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In memory of those who have Crossed the Bar
I was a visual signalman from December 1942 on the Saskatoon until the second workup in Bermuda (summer 1944) when I was sent on course. After course I was sent to the frigate Longueuil. I did two or three trips on her when we were designated to go to the Far East. The Longueuil went to the west coast through the canal where we went on leave. While on leave they dropped the bomb and we were all discharged.
PIMM, Gordon Herbert - died in Ottawa, Ontario, on August 6, 2023. Gordon was born on August 22, 1923, in Gaspé, Quebec, in his mother's family home (née Zoë LeBoutillier), where she was spending the summer with her family. Gordon was the youngest in a family of five children, including three older brothers and one older sister. He grew up in the city of Cornwall, Ontario.
During the Second World War, when Gordon was 17 and in his final year of High School, he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Navy, serving as a Signalman on the Corvette HMCS Saskatoon, K158, and the Frigate HMCS Longueuil, K672, during The Battle of the Atlantic. Following the war, Gordon enrolled at McGill University, where he earned a B.A. in Commerce. At McGill, he met his wife of 75 years (née June Pickering), and they were married two years later. After he graduated from McGill, Gordon joined Dustbane Enterprises, a nationwide Canadian company.
In 1973, Gordon moved with his family to Miami, Florida. During this time, Gordon earned his Master's degree at The University of Miami while continuing his career in business. In 1997, Gordon retired, and the couple returned to Ottawa. After his return to Ottawa, Gordon wrote Leos' War, a book based on letters written by his Uncle to his family in Gaspé during World War I.
Gordon enjoyed sports, especially playing golf. But his true love was sailing. He was a Britannia Yacht Club member for many years, cruising and racing his beloved sloop, Koi Hai. He also enjoyed traveling, visiting all of Canada many times, and roaming the world—from Europe and Scandinavia to Russia, the Far East, Australia, New Zealand, South America, and even to places as remote as Easter Island. Perhaps sailing the seas with the Royal Canadian Navy instilled his love of travel and adventure.
In his later years, as his health deteriorated, Gordon took up art making, and his many paintings, works of pottery, and woodwork are a testament to his insatiable curiosity and creativity.
Gordon also loved animals of every kind, and they seemed to know this instinctively, coming to his hand or nestling in his warm embrace. Since childhood, he always had at least one dog and one cat by his side, enjoying every minute of his life's journey.
Always with a book in hand, Gordon was a human encyclopedia and an amazing resource for anyone in the family curious about an obscure fact or quotation. No need to ask Google. "Just ask Gordon; he'll know the answer!" Always with a ready smile and a very dry British sense of humour, it will be the glint in his eye and his laughter that we will all remember and cherish.
His wife, June, survives Gordon; his children, Martha, Robert, and Matthew; four grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to Humane Canada in memory of Gordon.
A funeral service for Gordon will be held on Sunday, August 20th at 1:00pm at Beechwood Funeral, Cemetery and Cremation Services, 280 Beechwood Ave., Ottawa. A burial at Beechwood will follow on Monday, August 21st at 12 noon. (The Ottawa Citizen 10 Aug 2023)
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