George Brimmell

George Porterfield Brimmell

January 26,1930 – October 4, 2021

It is with broken hearts that we announce the sudden death of George Brimmell, at the age of 91. He is survived by his wife and best friend Susan (nee Reimer), son Clifford, grandchildren Jesse (Talia) and Blair (Andrew MacInnis) and five great-grandchildren (Adrian, Diana, Clifford, Madeleine, and Thea). He also leaves his sister Frances Hardy (Jack), daughter-in-law Denise Losier (Dave Gardner) and his first wife Jean Bingham Brimmell.

George will be sadly missed by his mother-in-law Lubow Reimer on St. Catharines, in-laws Aline and John Bethune, their son John and many cousins, nieces, and nephews.

George was born in Lindsay, Ontario. His mother Bernice moved the family to Winnipeg in 1941. He dropped out of school at 16 to fulfill his dream of becoming a reporter, first at the Winnipeg  Free Press, then with the Canadian Press in its Winnipeg, Toronto, and Vancouver Bureaus. He worked for Reuters in London, U.K., for the Calgary Albertan, Toronto Telegram, Winnipeg Tribune as well as being the Ottawa and Washington correspondent for Southam News Services, culminating as the service’s Executive Editor.

His final working years were spent as a writer, editor, and communications advisor in the Public Service.

During his time at the Toronto Telegram, George wrote the first story exposing the secret government installation at Carp dubbed “The Diefenbunker”, much to the fury of then Prime Minister John Diefenbaker.

In 1963, while working for the Winnipeg Tribune, George covered the murder trial of Jack Ruby, who killed JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald. On the final day of the trial, George slipped Ruby a note of handwritten questions to which Ruby responded. George’s scoop and photos of the note were widely published and made international headlines.

In 1964, he joined Southam in Ottawa and before long, was caught up in what became known as “the furniture scandals”. George broke the story of questionable furniture transactions that led to the resignations of two of Prime Minister Lester Pearson’s cabinet ministers. He covered the lengthy Dorion Inquiry into the escapades of Lucien Rivard and indeed, accurately forecast in print, what would be the highlights of the Dorion Report. This exclusive led to an RCMP investigation of George.

George’s remarkable career included coverage of Canadian elections and U.S. Presidential campaigns. He also reported on early space exploration, including the 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing. He then travelled around the world with  U.S. President Richard Nixon.

After his retirement, George was very proud of the few years he spent as a volunteer at W. Erskine Johnston Public School in Kanata, reading with young children and helping others improve their reading skills.

George was a keen golfer from the age of nine and was a life member of the Royal Ottawa Gold Club. He had two holes-in-one and made many life-long friendships at the Club. He often referred to the Club as his “second home”.

Though in his later years, George experienced memory loss, he remained happy and enjoyed each moment. He kept his sense of fun and continued to flirt with any “Chick” who came his way.

Special thanks to Holly Rousseau at Hulse and English Funeral Home, St. Catharines, Ontario.

There will be a Celebration of Life on Sunday October 31, 2021, From 1:00pm to 4:00pm at the Royal Ottawa Golf Club, 1405 Aylmer Road, Gatineau, Quebec. COVID protocols require proof of two vaccines.

Donations may be sent to the Dementia Society of Ottawa and Renfrew County, the Heart and Stroke Foundation, Canadian Cancer Society or any charity of your choice.