Brij Lal Kohli

On Wednesday, December 28, 2022, Brij Lal Kohli passed away peacefully surrounded by family at the Leduc Community Hospital. He was 82 years old. Brij was predeceased by his parents Kundan Lal and Vaidya Wanti Kohli, his siblings Krishan, Pushpa, Krishna, and Rajinder and his in-laws Des Raj and Sita Wanti Sabharwal. He is survived by his loving wife of 52 years, Santosh; sons Vivek, Vinesh (Jill Pelton) and Vikesh (Anahita Rahimi); and his three grandchildren, Tin, Keyan and Kaiya, who brought him great joy. He is also survived by his sister Karuna.

Brij was born in Tahlianwala, Pakistan. After the partition of India, his family migrated to Delhi and finally to Ambala City in Punjab, India. He graduated from the Punjab University in Chandigarh with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Masters of Science in Botany in 1965. In 1970, he came to Edmonton to marry Santosh.

Brij loved working and providing for his family. He worked for 35 years at the University of Alberta as the Assistant Curator of the Vascular Plant Herbarium. While he was there, Brij contributed to many papers and journals. As well, he helped hundreds of faculty members and students with his knowledge of the taxonomy and identification of plants in western Canada. He also assisted in setting up several land preservation areas in Alberta including the Coyote Lake Nature Sanctuary and the Peaceful Valley Day Lodge Park. In December 2005, at the age of 65, Brij retired from the University of Alberta. Following retirement, he began working at Home Depot, South Edmonton Common, where he was employed for 17 years until his time of death. Brij loved his time at Home Depot where he primarily worked in the greenhouse/seasonal department. He was especially fond of his co-workers and was always smiling and willing to lend a helping hand.

Brij and his family wanted to give a special thank you to the doctors, nurses and staff of sections 21 and 22 at the Leduc Community Hospital for their excellent care.

Brij’s memorial will be held on Sunday, January 8 at 3pm at Hainstock’s Funeral Home & Crematorium, 9810 34 Avenue NW, Edmonton. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Diabetes Canada or a charity of your choice.