Peter Bryden

BRYDEN, Peter Croft 1920 2010 Peter Croft Bryden was born in Victoria, BC, March 13, 1920; he died peacefully on January 30, 2010. Peter was the youngest child of John Bryden and Ellen (Mimi) Tarbell Bryden. His roots ran deep on Vancouver Island and in Canada. He was the great grandson of two of the Island's earliest Scottish settlers, Joan and Robert Dunsmuir. His mother's family were English settlers in the Eastern Townships of Quebec, before moving to Cumberland, BC. Peter grew up on Transit Road in Oak Bay. He attended Oak Bay High School and Victoria College. Peter followed his oldest brother Jack and joined Victoria's Canadian Scottish Regiment (Princess Mary's) during World War II. At the end of the war, Peter chose to make the army his career. He transferred to the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps where he became an x-ray technician. During his first medical corps posting in Vancouver, Peter met Ada Andrews, also a member of the medical corps. They married in 1946. Peter and Ada and their two children, Jack and Pam, covered much of Canada during Peter's tours of duty in Vancouver, Wainwright (Alberta), Kingston, Montreal and two tours in Churchill, Manitoba. Family holidays were often cross-country camping trips, bringing the Brydens back to Vancouver Island to visit family on Gartley Beach. When Peter retired from the military, he joined the Ontario public service, working for the Ministry of Health in Toronto. He was an active member of St. Gabriel's Anglican church in Richmond Hill and a volunteer at the Scott Mission in downtown Toronto. When Peter retired for the second time, in 1980, he and Ada moved to Vernon. He worked part-time in the x-ray department of the Vernon General hospital and was a Crisis Line volunteer. In 1988 Peter and Ada moved to Victoria, where they both volunteered for Sendial. Peter also volunteered for Seniors Serving Seniors. Peter and Ada travelled beyond Canada during these years, to Jamaica, Southern Africa, Costa Rica, Alaska and through the Panama Canal. Following Ada's death in 1995, Peter confined his travels to Canada, re-visiting places they had been together but also exploring new places and learning new things. He joined the Victoria Hospice Society as a volunteer. Peter's life was one of service to his country, to injured and ill veterans, to Inuit children and families suffering from tuberculosis, to the poor and homeless in Toronto, to local seniors needing groceries, to Victoria Hospice residents. He was a modest man who treasured his independence and ability to be self-reliant, even into his final months. Peter's ashes will be joined with Ada's, his beloved wife of fifty years. He will be fondly remembered by daughter Pam and granddaughter Chloe, by son Jack and daughter-in-law Britta, by friend Mary, by nieces and nephews, by friends and neighbours. The family would like to thank the staff at Lodge at Broadmead and the Veteran's Health Centre for the care, compassion and respect they gave Peter during his final weeks. A memorial service will be held at 1:30 pm, Saturday, February 6, 2010 at The Royal Canadian Legion, Trafalgar/Pro Patria Branch #292, 411 Gorge Road. No flowers, please. Donations may be made in Peter's name the BC Heart and Stroke Foundation, the Victoria Hospice Society or the Lodge at Broadmead. 577284