Alphonse Jacob Spenrath

1944 - 2022

On Thursday, December 15th, 2022, Al Spenrath, loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend, passed away peacefully in his sleep at age 78.

Alphonse Jacob Spenrath was born on December 2nd, 1944, in Bruno, Saskatchewan, to Franz Josef Spenrath and Maria Katharina Weber after they immigrated to Canada from Germany following World War 1. Al spent his childhood and school-age years in Bruno, Saskatchewan. He was the youngest of 9 children, and it was generally agreed upon that he was the most handsome of the children. His siblings and in-laws, still with us, can all confirm this to be true. He is survived by his siblings Henry (Nora), Sister Miriam (Yes, the Senarath's have a nun in the family, and yes, they have utilized her services many times to be forgiven for their hilarious chirps) and sister in laws Violet and Dora.

Al received his Chartered Accountant designation on December 8th, 1972, from The Institute of Charted Accountants of Alberta. He was a partner at Collins Barrow in Edmonton, Alberta, working primarily with German-speaking clients. He later took his talents East to Brampton and then to the beautiful City of Thunder Bay. NADF and Fort William First Nation Band Office employed him. He worked for Northern Communities for many years and had strong ties to the North.

Al could talk to anyone about absolutely nothing for a long time. People would get caught up in conversation with him and come out with a giant smile, but they still wondered how he could talk about a particular subject, like the city not trimming his boulevard tree for longer than 20 minutes.

Later in life, Al found solace in swimming daily with his dedicated crew, his dear friend Pino and all the lifeguards at the Complex. After swimming, Al would go home and make breakfast for his best buddy, Ruckus. He would take Ruckus for multiple walks around the marina and then spend the day driving around dropping off food for the deer on mission island, talking with his neighbour Dennis, dropping his wife off lunch, or hanging out with Ruckus at various viewpoints throughout the city.

His second love was gardening. He was so proud of his garden. He would sit outside next to the house and chat about his garden with everyone that walked by. He was particularly proud of his pink roses. When his grandson was born, he moved his chair up from the front of the house to the sidewalk to show off his grandson to everyone. Bee had to tell him that he wasn't a show-and-tell object repeatedly.

Al was a rock for his family. We relied on him for anything and everything. Bee swears that Al was her saviour in life. Al attended every track meet and hockey game, sent food up north, and volunteered for every concert. He wanted to support his family and community in any way he could, and he did just that. He was our loudest cheerleader.

Over the past few days, we have received all your messages. Although we await official confirmation, we can safely say that Al Spenrath was an absolute beauty. Whether you knew him as Big Al grilling on his barbecue or the eloquent man who could make you laugh, all the while hitting you with some of the funniest chirps. Al was truly one of a kind and a father figure to many people.

Most recently, Al became a grandfather. After many years of pestering his son and daughter-in-law, they did it. They delivered him the grandchild he had been longing for. He loved holding and playing with Sawyer Drake Spenrath. He played with his grandson Sawyer for hours the night before Al passed away.

Al was preceded in death by his father, mother, and his brothers John (Mary), Joe (Gladys), Paul, Bruno, Frank (Olga), and Rudy.

He is survived by an absolute queen, his wife, Bee. His dog and his best buddy, Ruckus. The legendary Al Spenrath leaves his children Sean, Kurt, Mark and Tara behind. He also leaves behind his beautiful bonus daughter Samantha and his always-happy grandson Sawyer.

The family would like to thank everyone for their support during this time and, more importantly, everyone who was a part of Al's remarkable life. He treasured the conversations, the snacks and the time spent with all of you.

A Celebration of Life will follow at some point. Don't rush us. We're grieving, and we'll let you all know when we are ready to laugh and enjoy all your hilarious stories about our husband, dad, and friend.

In place of flowers and our millionth meat tray (although we love them), please consider donating to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada in memory of Al.