NELSON, Albert (Bert)
June 4, 1922 – May 24, 2015

Bert was born in Alberta, served in the RCAF from 1941 to 1945 and received his B.Ed and M.Ed degrees while working for the CBC and raising a young family. No matter how busy, he was always available for whichever of his loved ones needed support. That support came in many forms: a warm hug, a listening ear, jokes and laughter, a walk and talk in the park. For all those moments, we are immensely grateful and will miss him forever. We are, wife and “pal,” Ruth; daughters Bonnie and Wendie (Mike); grandchildren Heather (Cam) and Scott. From one of Dad’s many clippings, a favourite passage:
“I know I am going home someday, to where love and God are.”
May you be there now, Dad. All our love.

Bio

Bert was a long-time member of both the CBC 20 Year Association and the British Columbia and Yukon CBC Pensioners’ Regional Association. As a CBC Staff Announcer, Bert was the host for numerous television and radio programs. In addition to those listed below, he was the host for Along the Way (1960s – Radio), Klahanie (TV) and Allan Watts on Living (1971 – TV), among others. He was just 11 days shy of his 93rd birthday when he died.

Peggy Oldfield 2015

Bert was born in Alberta, and served in the RCAF from 1941 to 1945. He received his B.Ed degree from the U. of Alberta in 1949, and in that same year began working for the CBC Edmonton as an Announcer-Operator. In 1953, he transferred to CBC Vancouver as a Radio/TV Announcer. His family was always happy about the migration to B.C., but the blue of the Prairie sky pulled at him all of his days.

Bert had a varied experience while at the CBC. In television, he spent time hosting shows such as ‘Call for Music’ with Eleanor Collins, and ‘Klahanie’. In radio, he developed and hosted a show for seniors called ‘The Second Fifty’. While working full-time at the CBC during the 1960s, Bert enrolled in night courses at UBC and successfully completed his M.Ed degree.

In 1973, Bert resigned as Staff Announcer and became a free-lance broadcaster for the following eight years. During that time, he worked with producer John Edwards, interviewing a wide variety of people from all walks of life.

In 1977, Bert and wife Ruth moved to the Sunshine Coast where Bert spent several years working as a handyman while pursuing his interest in writing. He published three books: The Shadow Watchers (a novel), Lep and the Dirty Synapse (a philosophical conversation), and Odds and Ends (a collection of … just that).

Bert spent his life seeking to understand the mysteries of the universe: studying, reading, writing, asking questions. But he was always present in the moment for whichever of his loved ones needed support. A gentleman and a scholar, he will be much missed by wife Ruth, daughters Bonnie and Wendie, and grandchildren Heather and Scott.