Julian lived a full life, with joy in his family, satisfaction with his work, and enthusiasm for his outdoor pursuits and creative interests.
Julian Michael Henry Coward passed away peacefully, with family by his side. Loved and sadly missed by his wife Mary, sons Andrew and Michael, daughter-in-law Joan Marie, grandsons Matthew, Andrew and Patrick, his sister Tessa Kirby in England, and many relatives and friends.
Julian was born in England. He studied electrical engineering at the University College London. In 1966, he met Mary who was on an exchange year from University of Toronto. In 1968, he followed her to Canada – and also to do a Ph.D. in hydrogeology at McMaster University in Hamilton. They married in 1969 and for their “honeymoon”, drove with eight friends from England to Nepal on a caving expedition.
Julian’s first job was in Toronto with the Ontario Ministry of the Environment. In 1976, the family moved to Edmonton where Julian worked for Syncrude for almost 30 years in the Research Department. Life in Edmonton was rich with family, community, and work. Julian enjoyed outdoor activities – skiing, hiking, and camping. Also, indoor pursuits – woodworking, science projects, and acting as an “extra” in the Edmonton opera.
Caving, or spelunking, was a passion from his university days. He explored the caves in England and Europe, went on expeditions to Nepal, Peru, and Mexico, and expanded caving knowledge through research, mapping and “speleo electronics”.
Travel was also an ongoing enthusiasm. He hitchhiked through Norway as a teenager, travelled with Mary as a student to Nepal, South and Central America, made many trips with his young family to visit grandparents in England and Toronto, and finally, in retirement, enjoyed tours and cruises with friends.
He took great pleasure from his children, and now with his grandchildren, passing on his engineering talents and love of “making things” as well as his outdoor pursuits and travel.
In 2005, Julian retired to Victoria, where he and Mary enjoyed an active retirement. They loved their house on the Gorge, enjoyed hiking and bridge with friends. Julian bought a small wooden steamboat named “Hotspur” to putter up and down the Gorge. He volunteered at Heritage Acres and enjoyed the Victoria Symphony. And he found time to write a history of himself and his family.
Despite coping with Alzheimer’s for 10 years, and melanoma for the past two years, Julian always found the best in life. He always expressed his gratitude for his full and satisfying life of family, work, travel, and interests. He faced his challenges with patience, humour and gentleness.
The family would like to thank the Alzheimer’s Society of BC, the Day Programs at Sunset Lodge and Elk Lake, and HandyDart. Also, thanks to the BC Cancer Agency. And special thanks to those at Douglas Care, who cared for Julian, and our family, through his final months.
A Celebration of Life will be held Wednesday, September 13, 2017, at McCall Gardens Sequoia Centre, 4665 Falaise Drive at 2 pm with a reception to follow.
Condolences may be offered to the family below.
McCall Gardens
www.mccallgardens.com
36 Responses
I worked with Julian for many years at Syncrude. I am sorry to hear of his passing. He was a fine person. My deepest sympathies to you and your family.
Susan and I are saddened by the news of Julian’s passing. Though out of touch with both of you for many years, the loss is still deeply felt. Julian was always a source of optimism and humour and he made our lives better for it. To Mary, Andrew and Michael go our sincere condolences and best regards.
Russ and Sue
My deepest sympathies to the Coward family. It was a pleasure to have worked with Julian at Syncrude R&D. Julian had a strong but gentle heart. He’d be missed.
John Adjaye
My deepest syspathies to the Coward family. Julian was a pleasure to work with here at Syncrude R&D, a strong but gentle heart. We share in your grief and loss
John Adjaye
Julian was a pleasure to be around
He was so very kind .I will deeply
missed him.
My deepest sympathy to the family
We are saddened to learn of Julian’s passing. We appreciated his good-humour, calmness and willingness to participate in every activity he became part of. Our time with Harbourside was greatly enhanced by Julian being a frequent visitor and volunteer in its activities.
We offer our condolences to Mary and the family
Dear Mary,
We were very sorry to learn of Julian’s passing.
From a professional perspective, his contributions at Syncrude were significant and valued. His wide range of interests and his willingness to share his experiences in a calm and often humorous manner made him a wonderful colleague and friend.
Our sincerest condolences to you and your family.
Ken and Helen Porteous
Edmonton
I worked with Julian at Syncrude Research for 13 years. Julian shared many photographs and stories of his caving and spelunking expeditions, in which I found fascinating. He was a pleasure to work with. My condolences go out to Julian’s family.
Carla Gerein
Dear Mary and family,
You are central to our memories of Edmonton and we loved seeing you later, when we had opportunities to meet. Both of you had a positive, quiet wisdom and always a cheering word. We send our deepest sympathies.
Jerry and Eija
Mary – my thoughts are with you and your family at this time. I always enjoyed having Julian and yourself in the office, to discuss tax issues, but also just to catch up and visit. His smile was always welcomed and appreciated.
Take care.
Sanci Solbakken