Obituary of W. Gordon Brown

July 29, 1930 - Claresholm, Alberta
June 20, 2023 - Calgary, Alberta

William Gordon (Gord) Brown, beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother-in-law, uncle, and valued friend passed away on Tuesday, June 20, 2023 in Calgary, Alberta at the age of 92 years.

Gord was born to Edward Wetherell (Ned) and Sadie Louise Brown, on the family farm in Claresholm, Alberta, the youngest of six children. The farmhouse was about 1500 square feet and the family of eight slept two to a bed, but there was no lack of warmth and household good spirit, and Gord spent the first eighteen years of his life there very happily. Education was prized in the family, and when Gord left the farm, he followed his sisters Dorothy and Ann to the University of Toronto, from which he graduated in 1952, with a BA in Liberal Arts. 

Gord returned to Calgary, got a job on a seismic crew, and worked at locations all around Alberta, from Lethbridge in the south, to Steen River in the north. He quit to attend law school at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, and graduated in 1956. He joined the Calgary law firm of Nolan Chambers—now Bennett Jones—as an articling student in April of that year, and stayed 45 years until his retirement in 2001, but kept an office in the Lyceum, also known as the Pasture—as in Out to—for a good ten years beyond that. Gord spent his career in Oil & Gas Law, and his reputation as a man of rare probity earned him respect from everyone with whom he dealt. It was a source of great pride to him that he counted not just his colleagues and his clients, but also those on the opposite side of the matter—never his adversaries—among his closest of friends. His reputation in the field earned him the honor of being appointed Queen’s Counsel (now King’s Counsel) in 1977, and his friends’ desire to honor him led them to endow a prize in his name in 2002, which is awarded annually by the law school of the University of Calgary to the most outstanding student in Advanced Energy and Resources Law.

Gord acted as Director of numerous private and public companies, including Canadian Hunter Exploration, Anderson Exploration, and Mosbacher Operating Ltd. He was also an active member on the boards of the Canadian Petroleum Law Foundation (now the Canadian Energy Law Foundation) and the Canadian Institute of Resources Law. In addition to his myriad law-related activities, Gord served for many years on the board of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and, as a former farm boy with a deep sense of connection to the land, took particular pleasure in his role as a founding member and Director of the Western Sky Land Trust, which seeks to preserve open land around critical watersheds—such as the Bow River—and protect environmentally-sensitive natural habitats. Also important to him was his work on the Advisory Committee to the Calgary Parks Foundation. In that role, he was instrumental in the restoration in downtown Calgary of the park surrounding the Haultain School—the oldest sandstone school in the city. He was a longstanding member of the Calgary Golf and Country Club, the Petroleum Club, and the Ranchmen’s Club. He was also actively involved in the parish community at St. Stephen’s Anglican Church for over 60 years. His more recent membership in other groups such as the ROMEOs—Retired Old Men Eating Out, whose mission was to top off tours at sites of interest in and around Calgary with convivial restaurant gatherings—and the Remainders—a collegial society of dedicated book connoisseurs, of which he was the founding Chair—brought him great satisfaction in retirement. Before and after retirement, Gord was an avid follower of politics. His idol was Winston Churchill, and he acted for many years as the Director of the Calgary chapter of the International Churchill Society of Canada. Closer to home, he was especially inspired by the legacy of service of the firm’s founding partner and 11th Prime Minister of Canada, R.B. Bennett. Gord was key in organizing a group at Bennett Jones to commission the bronze bust of Bennett, by sculptor Cameron Douglas, that was installed at Heritage Park in 2014.

Gord was a lifelong learner and did not stop in the pursuit of his various interests until he had achieved a level of enviable expertise.  Over his many years, Gord became an authority in fields including Astronomy, Earth Sciences, Gardening, Classical Music, Biography, History, and Wine. He played golf regularly, was a dedicated runner through his 40’s and 50’s, enjoyed riding his bicycle to the office, and hiked well into his 80’s. He also loved to travel, and cherished particularly his memories of multiple trips to Europe, the US, Mexico, and the Caribbean; as well as to Australia, and to Israel, with small groups of close friends or family. 

Gord was an old-fashioned gentleman, for whom his word was his bond, but his greatest delight was in conversation, where he loved to push the boundaries of thought possibility and challenge the ingenuity of his family and friends. The “Gord Brown” question was famous, or infamous. It might be something like “Which modern invention would you say has had the most impact on human history?”  And just when you’d defined “modern” and “invention” to everyone’s satisfaction and formulated a brilliant response on that basis, then Gord might give you further food for thought by reminding you that “impact” could be defined not only positively, but negatively. The answers that he hadn’t come up with himself were the ones that he relished the most. 

Gord is survived by his loving wife of almost 62 years, RoseMary (née Kibsey); two children, Pamela (George Canellos) and Malcolm (Sue Davies); and one granddaughter, Clio Canellos. He is also survived by his sisters-in-law, Elvey (Ed Brown), Til (Jack Marcine), and Ev (Ernie Chichelly); his brother-in-law, Bill (Floriana Mackie); and dozens of nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his siblings, Louise, Dorothy, Ed, Marjorie, and Ann.  

Gord’s courtliness, good humor, and active intelligence will be missed by all who knew him. 

Those wishing to pay their respects may do so at McInnis & Holloway Funeral Homes (5008 Elbow Drive S.W.) on Sunday, June 25, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend a funeral service at St Stephen’s Anglican Church (1121 14th Avenue S.W.) on Tuesday, June 27, at 11:00 a.m.  This will be followed by a Celebration of Gord’s Life at The Ranchmen’s Club (710 13th Avenue S.W), at 12:30 p.m. Condolences, memories, and photos may be shared and viewed here.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, www.heartandstroke.ca., the Western Sky Land Trust, http://www.westernskylandtrust.ca/, or to a charity of your choice.  

In living memory of Gordon Brown, 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.