A teacher at heart, Bruce Green dedicated his life to learning, discovery and sharing knowledge with others – inspiring curiosity through nature, music and his many passions.
Born on May 17, 1944 in Edmonton, Reginald (Bruce) Green grew up in New Westminster, BC and later pursued undergraduate studies at The University of British Columbia, receiving his teaching certification from Simon Fraser University.
Bruce worked for much of his life as a science educator, starting in the eastern Arctic before relocating in 1974 with his wife Marilyn – whom he met while teaching in Vanderhoof, BC – to the less isolated town of Hay River.
Throughout his career, he encouraged students to explore the natural world and fostered a lifelong love of learning.
Bruce passed away in Hay River on February 9, aged 81. A funeral will take place from 2pm on Tuesday, February 17 at the town’s Our Lady of Assumption Catholic Church.
His youngest son, biathlon Olympian Brendan Green, described his father as “the definition of a renaissance man,” with a vast array of interests that ranged from science and nature to music and sports.
Bruce brewed his own wine and beer, but Brendan said they were never ordinary. He loved putting a creative twist on traditional recipes, regularly making beer infused with spruce boughs, birch beer, dandelion wine, and other inventive brews.
As a talented musician, Bruce was known for playing the piano and later exploring the fiddle and accordion.
According to Brendan, Bruce’s love of nature was evident in his everyday life. He was an avid birder, maintaining feeders both at home and on local ski trails, and spent countless hours hunting morel mushrooms.
“It was often just myself and my dad, and I think that’s where he instilled in me his passion for nature and the outdoors,” said Brendan.
“We would ski around and we’d look at the birds and we’d call owls. We’d look at the northern lights. That’s when he taught me all about the star constellations.
“That was all while we were skiing together, and that went on for years. That’s one of my most special memories of him.”
Bruce charmed his wife, Marilyn, by taking her hunting on their first date, followed by nature walks, fishing trips and camping excursions. The couple married just over a year later, on December 28, 1968, in New Westminster.
The two began their careers teaching in Kelowna, spent a year in England, and then returned to BC to start their family. Seeking adventure, they moved north to Chesterfield Inlet and Coral Harbour, where they welcomed their first two children, Paul and Cecilia.
After moving to Hay River, they raised four more children – Moira, Helen, Alexander and Brendan – as Bruce taught science and biology at the town’s schools.
Brendan said his father was always there for him, no matter the circumstances.
“When I was racing, I mostly competed in Europe on the World Cup circuit. With the big time changes, usually about eight hours, my races would often be in the middle of the night in Canada,” he said.
“But no matter what time it was – 3am, 2am, 1am – my dad would wake up, go downstairs, and turn on the computer to watch the races online.
“My former coach would often come over and the two of them would watch together. I don’t think they ever missed a race. They even came to Europe a couple of times to watch me compete in the World Cup and the Olympics. Those are moments I’ll always cherish.”
Brendan said his parents loved to travel, spending summers in Ireland, exploring history and new cultures. Their most recent trip was to Italy in November.
Bruce’s wide-ranging commitment to community life earned him some of the North’s highest honours.
He was named Citizen of the Year in 1997 and inducted into the Order of the Northwest Territories in 2015. He was also recognized for his contributions to arts and culture, community leadership, education, environmental stewardship, science and technology, sports and recreation, and volunteer service.
Bruce won Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union national gold in wrestling and represented Canada internationally, later coaching wrestling at Hay River’s Diamond Jenness Secondary School. He was Sport North’s coach of the year in 1991.
He helped to establish the Hay River Ski Club, remaining an active member for five decades.
The lab fridge
Despite all of his achievements, his friend Chuck Lirette remembers Bruce first and foremost as a kind, generous and deeply devoted man.
The two met in 1999 after Lirette moved to Hay River from Inuvik. They taught side by side at the local high school – Bruce in biology and Lirette in physical sciences – sharing a prep room where their friendship began.
Bruce quickly became known for his hands-on teaching style. The science lab fridge would be filled with specimens collected from the community that he used to make lessons memorable for students.
Birds struck on the highway, fish from local anglers and even a lamprey obtained from a fisherman would find their way into the fridge.
Lirette recalled a time when a visiting administrator found himself standing barefoot on a desk while Bruce demonstrated circulation by draining the veins in his foot for the class.
“Bruce has touched so many people with his teaching,” said Lirette, “and so many people say Bruce is one of their favourite teachers that they’ve ever had.
“Bruce is one of those educators that truly has touched and impacted the lives of hundreds, if not into the thousands, of youth and students over the years.
“He was somebody that I really looked up to and admired. He was a pretty special guy – somebody really friendly, made everybody feel very, very accepted.”
Lirette said Bruce was also deeply involved with the Hay River Museum. One project that stood out was his work on what became known locally as the “walking fish,” ancient trackways near Alexandra Falls that point to a key evolutionary moment when life began moving from water onto land.
Bruce worked with researchers at the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Alberta to have the tracks identified and studied. He later wrote a booklet explaining the discovery and its significance, helping make the science accessible to the broader community.
Legacy as a family man
Dave MacDonald, who moved to Hay River in February 1980, became friends with Bruce soon after arriving. Their children grew up together and their families gathered every Christmas.
He said Bruce treasured and took great pride in his family’s accomplishments.
Bruce helped build a cabin along the east side of the Hay River on what is now called Solitude Trail. That trail is still popular, and the main trail across the river was later renamed the Brendan Green Olympic Trail in honour of his youngest son.
MacDonald said Bruce always treated people fairly and never held grudges against students for mischief in his class.
He recalled one summer during which a janitor had inadvertently unplugged Bruce’s specimen fridge to save power. When teachers returned in the fall, he said, the smell was unforgettable.
Staff would joke, he said, about the growing collection of “green specimens” alongside their lunches.
“He had an understated sense of humour, and when he told a joke, he’d laugh as hard at it as anybody. I can see him laughing in my mind’s eye now,” said MacDonald.
“Bruce was a real gentleman. He never had an unkind word to say to anybody that I recall. If he didn’t like something, you know, he kept those thoughts mostly to himself. But his legacy is going to be as a family man. What a solid man to have leading your family.
“The way he loved and treated his family, he extended to his students as well.”
Bruce is survived by his wife of 58 years, Marilyn; son Paul (Miriam) and grandchildren Tyson and Moira; daughter Cecilia (Jason) and grandchildren Emily, Julia, Ian, James, and Elizabeth; daughter Moira (Nathan) and grandchildren Katherine, Angela, Dominic, and Daniel; daughter Helen (Andrew) and grandchildren Anna and Connor; son Alexander (Mindy) and grandchildren Finn and Grace; son Brendan (Rosanna); his brother Ken (Pam) and nephew William.
He was predeceased by his parents Kenwood and Elsie; father and mother-in-law Reginald and Cecilia; infant daughter Sarah Jean; brother William; nephew Lance and niece Amanda.
