John Canvin Brown

John Canvin Brown October 27, 1938 - October 15, 2016 John Canvin Brown, BSc, PhD, DSc, FRSC of Nanaimo BC (formerly West Vancouver), passed away on October 15th 2016 at 77 years of age. He died at home in the loving presence of his wife of 53 years, Anne, and his son, Michael.

John was born October 27th 1938 in Bishop Auckland, England and grew up in the coal mining town of Crook. He was the youngest of three sons of Tom and Eliza Brown. He married his Wolsingham Grammar school sweetheart, Anne Robinson, in 1963.

The couple emigrated to North America in 1964 and John began work as a professor at the University of British Columbia in the Department of Physiology in 1965. He was a pioneer in the field of gastrointestinal endocrinology and discovered two gastrointestinal hormones which led to the development of a new class of drugs for diabetes that are used to treat millions of patients around the world.

John's many scientific accomplishments earned him numerous citations and prestigious awards. He has been recognized as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (1980) and received honorary Professorships from Beijing Medical University and Peking University Medical College, PRC (1986), and Harbin Medical University, PRC (1992).

He was highly sought after in the biotechnology sector and co-founded Quadra Logic Technologies and EnGene. He was very generous with his time conducting public service for many health and charitable organizations. His contribution to UBC resulted in the establishment of the Anne and John Brown Fellowship in Diabetes and Obesity Related Research.

He and Anne were avid travellers with fond memories of New Zealand, Patagonia and Antarctica. John was a passionate fly fisherman, an exceptional cook and a connoisseur of "a wee dram".

John was a father to 3, grandfather to 7 and a father figure to countless. He had a big personality, wicked sense of humour and a generous heart. Family was always important and he made sure that annual vacations together were always possible.

He will be remembered fondly as a loving husband, father and grandfather by his wife, Anne; three children Stephanie, Michael and Suzanne and; seven grandchildren, Thomas, Madelyn, Matthew, Kayley, Jessica, Ryan and Declan.

The family is very grateful for care that John received from all providers with a special acknowledgement to his family doctor, Dr. D. Kazanowsky. Should you wish, a donation could be made in John's name to the BC Lung Association or JDRF. A celebration of John's life is planned for the upcoming Spring at UBC.