Simon Forsyth photo The family of Brian Alsford from left, Alex, Bradley and wife Suellen pose at Brian's Butchery and Deli on Cobden Road.

Former Algonquin teacher Brian Alsford, an avid family man and local rock star who once collaborated with the likes of super bands such as The Who and the Rolling Stones, died on Thursday, Jan. 4 at the age of 60 following a battle with cancer.

All in one lifetime, Mr Alsford recorded bass organ with the Rolling Stones, was part of a band named Amalgamation that opened for The Who, had tea with the Prince Philip after achieving the gold level in the Duke of Edinburgh program for perseverance and character, and opened a total of three different butcher shops.

While music was Mr Alsford’s first calling, butchery was how he made his living. The combination of the two provided the means for Brian to support his true passion-his family.

“He had a tremendous sense of family… it was so important to him,” said wife Suellen, who met Mr. Alsford when she was 17 years old. She explained that everything he did was for his family including his five children: Melanie, now 36, Daniel, 34, Bradley, 31, Krystal, 23, and Alex, 19.

“He always guided you and taught you what was right and wrong,” said youngest daughter Alex. “He was just so proud of everything we did.”

As a husband, Suellen described him as a shepherd. “He always tried to take care of everybody… It was impossible what he tried to do.”

In Brian’s Butchery & Deli on Cobden Rd. people loved talking to Mr. Alsford because he genuinely cared what they had to say. The loyal customers frequented the location not only for the expertly cut meats, but also for the atmosphere. Oldest daughter Melanie explained that even during Christmas time when the Butcher shop would be packed with people shuffling in and out of the door to get their turkeys, rarely would anyone be cranky. It was as much a social experience as it was a business transaction, and people were willing to wait.

Melanie, who works in the School of Media and Design at Algonquin, recalled her tenth birthday and how she had asked for horse riding lessons. “That was my passion… much to his dismay because he was absolutely horrified at the fact that I wanted to ride around on these huge animals,” she explained.

Not only did Mr. Alsford keep his promise by enrolling his daughter in riding lessons, but also joined the courses himself.

“During this ten week session,” said Melanie, “he ended up getting bitten, cornered in a stall, riding sideways off a horse in the saddle and falling in a heap on the ground. He also had to punch a horse in the nose to get his finger out of his mouth… you name it, it happened. He had such an awful time and I had a fantastic time.”

Mr. Alsford endured the carnage because he cared so much about his daughter. Though horseback riding may not have been his passion, he had many others beyond meat cutting and music. In fact he could be considered as an archetype for a jack-of-all-trades.

“Everything he did he turned into a craft” explained wife Suellen. “He never did anything at 50 per cent; it was always at 200 per cent.”

Mr. Alsford, among other things, was a very skilled woodworker and transformed his own garage at home into a workshop.

He built a vacuum system that when turned on, would suck all the saw dust out of the air and deposits it into a bag that he could then conveniently empty into the garbage.

He once built a fully functional motor boat from an old cracked hull. Suellen explained how Brian had a small amount of experience as he had previously tried building a catamaran in southern England at a young age, but upon its first voyage, found himself sinking into the English Channel. This time was more of a success however and the boat worked well enough to even pull water skiers.

“A lot of things that other people would have to take years learning to do, Brian would just do it,” said Suellen. “He had so many different aspects to him… How somebody can fit that much into that one life, where most people do one thing , he did it all… how did he do it?... I don’t know.”

What is it that will be most missed about Brian Alsford? For wife Suellen it is “his love of life” that she will miss most. She admits, however, that sometimes “it doesn’t even feel like he is gone because there are so many of his things everywhere.”

For youngest daughter Alex it is the fact that he made everything right. “There was never a dull moment, that’s for sure,” she said with a smile.

For oldest daughter Melanie, it is “his smile” that she will miss most.