Dr. Alastair Semple Rankin

Alastair requested not to have a funeral or memorial service.  He didn't want anyone to go to any trouble and wanted his passing to be humble.  We will honour his wishes and instead, we will try to celebrate his great strength of character and legacy of thoughtfulness in this memorial website.  He was always so interested in the stories of those around him, it is only fitting that we share his story with you.  Below are some of the highlights... 

Alastair Semple Rankin was born in Glasgow, Scotland on September 11th, 1927 to Alexander and Euphemia Rankin.  His family moved to the neighbourhood of Neasden in London, England when he was a toddler.  His younger sister, Sheila, was born when Alastair was eight years old.  He has very fond memories of his childhood, which included family vacations to Broadstairs and Hayling Island, and visits to his Gran in Glasgow.

He attended Kingswood Primary and St. Clement Danes Grammar schools.  He enjoyed playing "conkers" with his childhood friends.  Conkers involves tying a string through a horse chestnut in order to whack it against one's opponent's chestnut.  The winner is the owner of the chestnut that doesn't crack after the collision.  One year, Alastair and his friends, Stephen and Guy, landed small roles in the original movie, "Goodbye, Mr. Chips".  With the lunch money they earned, they bought chocolate covered Ryvita!

At the beginning of WWII, he was evacuated to Oxford where he stayed with several different host families, or 'billets'.   His time as an evacuee meant all new adventures.  The evacuees were allowed to return to London over the holidays, ironically, when the bombing was the most frequent.  It was during one of these holidays when he was about 13 years old that the adjoining house was bombed.  Alastair thought the arrival of the V1 bomb was "great fun".  However, he made sure to check on Mrs. Coates, the elderly next door neighbour, for which she was very grateful.  To help with the war effort, evacuees became involved in farm camps, which Alastair really enjoyed.  

As a young man, Alastair attended the London School of Economics and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics in 1950.  He was encouraged by a neighbour to pursue accounting, which he acknowledged was an important step in establishing an income and gaining experience, although Alastair's heart was always elsewhere.  

Partway through his education, he was called to serve with the British National Service.  He was in the Army Reserve from 1947 to 1949. 

Alastair's spirit of adventure took him on many travels.  As a young man, he made voyages to Norway, a country he always held dear to his heart, and down the East African Coast.  He maintained a love of travel and languages throughout his life, imparting this love to his daughters as well.  

He immigrated to Canada in 1957 to take a position as an auditor with the Government of the Province of Alberta.  He packed his radio, crossed the ocean on the Cunard "Carinthia" to Pier 21 in Halifax (you can find his name among the list of immigrants on the wall), then boarded the trans-Canada train.  As the train rolled out of the station, he kept expecting it to speed up.  It never did...  He disembarked in Montreal and took a side trip to New York for a break before continuing west to Edmonton.  Because he was told how cold it could be in Edmonton, he had put on every stitch of clothing that he had.  He was very hot by the time he arrived.

Neither Alastair's job as an auditor, nor his subsequent position as an Assistant Professor of Accounting in the Faculty of Commerce at the University of Alberta were very fulfilling.  After a couple years, he decided that a change in career was in order, and graduated as a Medical Doctor from the University of Alberta in 1967.  He began his medical career as a family doctor at the Justik Medical Clinic in Edmonton where he treated hundreds, if not thousands, of patients in the clinic, in nursing homes, and at the General and Grey Nuns Hospitals. 

He continued his medical career until the formidable age of 86, working at the Workers' Compensation Board, the Lifemark Health, and finally, the Dr. Bernstein Diet & Health Clinic.  The drive to continue working came from his love of helping and of meeting new people and learning about their lives.  He enjoyed living vicariously through others and endeavouring to identify people's accents.

It was in one of the nursing homes, Grandview, in 1972, where he met his future and beloved wife, Freda, who was working as a certified nursing aide at the time.  They had two daughters, Moira, in 1979, and Aileen, in 1980.  Luckily, as a doctor, he was able to deliver both his daughters.

Alastair’s sense of adventure continued throughout his life.  Despite being red/green colour blind, he got his pilot's license and bought a share in a Beechcraft Bonanza V-tail plane.  Alastair and Freda made a flight together once as far as California.  Once his own flying days were over, he would still always look up in the sky at the sound of a plane to see what type it was.

Keeping physically active was, in Alastair's mind, an absolute necessity.  He was a long time member of the Kinsmen Sports Centre where he jogged, lifted weights, and perfected his front crawl.

Alastair enjoyed spending time outdoors, with a walk in the neighbourhood and the river valley an almost daily ritual.  He also enjoyed walking to First Presbyterian Church on Sunday mornings.  Bike riding was another of his passions; he spent many years riding to and from work in both the summer and winter.  

There were many trips to the mountains with the Alpine Club of Canada, friends and his family for hiking and cross country skiing.  He scaled several peaks in the Rocky Mountains, and travelled to Nepal and the Alps.  He became known for his slow and steady pace.  He never seemed to need breaks, and always made it to the top!

Alastair took up curling as a hobby.  He loved playing the game as part of the Doctors' League, as well as watching the Brier on the television.  The morning after his Wednesday night games, we'd ask who had won.  If his team had lost, the answer was, "Don't ask."  If they had won, we'd hear in great detail about the shots he had made.

As a good Brit, Alastair enjoyed his beverages.  He loved his afternoon tea.  Staff of the local coffee shop, Bukoba, contributed to his retirement party at the Justik Clinic, and several Starbucks and Second Cups throughout the city would begin preparing his 'solo espresso machiatto with just a little foam' as they spotted him walking through the door.  Alastair and Moira (and Justin in later years) also enjoyed "BT"... beer time in the evenings.

Alastair had a rich life, full of determination, a love of adventure, and the courage to take chances.  He credits the many good friends and family he had along the way in shaping his varied and beautiful life.  In his last days, Alastair remarked how comforting it was to be surrounded by and cared for by his adoring family.  "Do all families do this?" he asked one night.  "Well, you must have done something right," we replied.  

Dad, thank you, we love you, we will never forget you.