Trevor Richard Barden

BARDEN, Trevor Richard

July 14, 1946 - May 10, 2021

Passed away peacefully at The Pines Long Term Care Home in Bracebridge, Ontario on Monday, May 10, 2021 at age 74. Beloved husband of Rosalind Elizabeth Harris for 47 years. He will be greatly missed by his son, Colin of Utterson, brother Paul (Lars) of Corvallis, Oregon and brother Joel (Deb) of Coldwater, Ontario. Predeceased by his parents Joseph and Joyce Barden, his brother Bryan and his sister Pamela Barden. Also mourning his loss are Sisters-in-law Brenda (John) Baker, Pat (Dave) McPhail and Brother-in-law Bill Harris, along with nine nieces and nephews and their spouses and children.

Trevor was born in East York, Ontario and moved with his family to Port Severn and Coldwater. He went to Park Street Collegiate in Orillia and graduated from Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in Civil Technology. Before and after graduation he worked for McCormick and Rankin, Engineers and Bailey Construction in Orillia. In 1973, he met Roz on a blind date on Friday, the 13th of April and they were married the following year on Groundhog Day (so that Trevor would never forget his wedding anniversary). For five years they lived in Orillia until Trevor took a job with Fowler Construction in Bracebridge in 1979. He worked as a Supervisor, Estimator, Sand Camp Supervisor and finally, as Purchaser.

Weekends in the summer were spent with Roz and Colin at the Harris family cottage near Pointe au Baril, Ontario. Annually since 1973, the “Harris Lake Gang”, a group of Trevor’s school friends and their spouses, would gather at the cottage for a fun-filled weekend of stories, libation and good food. Over the winter months, when he could take vacations, Trevor liked to travel. He went with Roz (and sometimes Colin or Roz’s brother Bill) to Florida, California, Nevada, Arizona, Columbia, Jamaica, Venezuela, and Costa Rica.

In 2002, Trevor received a devastating diagnosis of Huntington’s Disease. Unable to work any more because of his disability, he and Roz bought a trailer and toured the East Coast of Canada and then headed to Arizona for the winter. Trevor and Roz continued to travel to Tucson together for 15 years, enjoying the company of friends from all over Canada and the United States.

Trevor’s biggest passion was fishing! He spent countless hours in “The Fishing Machine” searching for “the big one” on Harris Lake and surrounding waters. He enjoyed annual fishing tournaments with friends both in the Huntsville area and at the cottage (where the guys tried to out-fish the women). Trevor never really cared about whether he caught any fish, he just liked being out there fishing. It was a passion that he passed on to his son Colin. Even in the latter years, Trevor enjoyed fishing from the family pontoon boat.

Trevor was an armchair sports enthusiast for most of his life. He loved to watch baseball, hockey, basketball and especially, professional golf on TV.  Every Thursday to Sunday for the past 15 years or more, you could find Trevor watching the current PGA tournament. He could always tell you where they were playing, who was winning and how the Canadian players were doing. One of the highlights of his life was seeing his favourite players, including Tiger Woods, at Match Play tournaments in Tucson.

From the time he was a teenager, Trevor was an avid stamp collector. He was an active  member of the Muskoka Stamp Club and the Tucson Stamp Club. For as long as he was physically able, he worked on and enjoyed his collection of Canadian and World stamps.

Trevor’s family would like to thank the many Personal Support Workers, Social Workers, Nurses, Doctors, other medical professionals, volunteers and dear friends that helped care for him throughout his journey with Huntington’s. And though his time there was short, they would like to thank the staff of The Pines Long Term Care Home for their compassionate care. Almost since Trevor was diagnosed, the Huntington’s Clinic at North York Hospital has been an important resource and source of support for the family.

At Trevor’s request, there will be no formal service. A celebration of life with family and close friends will occur at a later date. Donations in Trevor’s memory may be made to The Huntington Society of Canada, Hospice Huntsville, The Friends (Parry Sound) or the charity of your choice. In his honour, take some time and go fishing.