Remembering Dan

Dan Bragg 1940 - 2003

Unbelievably, it will be 10 years this Saturday that we bid farewell to Dan,  although I often get the feeling he's not really that far away.  While there is plenty to say about Dan, I could not put it any better than Suzanne did in her wonderful eulogy that she gave at Dan's memorial later that year:...

"April 12, 2003 Suzanne Levanas

Hello.  For those of you who don't know me, let me introduce myself.  I'm Dan's younger sister, Suzanne.  I live in Los Angeles with my husband & 2 daughters.

First of all, I'd like to thank all of you for coming here today to celebrate & remember Dan's life.  It means a great deal to my sister, Marilyn, and I as well as to Dan's children, Russell & Dani.

So who was Dan Bragg?  Well, I suspect each of you knew a slightly different Dan and had a unique relationship with him.  To some, he was a relative; to others, a friend or co- worker.  To me, he was my big brother & I would like to share some of my thoughts and memories with you today.

John Daniel Bragg was born on November 25, 1940 to Rusty Bragg & Dorothy Harrigan.  As a child, he was always called 'Danny'.  It wasn't until much later that he insisted on being called 'Dan'.  Danny didn't get to meet his father until he was 4 years old.  My mother was pregnant when my father went overseas at the start of WII and he didn't return for 4 1/2 years.  My mother tells the story of how, as a little boy of 3, Danny would walk up to men in uniform, tug on their pant legs and ask:  'Are you my Daddy?  Are you my Daddy?'   Mom was so embarrassed!

At his birth, Dan was welcomed as a grandson to Nana & Grandpa Harrigan & Grandma & Grandpa Bragg, a nephew to Vincent & Isabel Harrigan, Florence & Harold Curtis, Lloyd & Eileen; Raymond & Mary, Norman & Rachel, & Ed & Florence and he became one of many cousins which,  over the years, included Bill, Bob, & Paul Harrigan; Joan, Doug, & David Curtis;  Ruth, Shirley, John, Norma, Allan, Robert, Mary Lee, Charlotte & John Bragg.  As children, we shared many wonderful occasions with our cousins & my cousin, Bob, who is 12 days older than Dan, will share some of his memories with you.

After my Dad returned from the war, Dan quickly took on a new role: that of big brother to my sister Marilyn, with me following 5 years later.  As the baby in the family, I tended to get spoiled and that created a certain amount of friction between Danny& I.  He used to complain about how spoiled I was but he also learned to use it to his advantage.  On our almost weekly and infamous Sunday afternoon drives, which my mother said always included getting lost & driving down a back alley, the 3 of us:  Danny, Marilyn & I would be sitting in the back seat.  Danny knew that if he asked for ice cream, my father would say No. So he would prompt me to ask instead and when I said 'Keen Cone Daddy!' my father always gave in.

Not only was I spoiled but I apparently also loved to tattle on my older brother!  Our parents used to go out & leave Dan to baby- sit Marilyn and I.  Upon their return, they would ask how everything went and Danny would say "oh, fine!"  to which I would pipe up:  "Yeah, everything is Oh fine!  Danny's hitting Marilyn & Marilyn's crying and everything is Oh fine!"  Needless to say, this did not sit too well with Dan!

But growing up, I adored my big brother!  He was 10 years older than me and I thought he could do anything!  I'd follow him around & get in his way and bug him a lot but to me, he was my hero.  I'd do almost anything just to spend time with him.  I even remember one time when he went duck hunting and he came home with half a dozen fresh ducks.  He "allowed me" to help him gut them - Yuck!  To me, Danny was handsome & "cool" - he drove a gold mustang and had girlfriends. When I was 9 years old he joined the air force and I was heartbroken until I realized that I could take over his bedroom and move out of the room I had always shared with Marilyn.  Of course, the room I inherited had model airplanes hanging from the ceiling and strewn all around.  From a young age, he was in love with airplanes and he continued to be fascinated by them for his entire life. Dan was an airman in the RCAF for about 5 years.  I remember how exciting it was to go visit him and to see him in his uniform.  We were all very proud of him but no one was more proud than our father, Rusty Bragg, who was in the RCAF for 28 years.  As an armament system technician, Dan learned the computer skills which he later took with him to the oil industry.  After leaving the air force, Dan worked as a geophysicist, a career that took him to Los Angeles and Sydney, Australia.

