Deadlines: Obits of Memorable British Columbians

For more than a decade, the Globe and Mail has featured comprehensive obituaries of notable British Columbians by columnist Tom Hawthorn. He recounts the lives of the recently departed in an engaging style, finding anecdotes to illuminate personality, giving voice to those who no longer have one. These stories are not about death, but about life in all its sad, funny, exhilarating complexity.

Gathered here are the best, the funniest, the most memorable of the passing parade of characters who...