Bruce Gray ALLAN

1953 - 2021

BRUCE GRAY ALLAN April 16, 1953 - February 21, 2021 Bruce Gray Allan, CA, CPA, Toronto, died on Sunday, February 21, with the morning sun shining on his sleeping face and his wife Deborah (nee Morris), who he loved more than life itself, holding his hand. Those Bruce loved, he loved deeply. Even as his health failed, his only thoughts were that friends would look out for Deb. His family was small: Deb and their dog Choice; his older brother, Doug (Sue), their son Kristoffer and daughter Karyn; and Deb's nieces and nephews Ruth (Ian), Jane (Alec), Scott, and Jeff (Caroline). He was predeceased by his oldest brother, Ron, and his parents, Ray and Jean. Bruce loved friends and family, Rock and Roll, the Blues, travel - especially to Italy and Ireland - good food, good wine, laughs and quiet times with his friends, a round of golf and a swim in the pool. Most of all he loved the comfort of the home he and Deb built together over their 36 years of marriage. He survived cancer in 1984 and had just taken on a new non-Hodgkin's lymphoma challenge, with only one chemo treatment complete. He faced it with his trademark determination as soon as Dr. Chodirker told him her goal was 'to get rid of this.' Golf in May and swimming in June, he told us all. Sadly, it all was too much for the heart that made him who he was; cardiogenic shock with multi-organ failure took him suddenly and swiftly. Bruce overcame hurdles from a young age. Orphaned by 15, he found the discipline within himself to buckle into his schoolwork, graduating from York and moving from the banking world to earn his Chartered Accountancy designation and then firm partnership. His clients and partners adored and respected him. Even in retirement he was called on often for his thoughtful and well-considered advice. Please know that nothing meant more to him than the love and support of friends and family. In his last days, Bruce told everyone about the tremendous care he had received at Sunnybrook Hospital and its Odette Cancer Centre. Special thanks to all there who cared for him and about him, including Dr. Lauren Glick and the teams during his early January stay, Dr. Lisa Chodirker, Dr. Andre Amaral, Dr. Stephan Von During, and D4 ICU nurses Jenny, Lauren, Niki, and Darina. A proper celebration of Bruce's life will take place later this year when COVID permits. Donations in his memory to Sunnybrook Hospital, directed towards critical care or the Odette Cancer Centre, will be gratefully acknowledged. https://donate.sunnybrook.ca/donate-now 'Bell bottom blues, you made me cry I don't want to lose this feeling And if I could choose a place to die It would be in your arms.' - Eric Clapton