Brij Mohan Madhok
June 11, 1939 – June 14, 2009
Our beloved father, grandfather and husband left this world on Sunday, June 14, 2009 to continue his adventures with friends, family and beloved pets that had gone on before him. Our father was a remarkable man who left an indelible impression on not only his family, but also the many friends and colleagues that he accumulated during his lifetime on two continents.
Brij is survived by his loving wife Neena. Brij and Neena shared a rare magical love that lasted 46 years. We had the privilege in the last few months to observe the strength that he drew from their relationship. In his final days, Brij repeatedly shared that Neena was the love of his life and that he had difficulty finding words that would adequately express his love.
Brij was a loving father and grandfather who served as the patriarch of our family. He will be sadly missed by his children Manu (Janet), Ann (Ron), Bik (Dawn), Priya (Brent) and his beloved niece Salone (Aamer). Children were naturally drawn to our father and his grandchildren looked forward to sharing their adventures with him at every opportunity. Terribly missing their Nana (Dadaji) are Rohan, Kaysha, Karan, Vijay, Maya and Zubin.
Brij had an amazing adventurous spirit that saw him live the first part of his life in the mountains of Himachal Pradesh in India. He was easily the Tom Sawyer of India sharing his many adventures with his children and grandchildren. Many hearty laughs and great memories were created through these stories in which he played a central role with his five siblings acting as accessories.
Brij chose to leave his homeland and his thriving law practice in 1969 to follow his sister Saroj to Canada. We loved to listen to his stories of his adventures in Canada from stepping off the plane with only 10 cents in his pocket to selling Fuller Brushes door to door to his adventures in a logging camp on the shores of Williston Lake. Within a year of arriving in Canada, Brij accepted a job with the Corrections Branch and proceeded to advance his career until finally serving the last few years as the Local Director of the Prince George Regional Correctional Centre. He was affectionately known as the “Warden” by his friends and family and received numerous awards and recognition for his dedication and abilities.
Brij retired in 1994 due to difficulties with his diabetes and would spend his remaining years struggling with his health. He received a kidney in 2003 from his eldest son which allowed him to spend the last six years travelling and enjoying his newest grandchildren Maya and Zubin while also watching the other grandchildren grow up.
Diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, he was placed in palliative care about two weeks ago. Even with this, his sense of humour, kindness and love for his family was apparent in his final conversations and acts. Many of his closest friends were able to visit him at home during his final days and although he found it difficult to leave his bed, he was still able to hold a hand, give a hug and a smile and continue to be the man that we adored. Surrounded by his loving family, Brij succumbed to cancer early Sunday morning and we know that he is busy reacquainting himself with friends and family that preceded him to the afterlife. Our father was an avid dog lover and there was never a time in his life that he did not have a canine companion. He assured us that upon leaving this world, he would be greeted by a cacophony of barks and wagging tails and would be taken care of by his many four legged friends.
Although we will miss him terribly, we all look forward to greeting our hero when it is our turn to leave this life. You did the work of many men in one lifetime Dad and for that we are eternally grateful.
A memorial service and celebration of Brij’s life will be held at 11 am on Saturday, June 20th at the First Baptist Church on 5th and Gillette. Flowers are welcome as are donations to either the Red Cross or the Kidney Foundation. Friends and family from around the world are encouraged to share stories and memories of our father on the following blog site:
http://brijmadhok.blogspot.com/