Obituary of Barclay Hambrook

June 14, 1948 -September 27, 2021

Barclay Hambrook passed away peacefully on Monday, September 27, 2021 with his loving wife, Colleen Hambrook (nee Sproule) and daughter, Chantel Hambrook, and sister-in-law Cathy Sproule by his side. After  2½ years of battle with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s), it was time for Barclay to be at peace.
 
Barclay was a native Calgarian, born to proud parents, Lillian and Barclay Sr. Hambrook, and two older sisters, Margaret and Joy. Barclay had a happy childhood living in Inglewood, exploring the Bow River, riding his bike, playing hockey and baseball, and working at the local grocery store. He idolized his father and spent many weekends enjoying father and son activities.  At sixteen years old, Barclay joined the Marines and discovered his passion for water; going on trips to Vancouver Island in the summer for training. 

Entrepreneurship was also in Barclay’s DNA. At an early age, he went into business with his father, importing the 1st breed of Chianina Bulls (largest bull in the world) to North America from Italy. It was his first business success. After graduating from Western Canada High School with honours, Barclay first travelled and worked in Bermuda, then continued his adventures to Europe for another six months, visiting and exploring ten countries. Barclay then decided to buckle down to study at the University of Calgary, graduating with a Mechanical Engineering Degree. He was hired at Gulf Oil as an engineer in Calgary and soon ended up over in the Middle East, which started his career and adventures, working internationally. Friends in Calgary called him “Mr. International”.  With ten years of experience under his belt, Barclay moved to Toronto and graduated with a MBA, from Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. 

Barclay moved back to Calgary, where he met the love of his life, Colleen. After a whirlwind romance, they were engaged within three months and married one year later. This was the start of a wonderful thirty-five years romance. Moving to Vancouver (for twelve years), Barclay and Colleen felt blessed to bring their beautiful daughter, Chantel, into the world. Barclay absolutely loved Chantel and family, which was always the most important thing in his life. Colleen and Barclay lived life to the fullest. They shared many activities together such as skiing, running, rollerblading, dancing, yoga, karate and entertaining, travelling, and cruising. His worldwide travels shone through in the kitchen as an exquisite cook. Barclay was a pioneer in the energy industry, both domestically and internationally. He led numerous public and private energy companies, such as Pennwest, Americas Petrogas, and GrowMax Agri Corp. Fast forward three years, Barclay has travelled to over 150 countries for work and leisure. 

Barclay was one of a kind and marched to the beat of his own drum. Most importantly, Barclay was always a “class act” and a true gentleman in his business and personal life. He was always full of life, living everyday to the fullest. He had his priorities right, loving family and friends, whom were his number one. He treated everyone with the upmost respect and was truly interested in people. He loved to learn and share his experiences, always inspiring others. Barclay was curious, smart, wise, generous, and kind.  He was a great man always to be remembered and cherished. We love Barclay so much and he means the ultimate world to us. Barclay will live through us in spirit everyday of our lives.    

A Celebratin of Barclay's Life will be held at McInnis & Holloway (Park Memorial, 5008 Elbow Drive SW, Calgary, AB) on Thursday, October 7, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. Reception to follow in the Hospitality Centre at the Funeral Home. Those attending will be asked to confirm the following, (A) Double COVID vaccination (date requested) valid government identification (with name & date of birth) OR (B) Under 12 years of age. Condolences, memories and photos may be shared and viewed here. If friends so desire, in lieu of flowers memorial tributes may be made directly to the A.L.S. Society of Alberta (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), 7874 – 10th Street N.E., Calgary, AB T2E 8W1, www.alsab.ca. 

We wish to extend our appreciation to Barclay’s caretaker and nurse for her compassion and care for Barclay. We are also grateful for the emotional & equipment support from ALS Society of Alberta and a heartfelt thank you to the professionals at ALS Clinic at South Health Campus and Alberta Health Services (AHS).

In living memory of Barclay Hambrook, a tree will be planted in the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area by McInnis & Holloway Funeral Homes, Park Memorial, 5008 Elbow Drive SW, Calgary, AB T2S 2L5, Telephone: 403-243-8200.
 

Barclay's memorial card can be viewed using this link