Alastair Stewart Bain was born June 16, 1927 in Penticton, B.C., and died January 7, 2019 in Ottawa, Ontario. He graduated from the UBC metallurgical engineering program in 1950 and worked for a year with INCO at Copper Cliff before moving to Deep River, Ontario. There he started his forty-year-long career with Atomic Energy of Canada Limited. His work with AECL focused on the development of fuel rods for the NRX reactor, for pyrometallurgical reprocessing of metallic fuel rods, and for the setup of research hot cells. As head of the fuel-development branch he was responsible for experimental work on CANDU fuel components and development of the CANDU fuel bundles. He wrote and co-authored over 200 documents regarding nuclear fuel.

He and his first wife, Shirley Mae Prangley, who predeceased him in 2005, had two children, Jody (British Columbia) and Roderick (Ottawa), and two grandchildren, Janusz (British Columbia) and Stefan (Australia). His brother, William Arthur (Art) predeceased him in 2014.

Alastair and Shirley moved to Ottawa in 1979, after his transfer to AECL head office in business development and transfer of nuclear technology. This involved extensive travel, a passion for both Alastair and Shirley. As well Alastair enjoyed many sports including skiing, golf, swimming, refereeing soccer and rugby, biking and woodworking. Unfortunately he as unable to meet his goal of cycling 90 km for his 90th birthday but that day he expended even more energy with a big birthday bash with friends and family from Ottawa, Toronto, as well Nova Scotia, British Columbia, Alberta, and England. He loved to cook and amassed an extensive stamp collection – aptly named in 2018 as The Alastair Bain Collection by Eastern Auctions with a focus on first day mail covers.

Alastair was an ardent member of the Friday Luncheon Discussion Club; with frequent meetings throughout the year highlighted by a diverse set of invited speakers from backgrounds in politics, government, business, the arts, medicine, the military, and justice services, to name a few. Alastair was proud to be president of FLDC 1996-1997.

Alastair met his second wife Margo Blackell, a professional artist, at an aquafit class and they married in 2007. This opened up other areas of significant interest including art and art history, although he never pretended to have a personal artistic talent. Most important, he had a new family of wonderful people.

Alastair's health began to falter at age 91, but not before he had yet another Birthday celebration.

Alastair's family thank the caring staff at the Ottawa Heart Institute as well as those staff supporting patients at the end of their life at Bruyère Continuing Care. Alastair had a peaceful death; think of him when you raise your next glass of single-malt scotch.

Friends are invited to gather at the Beechwood National Memorial Centre, 280 Beechwood Ave. Ottawa on Sunday, January 20, 2019 after 10:30 a.m. A Memorial Service will be held in the Sacred Space at 11 a.m.