of Edmonton
May 4, 1925 - Dec 4, 2014
Dr. Brian Lee Dunsworth, 89, passed away on December 4 after a long and happy life. He leaves behind his wife of 66 years Berenice; son Glen Dunsworth (Tina Jennissen); daughter Gail Shervey (Brent); grandchildren, Megan Liddell (Doug), Paul Shervey (Laura), Katie Dunsworth Reiach (Nick) and Ben Dunsworth; and 4 great grandchildren, Evie, Graham, Hannah and Sawyer. Brian was born in Edmonton on May 4, 1925 to Dr. Marcus and Ruth Dunsworth, and attended Eastglen High School in Edmonton. He graduated from the University of Alberta (B.Sc.) and then attended Northwestern University in Chicago where he graduated from the School of Dentistry (DDS) and where he and Berenice were married in 1948. Brian and Berenice returned to Edmonton and Brian joined his father's dental practice, where he practiced dentistry for more than 40 years. Later in his dental career, he became a specialist in Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJ) work and took great pleasure in resolving chronic pain for hundreds of his patients.
Brian was the consummate sportsman; he played for his beloved Edmonton Eskimos in 1949 and 1950, coached the Edmonton Wildcats junior football team, was an active member of the Derrick Golf and Country Club and later, the Windermere Golf and Country Club. Brian was a golfer, hunter, fisherman, and skier. He was also a renowned trainer of Black Labrador retrievers and was thrilled when his dog Field Trial Champion Mixed-Up Mortie of High Noon won the Alberta Prairie Retriever Championship in 1965 in addition to many other trophies and awards. He had dogs most of his life and the regular fall hunting trips with his friend Dick Sandilands and others were very important to Brian. He also loved cutting through fresh powder snow on a steep ski hill, enjoying the company of the guys at the isolated fishing camp in BC and constantly pursuing the better golf swing, finding that sweet-spot. Brian was a wonderful grandfather and his grandchildren will never forget tobogganing with their grampa behind the house. Brian also loved listening to and playing jazz on the piano, participating in and watching sports of any kind and voraciously reading non-fiction books and articles.
Brian’s family will be hosting a celebration of his life in the spring and encourages anyone, in lieu of flowers, to make a donation in his name to a charity of their choice. Special thanks to the staff at the Grey Nuns Hospital and the St. Joseph's Palliative Care unit for their care and support.