At the age of 90, Laurie passed away last weekend after a life well lived, and we wanted to share with you some remembrances of the caring human being that we knew.
Laurie was a former director of Parks and Recreation for the City of Burlington. Many will remember him for the significant contributions he made in Burlington and in other communities where he worked.
Former mayor of Burlington Rick Goldring says of Laurie: “Laurie was a true gentleman. His soft-spoken, warm, and collaborative style helped lead successful initiatives that all of Burlington can be proud of. His efforts led to the establishment of the mundialization relationship with Itabashi, Japan, the Burlington International Games, and many others. Burlington is fortunate to have had Laurie provide such a positive impact on our city.”
Pam Belgrade, former executive director of Tourism Burlington said: “After retirement, Laurie volunteered at the visitor information centre at Tourism Burlington. In 2002, he was recognized for his many contributions to the tourism industry as the first recipient of the Tourism Ambassador Award. He authored a history of Tourism Burlington, which we used in part for our 50th anniversary blog last year. He will be missed for his sage advice and many interesting local stories.”
What you might not know is that Laurie also had a significant influence on recreation throughout the province of Ontario. Within 24 hours of sending an email to former colleagues from the Society of Directors of Municipal Recreation of Ontario (SDMRO), a flood of responses came in.
Laurie served as president of SDMRO in 1967. The organization had a credo that included the following: “Happiness and continual personal growth are the right of every individual and society should develop a type of environment in which both of these are possible for all. I further believe that the spiritual welfare and good mental health of people is dependent upon the choices they make in the employment of their leisure time.” Wow, doesn’t that make a great deal of sense, even today?
The SDMRO motto was “By Our Deeds We Shall Be Known” and members, myself included, took that oath very seriously. We still do, long past the transition of that organization and as many of us have retired from full-time work. We enjoyed a reunion in October 2016 at Geneva Park, the location of many of our annual conferences. Here are a couple of stories about Laurie, out representing Burlington in the province of Ontario.
“Laurie was respected by everyone because he was a progressive and thoughtful person who spoke diplomatically. At an early 1980s’ meeting, he instructed the members about the correct ways to spell stationary and stationery. ‘A’ for ‘at rest’ and ‘e’ for ‘envelope,’” recalls John Cooper, former Parks and Recreation staff member with the City of Kitchener. John knew Laurie through the Recreationists Association of West Central Ontario (RAWCO), the Ontario Recreation Society (ORS), and through SDMRO. Now that you’ve heard it, this spelling tip might stick with you for life, too.
Greg Burns, former director of recreation for the City of Cambridge and Port Hope councillor 2010–2018 says: “Laurie was one of the kindest persons I have ever had the honour to know. A true gentleman. A Conestoga College class attended the first meeting of the Ontario Recreation Society in Niagara Falls, about one month into their program. Laurie came over, sat at our table and explained exactly what was happening during the entire AGM [annual general meeting]. That was Laurie Branch.”
One person remembered that they “met Mr. Branch when I started my first summer job working camps in Burlington in 1976.” I personally first met him in my teens when I worked as a lifeguard for the City of Burlington; Laurie left an impression on everyone he met.
A word that many colleagues have used to describe Laurie in their remembrances is ‘gentleman.’ ‘Kind,’ ‘thoughtful,’ and ‘giving’ are also repeated many times; clearly his legacy is one of an inspiring and compassionate person.
Here are just a few of the comments from former colleagues remembering Laurie:
“Laurie was a great human who freely gave of his time, advice and encouragement.”
“Laurie and his era of practitioners made us all feel that we had important work to do…made us feel that we belonged to something bigger than ourselves.”
“The saying ‘well done my good and faithful servant’ certainly applied to Laurie.”
Our sincere condolences to Laurie’s wife Marilyn and all of their family members. Laurie’s obituary can be found on the Smith’s Funeral Home website and a private family service will be held on Saturday.
In 1987, SMDRO established a grove of trees at the Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG) in memory of deceased members and to recognize the 40th anniversary of SDMRO. We hope to plant a tree in Laurie’s memory at the RBG.
Rest in peace, Laurie. You will be missed.
“One more song with your glass held high;
One more song, Toast the days gone by;
One more year, Friends so dear;
One more song and a rousing cheer;
Cheers! Cheers! Cheers!”
