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BORN
1947
DIED
2023
CORBETT Bryan Obituary
Bryan Eldon Corbett, 75, of Edmonton Alberta, passed away suddenly on April 01, 2023. Bryan was born in Outlook, Saskatchewan on July 05, 1947, to Kendall Doube Corbett and Marjorie Lucille Corbett. After Bryan graduated from Outlook High School in 1965, Bryan went on to study History, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Saskatchewan in 1969. Never the one to stop learning about history, he furthered his knowledge with a Master of Arts degree from Carleton University in 1973. After graduating with honours, Bryan started his accomplished career with the Government of Canada, kickstarting a 50-year journey spanning multiple institutions as an archivist and records manager, finally retiring from the University of Alberta in 2013. Never the one to let work get in the way, Bryan met Michele Taillefer in 1970 while both working at the National Archives. Bryan and Michele went on to get married in 1972 and had two children: Philip and Patrick. As a dedicated professional, Bryan was a founding member of the Association of Canadian Archivists (ACA) and took great delight in sharing that his membership number was "007". He was a generous member of the ACA community who served as Secretary from 1978 to 1979, and as President from 2000 to 2003. In 2005, he was awarded the "Distinguished Member Award" for his contributions to the ACA over the years and he was also honoured as a "Fellow of the ACA" in 2011. Although Bryan loved the archives, Bryan's interests were varied and showcased his larger-than-life personality and commitment to social traditions which he built over time with his family and friends. Bryan spent over 25 years with his best friend, Ted Hart, attending the annual thanksgiving goose, golf, and pool competition hosted by his brother Dean and his sister-in-law Velma. In more recent times, Bryan enjoyed long weekends at Dean's cabin along the shores of Lake Diefenbaker in the summer, while in the winter, vacationing in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. He also often visited his eldest son's family in Toronto at Christmas, to spend time with his granddaughter, Aurora. No matter the occasion, Bryan always focused his time on family and friends, which always brought him great joy. When he finally retired, he was able to spend more time on all the activities that he loved. He continued to travel the world with Michele and ended up visiting more than 50 countries. Further to his passion of traveling, he enjoyed simpler pleasures, such as fishing in Saskatchewan's northern country, hosting tours of Alberta for his friends and family or simply enjoying his strong passions for gardening and golf. Bryan was always up for a social excursion and engaging the world with friends and family, which is a testament to him being an avid learner that had a curiosity to learn new things and the stories behind them. Bryan was predeceased by his father Kendall, mother Marjorie, and sister-in-law Velma. He is survived by his brother Dean, wife Michele, and his two sons; Patrick and his partner Sarah; and Philip, his wife Chunzi and her mother Wankuai, along with their daughter Aurora, all of whom filled him with love and pride. The celebration of life will be held at the Community Hall in Macrorie, Saskatchewan on Sunday, May 21st, 2023, at 11:00 am.
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Memories and Condolences
for CORBETT Bryan
1 Entry
George Bruseker
May 19, 2023
Brian, or Mr. Corbett as I would call him, gamely accepted to have a third child around the home for a number of years when, as a tween and teen, I became a semi-permanent fixture around his house. He and Michelle Corbett offered up their home for me to join Patrick and Philip in endless hours of video games, public access tv, pool, darts, role playing, space ship creating and much more. I often sat at the family table and enjoyed Michelle´s cooking and the lively conversation which Brian often led. The home Brian made was physically full of books, his garden rich (too rich at times for his boys), and the conversation, sometimes heated, often turning around his passions of history and politics. That warm, welcoming and unjudgmental home full of learning and curiosity and those same virtues which he passed on to his children were no doubt formative to some of the better virtues that I personally would be drawn to growing up. While I have a young man´s memory of "Mr. Corbett", he was surely a role model for learning and civic engagement, someone who cared passionately about his country and history but had compassion and understanding for others and other ideas. I regret not to be able to be there to celebrate his life with you, but I remember warmly a beautiful period of my life which he offered through opening his home to me, and think fondly of his voice and those days around the Corbett family dining table and raise a glass to a good man!
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