Brad Walsh

Ernest Bradley (“Brad”) Walsh was born July 17, 1960 in the west-central Alberta town of Edson, to parents Ernie and Patricia (nee Palichuk) Walsh.

Brad was a happy and cheerful toddler with platinum blond hair.  He showed an early affinity for golf, bashing balls around the yard with his plastic golf set for hours at a time.  Aside from a 7 year stint (1968-1975) exploring the badlands and prairies of southern Alberta (Princess), Brad spent his formative years in and around Edson.  He played several years of little league baseball, and around age 15, Brad started golfing regularly.  He also spent alot of time camping and fly fishing with his parents and brother Rick.

Once graduated from high school, Brad began his working career.  Unfortunately, a year later, at age 19, he was involved in a serious, work-related motor vehicle accident – it was close to a year before Brad was rehabilitated and released from hospital.  But with his happy, cheerful outlook on life, Brad picked himself up and carried on, next managing a convenience store in Barrhead, Alberta.

In 1988, Brad moved to Edmonton and began working assembling complex control panels for Nova Corporation.

In 1998, Brad moved to Nanaimo, on Vancouver Island, and started a long, rewarding career as a courier driver.  Given many different routes to service in the central island area, one thing was always consistent…. he was much beloved by his customers - they universally looked forward to Brad stopping by and visiting each day.

Brad passed away on May 7, 2025 at the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital after a brief illness.

While Brad’s time on this plane was cut far too short, he made the most of his time.  He was a positive, optimistic person and his easy connections with people and infectious laugh will be missed by all who knew him.

Brad is survived by his father Ernie, and siblings Rick (Calgary) and Sami Wilson (Sherwood Park) and their families.

Brad loved all animals and rescued multiple dogs during his life.  If you would like to make a donation in Brad’s honour, please consider:

North Island Wildlife Recovery Center  http://www.niwra.org 

Nanaimo SPCA (or an SPCA near you)  http://spca.bc.ca/locations/nanaimo