Alan Peter WOODFINE

Alan Peter Woodfine

February 9, 1943 – July 18, 2019

It is with heavy hearts that Alan’s family announce his passing on a Thursday morning just after sunrise, with his loving wife of 40 years, Carolyn, and his dog Tilly by his side.

Alan was from Great Britain.  He was born in Cowden, County Durham and was raised in Newcastle upon Tyne.

In December 1969, he immigrated to Canada in hopes of providing a better quality of life for his family. 

Upon coming to Canada, Alan worked as an electrician at the Grande Cache and Elkview mines, with the last 25 years of his career at the Greenhills mine for Teck Coal.  He specialized in heavy equipment involving shovels and drills.  Alan earned the reputation of being excellent at trouble shooting problems on the job site.  He became an Electrical Supervisor and appreciated the opportunity to pass his skills along to new apprentices. 

Alan greatly enjoyed his work and his retirement, but did miss the time spent with his work colleagues.  He spent many hours working on his home and really enjoyed being outside in the garden growing flowers and vegetables.  Many early mornings were spent having tea on the outside patio immersed in great conversation with his wife Carolyn.  In the evening he could be found watching a great game of British Soccer on the TV or a good murder mystery.

Alan enjoyed spending time with his children, especially when they were young.  Everything was wonderous to them and he enjoyed the precious moments of them asking dad so many questions.  All three of his children were creative and artistic, something he was especially proud of.  As a family, many afternoons were spent at Sparwood Rec Centre enjoying the pool or a day of shopping at the Tamarack Mall in Cranbrook.  Summer meant road trips to Penticton for beach days, festivals or lending a helping hand to his elderly in-laws.

Alan is survived by his loving wife, Carolyn, their daughter Jennifer (Tyler) Mercier, and granddaughter Audrey.  He is also survived by his daughter Karen (Jacques) Fortin and her mother, Joan Garlough; grandchildren Rebecca (Alex) and Christian (Catherine); great grandchildren Jaxson and Emma Rose, sisters Joan Legg and Enid (Rainer) Weiss, brother Neville (Sandra) Woodfine, as well as many nieces and nephews.

Alan was predeceased by his son Mark, his parents Doris and Samuel Woodfine, his in-laws Nettie and Harry Hughes and his brother-in-law, Don Legg.  Alan’s brother-in-law, Kenneth Hughes, passed away a few short weeks after him.

At Alan’s request, a private family gathering took place Thanksgiving weekend in Ottawa.  The family wishes to thank Dr. Paul Michael, the staff and nurses of Rocky Mountain Village and Kimberley Care Home, for all the support leading up to Alan’s passing.

Alan, we will love you always.  Your life’s work is done, rest in peace.

Donations may be made to the Friends of Fernie, Stars or Angel Flight East Kootenay.

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