Obituary of Allan Charles Crozier

December 9, 1933 – July 24, 2023

Allan led a full and rich life. He was surrounded by love from the beginning, with his parents and siblings raised on a farm in Saskatchewan and to the end with his beloved wife Sharon and sons Reid (Jody), Gregory (Deceased), Cameron, grandsons; Dale (Gaby), Randy, Travis and Charles. He is also survived by sister Carol (Jack) and beloved sisters-in-law; Judy, Pat, Janet (Glen) and many loving nieces and nephews.  Allan was blessed with countless great friendships.  He made friends easily and treasured relationships dating back decades of life lived and shared.

Allan was a storyteller, teacher, learner, adventurer, outdoorsman, sailor, artist, carver, and someone who cared deeply about relationships with family and friends, animals and nature, and the First Nations culture.  Allan could hold a group or classroom spellbound with his stories and loved to hear people laugh and enjoy life.  He gave himself to many causes such as Easter Seals (Alberta and Canada) and Camp Horizon, often spurred on by his love and hope for a better future for his disabled son Cam. 

Allan never forgot his Saskatchewan roots and kept many connections with his hometown in Wolseley, SK. He was very proud to be the eldest male on his mother’s side of the Chattersons and could walk the streets of Wolseley and be related to many of the people he met.

Connections to nature were very important to Allan from having a hobby farm in Hoadley, AB when his boys were young to gardening in his own backyard and growing the best tomato crop. Allan loved being outdoors, hunting in the fall with good buddies enjoying the sound of returning geese or climbing into a VW Van, which he owned for over 20 years to be “on the road again”. Allan loved dogs, every shape and size, especially his last dog Rufus.

Allan had a military background that he was very proud of, including being a reservist in the Calgary Highlanders. His enjoyment for teaching young soldiers lead to a teaching career with the Calgary Board of Education for 32 years. Allan taught science and environmental education at the Junior High Level and thought being an Assistant Principal was the best job there ever was.  He enjoyed taking students on outdoor education trips and instilling his respect and love of nature, taking many classes of Grade 8 students to hike up Mount Yamnuska. His last years of teaching were at an elementary school where he started a pheasant project with Grade 6 students. Raising pheasants from chicks and releasing them full grown. Over the years supporting Camp Horizon, connecting disabled to nature was a perfect fit for Allan.

Allan carved out a life of meaning with Sharon and they enjoyed travel and adventures to new places with two major sabbaticals in Cambridge England (1993-94) and Brisbane Australia (1999-2000). They count amongst their dear friends many Aussies. Allan enjoyed sailing and became an expert captain and leaded crews of wayward mates on the west coast of Canada and US, BVI, Turkey, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and New Zealand. During retirement Allan became very involved with expert native carver Rick Wolcott and this became his passion, carving many beautiful works which are cherished by family and friends.

Allan will leave us with a big hole in our hearts, he was a big-hearted man in so many ways and filled our lives with his love, passions, humour, and joy.

“A little while and I will be gone from among you, when I cannot tell.

From nowhere we came, into nowhere we go.

What is life?

It is the flash of a firefly in the night,

It is the breath of a buffalo in winter-time,

It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset”

- Chief Crowfoot

If friends so desire, Allan would love you to consider a donation to either:

Easter Seals - Camp Horizon (Hwy 66 10 KM Southwest of Bragg Creek, AB, T0L-0K0) https://easterseals.ab.ca/how-you-can-help/

Or Brown Bag for Kids (909 11 Ave SW #110, Calgary, AB T2R 1L8)   https://bb4ck.org/

A Celebration of a life well lived will be held on Friday, August 25th from 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm at The Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 264, 1918 Kensington Road NW, Calgary

In living memory of Allan Crozier, a tree will be planted in the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area by McInnis & Holloway Funeral Homes, Chapel of the Bells, 2720 Centre Street North, Calgary, AB T2E 2V6, Telephone: 403-243-8200.