Obituaries

Alan Frank Gregory (Al) passed away peacefully in Lindsay on June 19, 2025, at the age of 99. Born in Lindsay on March 26, 1926, Alan and his older brother Donald were raised by loving parents Marie (nee Guillet) and Frank Gregory. Alan attended Alexandra Public School and Lindsay Collegiate Institute.

While the Great Depression significantly impacted the family’s economic prospects, Alan’s parents made sacrifices to enable the children to build a better life. Passing his Upper School Examinations with first class honours, Al was accepted into Chemical Engineering at the University of Toronto. However, an increasing desire to focus on research led Al to re-orient his academic studies to Geological Sciences. Successful in both academics (Coleman Gold Medal and Victoria College’s Regent’s Gold Medal in Geological Sciences) and athletics (Canadian indoor One Mile Open relay record), the University of Wisconsin awarded Alan a University Fellowship in support of graduate studies in the Department of Geology and Geophysics.

Alan’s choice of a career in geology led him to the remote forests of northern Saskatchewan in search of work. He found so much more. Al and Dorothy (nee Lorraine) were married in Uranium City, Saskatchewan on September 16th, 1953, in the log cabin of her parents. Al, together with “Dottie”, lived and worked in Canada’s north, started a family and completed a PhD. At the age of 31 Al joined the Geological Survey of Canada in Ottawa. He was an important member of the team that created the Canadian Centre for Remote Sensing, laying a foundation for development of technologies now at the forefront of climate change research. After a decade at the Survey, Al spent three years teaching at Carleton University before establishing Gregory Geosciences Ltd.in 1969. This was a most productive time for Al, he was active as a diplomatic scientist on UN committees and engaging with NASA to further develop the capacities of remote sensing for geological and environmental purposes. His work with the UN led to consultations in Nigeria and Russia. He developed a machine, the ProCom-2, that was particularly effective in supporting developing countries in the mapping of their mineral deposits.

Civic responsibility was important to both Al and Dottie. Al’s outlet was Rotary International where he distinguished himself as a Paul Harris fellow. Following retirement in 1990, Al and Dottie moved to Peterborough, engaging in genealogy investigations that resulted in joyful trips and journals as well as keeping up with their sons and their families in the United States (Gordon) and Belgium (Douglas). Summer holidays were spent invariably at Dottie’s family cottage in Mattapoisett, Massachusetts. Pico Beach continues to be a touchstone for the Gregory family to maintain close ties with Dottie’s extended family.

Pre-deceased by his beloved wife Dottie in 2015, Alan is survived by his children, Gordon (Debra), Douglas (Shelley) and his three grandchildren, Erin (Tyler), Emma and Daniel (Irene) who were the lights of his life.

A celebration of life will be held at the Mackey Funeral Home, 33 Peel Street, Lindsay, Ontario Canada on 16 September 2025 on what would have been Alan and Dorothy’s 73rd anniversary. Alan and Dorothy’s ashes will be interred in Riverside Cemetery.

The family requests those who wish to express sympathy to consider making a donation to the University of Toronto’s Victoria College 73 Queen's Park C.