Al was born in Jasper and, aside from periods away for work, spent his entire life in the town he loved. His family’s roots in Jasper stretched back more than a century, beginning when his father, James “Jim” Host, arrived with his family in the mid 1920’s. Al grew up in a very different Jasper from the one we know today, and throughout his life he loved reminiscing about the people, places, and stories of the close-knit mountain community he called home.
Growing up in a large family of modest means helped shape many of the qualities that stayed with Al throughout his life: a strong work ethic, remarkable resourcefulness, an aversion to waste, and the belief that there was very little that could not be fixed with enough patience and ingenuity. As a teenager, one of his early jobs was working on Jasper’s garbage truck, lifting the heavy metal garbage cans from behind local homes into the truck by hand — work he remembered with some pride, particularly because strength and physical fitness were always important to him.
Al eventually went to work as a surveyor for Public Works (DPW) and Parks Canada. His work included helping survey utilities as Jasper expanded west toward Cabin Creek and laying out a number of campgrounds in the area. The job also took him farther from home, including time in Yellowknife and a winter surveying on Vancouver Island for what would become the Wickaninnish Visitor Centre. The endless West Coast rain did little to impress a man who much preferred sunshine and the mountains.
It was while working in Yellowknife that Al discovered one of the great loves of his younger life: flying. He earned his pilot’s licence and went on to own two airplanes, flying recreationally from the late 1970s through the late 1980s. He loved seeing the mountains from the air and took remarkable photographs of the glaciers, valleys, and peaks surrounding Jasper. He spoke fondly of flying around Mount Robson and of the freedom of being able to climb into an airplane simply because it was a beautiful day and he felt like going somewhere.
Al also had a lifelong fascination with anything mechanical. Cars, trucks, motorcycles, airplanes, trains, appliances and machinery all interested him, and he could recall vehicles he had owned decades earlier with astonishing detail — often accompanied by regret that he had ever sold them.
In 1979, Al joined the Canadian National Railway as a carman in Jasper. He enjoyed his years on the railway and the friendships he made there. He later trained as a mobile crane operator, travelling by rail to help clean up derailments. A lifelong admirer of the railway, Al also remembered watching the restoration of the massive 6060 steam locomotive in the Jasper rail yard with fascination, having grown up watching the last generations of steam locomotives pass through town.
When his carman position was eliminated in Jasper in the early1990’s, Al had the option of following the work to another location or leaving CN. Leaving Jasper, however, was never much of an option in his mind, so he started doing odd jobs around town.
He soon turned his mechanical ability into a new career and established AB Appliances. As an appliance repairman, Al became known throughout the community as someone who could fix almost anything. He believed strongly in repairing rather than replacing and took satisfaction in giving old machines another life instead of sending them to the landfill. His combination of experience, patience and ingenuity made him the person many people called when something stopped working. Even after retiring at 70, he continued to receive calls from former customers, friends and family looking for advice which he would gladly give them.
That same philosophy carried into life at home. Oliver and Jeff grew up in a household where seeing an appliance disassembled across a table was entirely ordinary, and where the first response to something breaking was not to throw it away, but to figure out how it worked. Al passed that curiosity and confidence on to his sons: look closely, start taking it apart, understand the problem, and there is a good chance you can fix it.
Al married Gloria at the Overlander Mountain Lodge on September 24, 1988, and in 1989 they purchased the Jasper house that would remain his home for the rest of his life. Although he “settled down” somewhat later in life, he never really lost the energy or independence of his younger years.
He placed enormous importance on staying active. In summer he could regularly be found riding his pedal bike around Jasper, and he remained openly skeptical of the idea that he might ever need an e-bike. In winter he loved skating, particularly on Mildred Lake and, when conditions allowed, the frozen lakes around Jasper. He was still a strong and fast skater well into his seventies. Whether biking, skating, hiking or cross-country skiing, Al never seemed to have much of a slow gear.
He was equally content simply being at home in Jasper, surrounded by the mountains, familiar faces and old friends. He enjoyed visiting his siblings in Edmonton and keeping track of where old Jasper friends had gone and what had become of them. Although not one to organize a social gathering, family and friendship mattered deeply to him.
Al was not an overly sentimental man and rarely expressed affection in conventional ways. Instead, he showed that he cared by showing up, helping, fixing things, offering advice and standing behind the people he loved. Those who knew him understood that if they truly needed him, Al would be there.
He was predeceased by his father James (Jim), his mother Winnifred (Winnie), his sister Nancy, infant brother William, many aunts and uncles as well as dear friends who were like family.
Al is survived by his wife Gloria; his sons Oliver (Heather) and Jeff; his grandson Arthur; his siblings Mary, Jim (Yvette), Betty, Margaret Ann (Bruce), Robert (Carol), and Gary and his uncle Al (Cookie) as well as extended family and friends - with a special nod to Barry and Vince.
Al leaves behind a lifetime of stories, a great many repaired appliances, an assortment of things that were far too useful to ever throw away, and a lasting influence on the family and community around him. Most of all, he leaves the memory of a man who was independent, capable, hardworking, endlessly resourceful, young at heart, and never going to leave Jasper!
“What is broken can often be mended. What is worn can often be restored.”
Celebration of Life at the Jasper Royal Canadian Legion
401 Geikie St. Jasper, AB
September 15, 2026 1- 4 pm
Refreshments provided
Al loved flowers, but he was a practical man so in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Cross Cancer Institute, Edmonton, AB, the Jasper Royal Canadian Legion or a charity of your choice.
To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of Allan Douglas Brady, please visit our Tree Store.
This obituary is published with permission of the family of Allan Douglas Brady and may not be copied © 2026