Michael Allen Brydges

The long goodbye ended when Michael Allen Brydges died on December 14th, 2025, with his wife and daughter by his side. Michael was born to Allen and Doris Brydges at St. Boniface Hospital on January 4th, 1944, and he was always “the boy from Winnipeg.” His childhood years were spent in the Fort Rouge neighbourhood, rich with other kids, relatives, and freedom, including long bike rides along the banks of the Red River. He developed lifelong friendships there, and later at the University of Manitoba, where he earned a B.A. followed by a Master’s degree in Natural Resources Management.

He quickly realized that he was too social for a life of bureaucracy and, in 1978, graduated with a Master’s degree in Library Science from the University of Alberta. As a librarian, he worked at Red Deer College, Wheatland Regional Library in Saskatchewan, and the University of Calgary.

Eventually, Michael developed a yearning to be his own boss and purchased a windshield business, which he ran for ten years. Various temporary jobs followed, but he was happiest when he returned to what he loved most: answering student reference questions on weekends at Mount Royal University Library.

Michael purchased a cottage on Lake Winnipeg in his twenties, and returning there with his family each summer was one of the great joys of his life. Another was his annual ski trip with his longtime friend George Woods, a circuit that always included Castle Mountain and Red Mountain in Rossland, along with a rotating cast of other hills. In addition to skiing, Michael loved biking and had eclectic musical tastes. Music remained a powerful comfort and companion to the end of his life.

Michael met challenges with quiet optimism and met people with genuine interest and generosity. He loved being a husband and father and found his greatest contentment surrounded by family and friends. He was a thoughtful, attentive listener with an understated sense of humour that brought warmth and ease to those around him.

Michael will be greatly missed by his wife Barbara; daughter Emily (David); son Josh (Katie) and granddaughter Eleanor Jameson Brydges; sister Susan Grant (Kit); and three nieces and a nephew. He was predeceased by his sister Arlene Bell and her husband Brian Bell, who was also one of Michael’s childhood friends.

His family would like to thank the caring staff of the Dementia Unit at Rocky Ridge Retirement Home, where Michael resided for the last fifteen months of his life and where he was treated with dignity, compassion, and respect.

A celebration of Michael’s life will take place at St. Laurence Anglican Church (5940 Lakeview Dr. S.W.) on January 3rd, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, those who wish may donate to the Alzheimer Society of Calgary.

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