In 1964, Dan became a husband when he married Peggy Hembrock and 2 years later, he became a father when his son, Russell Bragg was born. That was a joyous yet difficult time as our mother was diagnosed with breast cancer shortly afterwards and died in 1967.  With the death of our father a year and a half later,  Dan was forced to take on another role: that of orphan.  It may sound odd to refer to an adult as an orphan but losing both parents while in your twenties forever changes your life path.

Dan's second child, Dani, was born in 1970.  Dan struggled with the role of father.  He loved his children dearly but when he and Peggy divorced and she moved to Vancouver & remarried, Dan truly felt that it was best for his children if he stayed out of their lives.  I think he came to regret that decision and to realize how much he and they had missed out on during their childhood.  Thankfully, he, Russ & Dani reconnected about 10 years ago and Dan treasured the times he spent with them.  He also loved being a grandfather to Russ's son, Roan, who was born in January, 2002.  Just 3 days before Dan's death, we celebrated Roan's first birthday with Dan in his hospice room.  Dan loved little Roan, just like our Dad had loved Little Rusty.

Dan was also a loving uncle to Marilyn's children:  Bill & Carolyn and my daughters,  Danielle and Virginia.  Though we were separated by many miles, my girls have fond memories of getting together with Dan and the rest of our family for reunions at Bragg Creek & dinners at the Steak Pit.

In 1972, Dan reluctantly took on another role: that of cancer patient.  He was diagnosed with Stage IV Hodgkin's lymphoma and was given 6 months to live.  Following surgery, he started a rigorous course of chemotherapy and was the first cancer patient in Calgary receive chemotherapy on an outpatient basis.  Fortunately, his treatments were effective and he lived cancer free for 19 years.  In 1992,  the lymphoma returned and this time, unfortunately, his treatments left him with permanent lung damage .For the next 10 years or so, Dan struggled with health issues and was in and out of the hospital on numerous occasions.  Despite his precarious health, Dan managed to  lead a fairly active life.  He was recruited by Foothills Hospital to act the role of 'standardized patient', a role he enjoyed for 10 years.  His affable nature and willingness to take on any role endeared Dan to the hospital staff.

As you all know, Dan was a good- looking guy, although he never saw himself that way.  The camera loved him.  He worked as a model for print ads and appeared on the back cover of the telephone book.  He ventured into acting and had small roles in such films as Legend of the Falls with Anthony Hopkins and Blood River with Rick Schroeder.

Some of you probably knew Dan through his involvement with the Stampede Board.  He was so proud of the fact that he had put in 28 years as a volunteer.  He looked forward to it every year, would get on his cowboy hat & boots, & put in long hours at the Stampede grounds.

Dan also volunteered for many years at the air museum and loved being surrounded by planes and fellow airplane 'nuts' (my term, not his!).  At the time of his death, Dan was working on a history of the Sopwith Triplane from WWI and the history of WWI Canadian aviators.  He had compiled volumes of photos, stories and history and these materials are now at the air museum.

Dan was a bit of a loner and liked to spend time by himself working on his projects.  But he also had a wonderful sense of humour and was fun to be around.  He had a ready and engaging smile and he enjoyed the company of his friends, including Barry, Brent, Brian, John, Clarence & Sheila.  When he was in the hospice, I asked him if he wanted me to call his friends so they could come to say goodbye and he said,  "no, I'd rather they remember me the way I was'.  Thank you to all of you who were friends to Dan, who offered him rides, called him to say hello, met him for drinks etc.  You enriched his life and I'm sure, were enriched by his friendship.

