Obituary: Allan Dowd

Allan, who delighted in the oddball stories that everyone loves to read, joined Reuters in Vancouver in 1998 after several years working in Maine as a stringer for Reuters, Maine Public Radio and other news organisations. Born in Rochester, New York, where his mother still lives, Allan was an old-school Reuters all-rounder, able to tackle any story that might come up including business, commodities and sports. But he was happiest with politics, general news and brights, where he really made his mark on the news file. His colleagues speak fondly of his dry humour, and of his stories. There was the tale about the sasquatch, and whether it had any connection to the UFO, or the one of the single feet that washed up on BC coasts – four right feet and one left foot, according to a 2008 story – and where they might be from. He could write with sensitivity and tenacity, as shown by his years of coverage of Vancouver’s notorious case of dozens of missing women, and the gruesome trial of murderer Willie Pickton.

Allan went to his doctor with what he thought was a mysterious, hard-to-shake cold in July, just weeks after reporting on the rioting that erupted when Vancouver lost in the finals of the Stanley Cup. It turned out to be a particularly aggressive form of lymphoma, and he died on 10 January. His mother, and his sister Laura were with him. Special thanks from the Reuters family to all the Vancouver journalists who stepped in to help when Allan fell sick, but especially to his Reuters colleague Nicole Mordant. ■