By Darrell Winwood, via www.dailyheraldtribune.com /
Brian Nash, owner of Marlin Travel and Nash Tours, died in hospital Monday morning of pancreatic cancer and is being remembered across the city for his love of adventure, hockey and his quiet generosity.
The longtime local businessman had been at the University of Alberta Hospital for more than a month, diagnosed with terminal cancer.
Friends and family had been expecting the news of his death for weeks after Nash told them of his condition before being admitted to hospital.
Nash, 62, was born in Hines Creek 130 kilometres north of Grande Prairie. He came to the city in the 1970s before buying his travel agency in 1980.
Nash became involved with junior hockey early on, helping operate now defunct teams such as the Grande Prairie North Stars and Chiefs before joining a community effort to create the Storm. The club joined the Alberta Junior Hockey League in 1996, one year after forming. Nash had been involved with the team until just months ago, serving twice at the president from 1998-2000 and 2007-2009, said Don Moon, business manager for the Storm and a long-time friend.
"He had a passion for hockey and a passion for the community. He was a workaholic," said Moon.
The Grande Prairie Storm plan to find a legacy project to honour Nash, said Moon, adding details are still being confirmed.
At Marlin Travel Monday, the doors were still open as Caroline Connelly and Karen Cloutier traded stories about the nearly three decades they had worked with Nash, their friend.
"For the last month, to protect ourselves from the agony we pretended he was in Las Vegas," chuckled Connelly, adding Nash was a regular visitor to that city, always staying at the Flamingo Hotel.
The two visited Nash every week in Edmonton and said he only told them of his cancer recently.
"He told us when he knew he wasn't coming home," she said. |