Obituary of Alan Owen Wilson

It is with profound sadness to announce that "Everybody's Pal Big Al" Wilson has passed away unexpectedly on February 4, 2016 in a place he truly loved to be, Grand Bend, Ontario at the age of 71. Al will be sadly missed by his sister-in-law Jill Wilson and his nieces Colleen Church, Judy (Tony) Schlegel, Mary-Ellen (Tom) Oates, Shirley Wilson, Jackie Wilson, Laurel Wilson and Beth Bowes and his nephew Paul (Laurie) Bowes and his many great nieces, nephews and friends. He was predeceased by his parents William and Madonna (Weiler) Wilson, brother William Wilson, sister Margaret Bowes, brother-in-law Mickey Bowes and nephew Richard Bowes. Al was known for his great sense of humour, laughter and love of drag racing! He spent many hours at the Grand Bend Motorplex, making new friends each and every time. He always had a joke or a very funny story to tell and always left you with a smile on your face. His warmth and truly genuine spirit will be greatly missed by everyone he knew. Cremation has taken place. Please join the family for a celebration of Al's life at Holy Trinity Church, 1420 Devonshire Ave., Woodstock, Ontario on Friday, March 18, 2016 at 11:00 am. Officiant Father Richard Dales. A reception will follow immediately after the memorial service. For those who wish, in memoriam donations may be made to the London Wheelchair Basketball Association, 1809 Kyle Court, London, Ontario N6G 0A6. Receipts will be provided. Online condolences may be made at www.denning.ca Funeral arrangements entrusted to Denning's of Forest ***************************************************** Elvis has left the building. On the morning of Friday, Feb. 5, the Sentinel-Review learned of the death of the irreverent – and irreplaceable –Al Wilson, our former Speed Alley columnist. While Big Al penned his last car column for the Oxford Review in September 2009, he would still make occasional visits to our Brock Street offices, often for a quick chat or, more frequently, some computer-related help. He’d tap-tap-tap up our cement ramp and then bang on the building’s front window with his cane. It was a sound we had grown used to every Wednesday night during the 12-and-a-half years we published Speed Alley. It’s a sound we’re going to miss. Big Al was one of a kind. For years, he could be found holding court at the Sunrise Restaurant, joking with friends or sharing his always-entertaining stories. “Big Al’s humour was something that always lit up the S-R newsroom and made our Wednesdays entertaining. Whether he was telling us about the latest local gossip, or enlightening us with his stories about car guys and gals, with their sweet rides on his yellow floppy disc, it was a pleasure having Big Al around,” said former Sentinel-Review sports editor Darryl Smart. “He really was a Woodstock treasure and friend to us all. Big Al will be missed.” You’d see him cruising Dundas Street in his unmistakable pickup, decorated with his Al Wilson No-Stars stickers. But mostly, Al’s friends and readers could find him at the track, his inspiration for hundreds of columns on “racers and classic cars,” which continued after the Oxford Review with his own Car Guys publication. “Working with Big Al was educational. Each week I learned about classic cars and words that weren't yet in the dictionary. That was the beauty of Al. He was an everyman. It was always entertaining when he'd visit the office and wave his USB stick in the air and ask for help to retrieve the stories and photos that made it into the Oxford Review each week,” recalled former Sentinel-Review sports editor Cory Smith. “His running gag was Elvis laughing and joking with his buddies – usually car guys and gals around the city. We had a running gag of our own at the Review. Each week, whether it was in the headline or cutline, we'd refer to the car in Al's story as a 'sweet ride'. It could have been a 1967 Pontiac GTO with a 400-cubic-inch V8 engine delivering 360 horsepower, or a jalopy salvaged from a junkyard for scraps. It was a sweet ride. Eventually he caught on, and while he was mildly annoyed, he appreciated the joke. He was, after all, a former stand-up comedian.” In his own words, from his final Speed Alley column: “Well folks! Keep laughing. That's me for now – your old pal Big Al. I'd like to say thanks for coming out week to week. “Big Al and Elvis have left the building!”