Obituary of John Alston

May 15, 1928 - Welwyn Garden City, England

December 3, 2023 - Calgary, Alberta

John Alston of Calgary, AB, passed away peacefully on the morning of December 3, 2023, at the Brentwood Care Centre after a brief stay of six weeks.

In late October at the age of 95, his family had reluctantly moved him from his home of 66 years, built in Cambrian Heights in 1957. John was born on May 15, 1928, in Welwyn Garden City, U.K. to John Eccles and Eileen (nee Walters). When he was five years old, he emigrated to New Brunswick, Canada with his mother. He grew up in Sussex, New Brunswick, and Edgetts Landing, near Moncton, raised by his mother and his adoptive father, James Oliver Alston. John married Waltraud (Val) nee Wieschebrink in 1951, and they raised twelve children in Calgary. He was predeceased by his wife, Val (2008), sister, Pauline (2022), and daughter, Twila (1992). John is survived by his sister, Mary (Harry), and brother, Martin, seven daughters, Carin, Linden (Max), Heidi (Dave), Yvonne (Peter), Wendy, April (JP), and Robin; four sons, Jan (Lossie), Glen (Laurel), Mark (Laurie), Kim (Angie), twenty-three grandchildren, and seventeen great-grandchildren.

John attended the University of New Brunswick, where he obtained his degree majoring in Geology. He worked in the Alberta oil patch for twenty years and then moved into hard rock mining exploration, creating numerous junior exploration companies from the 1970s into the 1990s. John had a sharp, inquisitive mind and an insatiable quest for knowledge, particularly in history, economics, politics, and world affairs. His incorrigible sense of humour and eternal optimism carried him through numerous challenges in his personal life and in business. John’s family will hold a private Celebration of his Life.

In living memory of John Alston, a tree will be planted in the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area by McInnis & Holloway Funeral Homes, Chapel of the Bells.