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March 11, 1942 - September 9, 2020
With deepest sadness, we announce the passing of Charles "Chuck" Victor Brabazon on September 9, 2020. Born in Sarnia, Ontario, the only son of James and Martha Jane, Chuck moved with his family at a young age to Surrey, B.C. At sixteen, he left home and began hitch-hiking across the country, doing odd jobs before finally settling in Banff, where his two sons, Lance and John, were born. In Banff, he developed his love for cooking under the tutelage of Art and Hellen Schooler. Art was a mentor to Chuck and helped shape him into the man he would become. In 1963, he moved to Campbell River and, soon after, he took a job on the greenchain at the pulp mill. Not one to settle for an entry-level job, he quickly moved to the boom department and in time went to get his skipper's ticket, eventually becoming a tugboat captain. Chuck was skipper of the Seymour Crown for thirty-seven years and was well respected for both his skill as captain and his willingness to help other mariners and boats in need. In 2003, at age sixty-one, he retired from his skipper's post. In all, Chuck worked forty years at the pulp mill and felt that being skipper of the Crown was the only job for him.
In 1988, Chuck met Irene and made the move to the farm on Howard Road in Black Creek. After building a house on the farm, they started many adventures travelling the world, spending eight winters in Mexico.
When he wasn't manning the Crown, Chuck built high-quality houses, coached his sons' hockey and fastball teams, and was a cub leader. Some of the proudest moments of his life were the births of his grandchildren. He couldn't stay away from the hospital when they were born.
He leaves to mourn his loving wife and best friend of thirty-two years, Irene. They shared so much and she will miss him dearly. He is survived also by his sons Lance (Pam) and John (Deb) and stepson Mikal (Jen); grandsons Sean, Zachary (Jess), and Isaiah; grand-daughters Alexandra and Josephine; sisters Arlene, Marilyn, Carole (Bill), and Roberta; and many nieces and nephews. Irene is eternally grateful to care-aids Carol and Albert and Dr. John Walker - without you, Chuck could not have stayed home as long as he did. Thanks also to Roy for the dedicated support at the hospital. Chuck, we will miss your world-class hamburgers, caesar salad, and apple pie.


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