Alan David Yarr

Alan David Yarr died after a long and fulfilling life at the age of 89 on May 26, 2023, at the Halifax Infirmary. He was born in Victoria, B.C., on May 1, 1934, a first generation Canadian, to Michael and Phyllis (Cox) Yarr. Life growing up on Vancouver Island featured summer days at Maple Bay, tubing on the Cowichan River, playing tennis and hiking in the mountains. Al’s life path changed forever one day as a young man walking in Victoria. He passed a recruiting office that suggested he join the Air Force and see the world. He trained as a navigator, and was posted to CFB Greenwood in Nova Scotia. It was while stationed there he met his first wife Rosemary (nee McMaster). This would eventually set him up for life as an East Coaster. He accepted a job teaching at Dalhousie University in 1963. Although living thousands of miles away, for the rest of his life Al visited home often to reconnect with family and school friends. In addition to teaching, Al came to Dal to coach basketball, and while he would see some success in coaching that team until 1979, it was when he started coaching track and cross-country that his star truly began to shine. He guided Dalhousie teams to more than 60 AUAA championships, and was head coach of the Canadian women’s cross-country team at the world championships in Antwerp, Belgium, in 1991. He won more coaching awards than his bio on the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame website cared to count. But his legacy as a coach is best marked by the impact he had on the athletes he inspired, many of whom stayed in contact and sought out his advice for decades after they left university, perhaps because his true passion lay in the heart of the athlete, and helping to shape their development as a full person. “The art of coaching is to challenge athletes to do something they have doubt about,” he told Dalhousie’s student newspaper. “I get just as excited as they do when they do something they didn’t think they can do.” Al continued to coach until the end. He carried on because, as he often said, “If you love what you do you’ll never work a day in your life.” Even through the pandemic he could be found at Point Pleasant Park, putting runners through their paces. He also coached youth basketball after retiring from teaching, both on club teams and skill camps. He had a passion for precision in sport — whether it was running technique, a free throw, or a golf swing. He never stopped looking for that next tiny detail that would bring any of these a little closer to perfection. And he would never hesitate to demonstrate his discovery of the latest minutiae of the golf swing in his living room. He loved dogs, marvelling at their athleticism, and he loved music, with a personal collection of more than 2,000 albums and CDs. He brought the same desire for perfection in a golf swing to his sound system. He had a particular affection for jazz singers: Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Rosemary Clooney being among his favourites. He also turned to his young athletes to keep him current, and introduced his family early to musicians who would go on to be considered among the greatest of their time, bringing home Simon and Garfunkel in the summer of 1968 and The Temptations Masterpiece a few years later. Al leaves behind a large family, including Pam (nee Currie), the wife he loved deeply for 40 years. From his first marriage he leaves his children Michael, Kevin (Susan), and Gina (Scott) Peckford. He was predeceased by son Stephen, sister Rosemary (Ralph) Branting, and grandson Tristan. From his marriage with Pam he leaves Jordan and Deanna. He is also survived by eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, and will be missed by his daughter-in-law Denise De Laat and her family. A Celebration of Life will be held at St. Agnes Church Hall, 6903 Mumford Rd., Halifax, on June 7, 2023, at 2 pm. Donations in his memory may be made to the Canadian Cancer Society.

Alan David Yarr

May 1, 1934 - May 26, 2023