in a modest two-room country schoolhouse—a foundation that sparked a lifelong pursuit of learning. He went on to graduate from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Applied Science (BASc) in Mathematics and Physics.

Driven by a profound sense of duty during the Korean War, Alan joined the Royal Canadian Navy in 1950, embarking on a distinguished thirty-year career as a Naval Officer. He served with honour aboard some 15 ships across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic Oceans, eventually earning the distinct privilege of commanding HMC Ships Nipigon and Protector.

His expertise led to several prestigious shore postings, including postgraduate studies in Guided Weapons at the Royal Military College of Science in England, a role with the Canadian Defence Liaison Staff at the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C., and serving as Director of the Canadian Forces Command and Staff College in Toronto.

Beyond his exemplary service to his country, Alan’s greatest devotion was to his family. He was pre-deceased by his beloved wife Patricia. He will be lovingly remembered and deeply missed by his four children, Nancy (Darrel), Karen (Ed), Michael (Janet), and Wendy (Andrew); his grandchildren Jordan (Aly), Alexander (Courtney), Simon and Caroline (Devin), Ben and Megan, Madeleine and Sam, Josephine and Emily and his four great-granchildren Sophia and Nylah Ross and Marley and Koa Haley-Ross.

Alan was a kind and gentle man with a great set of epic stories. His was a life well lived.

There will be no formal service but instead, private family memorials will be held to spread his ashes in his best loved places.