DECEMBER 27, 1947 – JUNE 18, 2021
Following a tenacious 10 year battle with cancer, Garry David Brown of Cambridge passed away in the comfort of his home on June 18, 2021 at the age of 73, with his family by his side.
He will be forever missed and remembered by his wife Lynn “Bear” of 52 years ; daughters Tawnya “Roo” (Brian Callaghan) and Jessica “Fuzz” (Bob Adams); grandchildren Kirsten “Doodle” and Jagger “Meister”; brothers Brad “Sam” (Donna), Gregg “Gig” (Leah), Mark “Mucker”; sisters Maureen “Moe” (Dave), Cindy “Ag” (Kirk) and many nieces, nephews, relatives and friends. Predeceased by his parents Gordon and Eileen Brown.
Garry was born and raised in Kingston, Ontario where his many achievements began at an early age. As the oldest (and, of course, his parent's favourite--or so the story goes at any given Brown family function), he not only excelled as teaser, but equally as protector of his younger siblings.
Early and ongoing participation in Boy Scouts helped lay the foundation for Garry’s dedication, commitment and passion for learning. He had many fond memories of his scout mates’ practical jokes and shenanigans and learned many life lessons from his troop masters. Garry attended Queen Elizabeth CVI. It was there he was voted Head Boy, winning many awards for excellence in athletics, notably football and wrestling. In wrestling, he was undefeated throughout his entire high school career, while in football he was cited in the local newspaper as “the unstoppable Garry Brown”. His hard work extended beyond athletics to his academics, resulting in his acceptance to Queen's University.
At Queen’s, Garry was enrolled in a dual program, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree as well as a Bachelor of Physical and Health Education degree. Garry’s prowess in athletics continued in varsity wrestling and gymnastics. Remaining at Queen’s, he attended McArthur College of Education, earning his Bachelor of Education degree. Always proud of his alma mater, when Queen’s came up in conversation--usually around the dinner table after having some wine--he would stand up and shout out, “Oil thigh na Banrighinn a’Banrighinn gu brath!”. This was the chant that was traditionally performed after every touchdown during football games at Queen’s.
Garry’s pursuit of a teaching career brought him and his young family to the city of Cambridge for his first teaching contract at Glenview Park Secondary School, where he remained for 42 year. He was a guidance counselor and taught physical education. He touched and inspired countless people and is remembered for the lasting impact he had on their lives. Through his teaching, encouragement and leading by example, he gave people the confidence and desire to push themselves not only to try, but also to accomplish things they did not know they could. Throughout his career and well into his retirement, he was regularly stopped in the community by students and parents and thanked for the difference he made in their lives. Today we still have people say, “You’re Brownie’s daughter/wife?” and then proceed with a funny story or example of how he had helped them.
At Glenview, Garry, better known as Brownie, coached almost every sport there was, but he was most passionate about football, leading junior football teams to multiple championships. Garry often said that the joy he got from coaching juniors came from helping them to develop as players, not only to excel at and enjoy the game the way he did, but, more importantly, to build character and skills far beyond the field. With Brownie’s dedication to physical and health education, it was only natural that he was the founder and ambassador of the weight room that bears his name today, “Garry Brown Fitness Centre aka Brown Town”. Again, he led by example and inspired many to take care of themselves mentally and physically, as he did his whole life. We’re sure that anyone who knew Brownie would agree that there was no one more fit than he was. His legacy endures with the Garry Brown Senior Athlete of the Year Award, a mural of Superman on the wall, which says it all.
As an avid outdoor enthusiast, Brownie pioneered and led students on many Algonquin trips. He taught them to pack light, cook with limited supplies, canoe across lakes, carry canoes and supplies across portages, build fires, and set up camp, all while having the greatest respect for nature and safety. This unique, once-in-a-lifetime experience shared by his students and the coworkers he convinced to embark on this bold journey with him was hard work. The hard work, however, was outweighed by the endless fun such as crazy team names, outhouse jokes, and campfire stories, just to name a few. Algonquin was one of Garry’s favourite places. While other families were heading to hotels in Myrtle Beach, Brown vacations were trekking as far as we could into the woods until we would no longer see other humans--just bears, moose, bugs and other wildlife. All kidding aside, these memories are priceless! His love for these experiences is evidenced by his lone trips into the park with only a canoe to sleep under, leading his grandchildren on a trip, and naming his beloved pup Quin after the park.
Garry’s zest for life and learning was unparalleled. The majority of his reading and viewing choices were informational, quenching his curiosity about topics that were vast and varied, and which often led to new hobbies. Driven to do things to the highest standard, his hobbies were yet one more place his talents and skills were evident. Some examples include: woodworking and woodcarving (crafting many pieces of furniture for family and friends as well as entering a carving contest and coming in second place), kung fu (earning his brown belt in his thirties), riding his motorcycle (then going on to teach the motorcycle course at Conestoga College), photography (building his own dark room), geology (collecting many minerals, fossils and rocks), bird watching (recording hundreds of new bird sightings), bee keeping (multiple hives and collection of honey), tree planting (planting hundreds of trees on his acreage), raising chickens (constructing a coop, collecting eggs and harvesting), and fishing. He even taught himself to juggle--just because.
Garry and Lynn loved to travel, especially if it was on the motorcycle. They clocked thousands of miles on the bike travelling coast to coast across North America as well as New Zealand. They also visited Costa Rica, Fiji, the Bahamas, and Mexico.
Although Garry was a private man who enjoyed solitude, he had a sense of humour (albeit off colour), and was often the life of the party, or so he thought. He had a knack for pushing the limits to get a rise out of his audience, leaving them howling with laughter. This included family dinners where “OMG! Grandpa!” was a regular response from his grandkids.
Nicknames are a long standing tradition of the Brown clan. Since Garry’s nickname “Joe” was used more often by his family than his given name, his then girlfriend (now wife Lynn) was left wondering what his name actually was. Garry embraced and carried on this tradition as he assigned nicknames to those closest to him which stuck for life. As odd or funny as they may have seemed, they made us all feel special, even if yours was “knob”, “pencil neck” or “armpit”. His endless colourful expressions passed down from his dad such as “Does a bear shit in the woods?,” “Is a bullfrog waterproof?,” “Kiss my a** in the market square,” was another endearing and hilarious signature trait of being Garry.
He loved his home and property which he took great pride in. Having his family work with him on the not-so-ordinary home maintenance projects strengthened the special bond we will always cherish. It wouldn’t be a day at home without the sound of his whistling, whether in the kitchen making his homemade yogurt, out in the back 40, or in his workshop. Music was a constant (like it or not). Many times he would be singing oldies but goodies, loud and animated, much to the annoyance of the rest of us. But then the next thing we knew, we were all singing and dancing along. The smell of sawdust will linger. At the weekly dinners and special family celebrations where we always stayed close and connected, there will now be a huge void.
You will be missed and loved forever.
We love you.
Bear, Roo, Fuzz, and family.
The family wish to thank the staff of Cambridge Memorial Hospital - Medical Daycare and the Palliative Team from ParaMed, especially Dr. Halligan, for their compassionate care.
In accordance with his wishes, cremation has taken place and a family celebration of Garry's life will take place at a later date.
As expressions of sympathy, donations to Cambridge Memorial Hospital - Medical Daycare would be appreciated by his family.
Arrangements handled by T. Little Funeral Home & Cremation Centre
