CTHS BC • January 26, 2021
With heavy sadness the family of Marlene Braithwaite announces her sudden passing in Edmonton, Alberta on Thursday, December 17, 2020 at the age of 81 years. She was predeceased by her husband Ernest (Ernie) Braithwaite (2018), her parents Marjorie and Allen, her sister Joan McKeigan, her brother Gordon (Denny) Smith, her sister-in-law Sharon Braithwaite, and her nephew Troy Braithwaite.
Marlene was born on September 13, 1939 to Marjorie and Allen Smith in Stettler, Alberta. She enjoyed a happy childhood with her parents and siblings Joan and Denny growing up on a farm near Delburne, Alberta.
Marlene and Ernie married in Edmonton in 1958. They raised a family with their three boys, Murray, Gary, and Neil. In the late 70s they acquired a farm south of Calgary and in 1983 they moved to a farm on Whidbey Island near Oak Harbor, Washington, where they turned their energies to breeding, raising, and racing thoroughbred horses with their close friend and partner, Sonny Gorasht.
Marlene became an expert at thoroughbred genealogy and given her talents, she and Ernie were successful breeders, raising champions in both Washington and British Columbia, which included stakes winners Restful Native (1982), Currency Control (1983), De Havilland (1984), Royal Reach (1986), Late Sailing (1990), Another Sparkle (1993), Bay Street Blues (1995), La Belle Fleur (2000), Suva (2004), And All That Jazz (2004), Gotta Find Bubba (2006), La Belle Rose (2008), and Locket (2010). What makes their story interesting is that they started out by claiming three mares from the Alberta racing circuit. Nine of the thirteen stakes winners are descendants of two of the original mares. Marlene and Ernie maintained horses at the track until just a few years ago.
Marlene and Ernie retired to Surrey, British Columbia in 1996. She quickly became an exceptional gardener and became expert on roses. Her rose garden was a spectacular sight to behold with more than 400 rose varieties that included her very own Allison Rose. She won several awards at the local garden club as well as Best of Show for her sweet peas at Van Dusen Garden.
She was a loving wife to Ernie for more than 50 years. A loved daughter, mother, sister, aunt, grandmother, and friend; Marlene will be lovingly remembered as an incredible whip-smart woman with a no-nonsense approach to life and a keen wit. She will be sorely missed by her sons and their wives, Murray (Tracey), Gary (Silvia) and Neil (Michele); her grandchildren, Allison, Emerson, Ross, Cesar, and Martin; her brother-in-law, Lorne and wife Josie, her sister-in-law Nancy Smith, and brother-in-law Bill (Margaret) McKeigan; and her nieces and nephews, Todd, Jodi, Travis, Allen, David, Steven, Carol, Michael, and Deirdre (goddaughter); and her many friends in British Columbia.
Any donations in Marlene’s memory may be made to Salvation Army of Canada, whom both Marlene and Ernie regularly supported.
A memorial service will be organized for Marlene in the summer and she will be interred next to Ernie in Dewberry, Alberta.
HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM THE CTHS BC BOARD OF DIRECTORS by Dave Pihl, President CTHS BC Division
Not Bourbon (Not Impossible – Bourbon Belle) passed away on December 28, 2025, at the age of 20. Bred and owned by Charles Fipke and trained by Roger Attfield, Not Bourbon was an exceptional racehorse whose accomplishments earned him a place in Canadian racing history. During his career on the track, Not Bourbon captured some of the nation’s most prestigious races, including the Queen’s Plate, Plate Trial, Queenston Stakes, and Overskate Stakes. As a two-year-old, he showed early promise by winning the Bull Page Stakes and setting a track record for six furlongs at Woodbine. Over the course of three racing seasons, Not Bourbon earned more than one million dollars, and his outstanding three-year-old campaign was recognized with a Sovereign Award. Retired to stud, Not Bourbon went on to become a champion sire in Ontario, further cementing his legacy in the breeding shed. In 2020, he relocated to British Columbia, standing his first season at Emerald Acres in Aldergrove, before moving to Flying Horse Farm in West Kelowna, where he continued to make a meaningful contribution to the provincial breeding industry. Not Bourbon will be remembered for his talent as a racehorse and his contributions to breeding in both Ontario and British Columbia.
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