Tribute

Brodie Swan passed away peacefully on the morning of March 20, 2012. He is survived by Shirley, his wife of 53 years, his children Andrew, Jennifer (Eric), Frances (Dave), Ian and Robert, and his grandchildren Caitlin, Allison, Claire, Emma, Alex, Jakob, Hannah, Angus and Isla.
Brodie immigrated to Canada from England in 1957, trained as a forester at UBC, and spent his working life as a professional forester first in the Cariboo, then in the East Kootenays where he worked until his retirement. He loved the outdoors, and after retirement continued to enjoy his farm and cattle, skiing and hiking for as long as his health allowed. Gardening was always a passion for Brodie, he spent many hours planting and tending fruits and vegetables in the gardens he created.
Brodie led an interesting life – he was born in Baghdad Iraq, went to boarding school in England from the age of 10 until he joined the British forces to fight in the Second World War in Burma at the age of 17, he worked and lived in Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia), Myanmar (Burma), Borneo, and after settling in Canada continued to work overseas doing contract work to develop forestry programs through various Canadian and international aid agencies in Mexico and South America, and even after retirement he worked on a forestry development program in northern China. Those who were privileged enough to hear some of the details of the various experiences Brodie had were always educated and entertained.
The family would like to thank the staff at Columbia Garden Village and Columbia House for the care they gave Brodie. Their patience and understanding with Brodie made the last 2-1/2 years of his life as pleasant as his health would allow.
We would also like to thank the community at large for the patience afforded Brodie so that he could maintain his independence and enjoy his walks around town and his interactions with the businesses he frequented.
A memorial service will be held at 2:00 pm Wednesday March 28, 2012 at the Galena Church 4km north of the Brisco store on highway 95. A reception at the Brisco hall will follow the service.