Bent Bertelsen

Bent Bertelsen of Huntsville Ontario, Canada passed away of natural causes on Tuesday October 6, 2020. He was surrounded by his family at the time of his death. Bent was born in Vejle, Denmark on November 22, 1931. He is pre-deceased by his parents and his sister Tove Mikkelsen. He is survived by his brother Jens Bertelsen of Denmark, his beloved wife Annagrethe Bertelsen, his son Michael (Julia) Bertelsen, and his daughter Susanne (Bill) Payne and his grandchildren (Bree and Seanna, Leif and Erik) all of Huntsville.

Bent and Annagrethe met in Denmark and immigrated to Canada together in 1958. As an architect trained and Master Mason, Bent felt that there would be good opportunities for a business in Muskoka.  When the young couple moved to Huntsville in 1960 there were some tears of despair from Annagrethe for the lack of development in this little northern town.  Bent saw it as a diamond in the rough, and over several decades he and his wife built Muskoka Masonry into a successful contracting firm in the area.  With talent, and strong work ethics, and desire to live a life of adventure Bent and Anna’s efforts paid off and business prospered.

They retired early to pursue Bent’s second passion and a life of adventure through sailing.  He single handedly sailed across the Atlantic Ocean and over the next 10 years Bent and Anna explored the Mediterranean and beyond.

His continued love of sailing and generous spirit inspired Bent to create the not-for-profit Huntsville Sailing Club. In fact, Bent single handedly built 6 of the small optimist sail boats for the club.

It is not surprising that from Bent and Anna’s many travels and wild adventures Bent became a master storyteller. Often when you saw the twinkle in his eye you knew one of his great and true adventure stories where coming. He truly lived his dream!

Throughout his life, Bent held an unwavering faith in God, which he shared with those who surrounded him. His passion for life, his family, his practical jokes and his “Bertelsen Ingenuity” will be talked about for generations to come.

As per Bent’s wishes he has been cremated. No funeral service is planned. In lieu of flowers the family would ask for donations to be made in memory of Bent to the Huntsville Hospital Foundation, https://huntsvillehospitalfoundation.ca/