In addition, I'd like to thank the staff of the Agape Hospice for how tenderly and lovingly they cared for Dan during his final weeks.  People who dedicate themselves to hospice work and are there until the end of life are truly angels on earth.

I'd also like to thank my cousins,  Bob & Grace & their family; Paul & Eva; & Robert & Joanne,  for visiting Dan & spending time with us at the hospice.  Your presence & support were very meaningful.  I'd like to thank, in particular, my cousin Paul who was at Dan's bedside with Marilyn when Dan died  & who was so helpful & supportive to Marilyn in the days that followed.

To all who sent expressions of sympathy & who shared stories of how Dan had touched their lives, my sincere thanks.  I'd also like to thank my daughter, Danielle, for singing our grandmother & mother's favourite song, Danny Boy; my daughter, Virginia, for the reading during mass, and my friend, Colleen, for the beautiful handmade quilt which will be draped over Dan's ashes at the cemetery.

Finally, I'd like to thank my sister, Marilyn.  There are no words to convey how dedicated and devoted Marilyn was to Dan during the past 10 years.  She was there through each and every medical crisis and procedure;  she took his calls day or night; listened to his concerns; visited him at home or in the hospital; and offered advice, encouragement and support.  She was the one person he could always turn to and who was always there for him no matter what.  She was his best friend and together they shared many holidays, birthdays, Sunday afternoon drives and cups of coffee.  So Marilyn, thank you for being the best sister and friend to Dan that anyone could have ever been.

When I was a little girl, Danny was my hero.  But over the years, as we grew up and went our separate ways, his hero status faded somewhat in my eyes.  We were a lot alike:  both very stubborn & both wanting to be right.  So it is fair to say that we had our share of disagreements.  But we always knew that we loved each other.  In the last few months and weeks of his life, Danny truly became my hero again.  He faced his death with such grace and acceptance.  He never complained through medical procedures, brain surgery, radiation, and repeated hospitalizations.  In the hospice,  he joked with the nurses and treated everyone from the doctors to the cleaning help, with respect and appreciation.  I was privileged to spend the last 5 days of his life with him in the hospice, along with Marilyn, Russell & Dani & their families.  We laughed with Dan & told stories; looked at old photos, some of which were sent by our cousin, Bill; we reminisced and we cried but it was wonderful being there together.

Dan and I talked about many things that week.  I asked him if he was afraid and he said 'no' - he felt that he had lived a good life and had no regrets. He accepted that everyone has to die at sometime and he felt that he was lucky:  he had lived 30 years longer than expected.  I asked him if he believed in heaven or an afterlife, & he again said 'no - when you're dead, you're dead and that's it!'  So I challenged him:  'Well, what if you're wrong?  What if you find yourself in heaven and Mom & Dad & all our elatives are waiting for you?'  'Well, then I would have been wrong' he said, to which I replied:  'Well, that would be a first!'

So Dan and I made an agreement that if he got to heaven, he would send me a sign but we never really did decide what that sign would be.  The day Dan died, Marilyn called me and said:  'Well, you got your sign!'.  Apparently, when she called the mortuary, she was put on hold and the song playing was Elton John's 'Daniel' which goes like this:

'Daniel my brother you are older than me Your eyes have died but you see more than I I can see Daniel waving goodbye Daniel you're a star in the face of the sky '

For about 2 weeks after Dan's death,  there was the brightest star outside my bedroom window - it was there when I went to sleep and still there when I woke up.  Was it Dan?  I like to think so.

So perhaps the question is not 'Who WAS Dan Bragg?' but rather, 'Who IS Dan Bragg?' for he is and will always be our brother, our father, our uncle, our cousin and our friend.  I have no doubt that he is looking down on us today and enjoying the attention.  While I somehow can't picture him with wings, I can imagine the joyful reunion that took place on January 19 when Dan arrived in heaven.  I can see him being greeted by Mom & Dad & all the Harrigans, Curtises & Braggs.  Someone hands him a cold beer and asks:  'Dan, what took you so long?  We've been waiting for you for 30 years!  Let the party begin!'