Doreen Lodema Brunt

It is with great sadness, but also with a sense of joy and gratitude for a long and healthy life well-lived, that the family of Doreen Lodema (nee Switzer) Brunt announce her passing on October 14, 2022 at St. Joseph's Hospital, less than a month before her 92nd birthday.

Doreen was born and raised in Binbrook, the youngest of three daughters of Morley and Edith Switzer and never stopped thinking of herself as a farm girl. As a young woman, she moved to the city of Hamilton and took a job in the American Can Company offices, then housed in the Royal Connaught Hotel, where she met her husband, Harry. They moved into a new home on the West Mountain and raised their children Stephen and Susan. The family relocated to Georgetown for almost 20 years before Doreen and Harry returned to their old Hamilton neighbourhood.

Widowed for more than 35 years, Doreen was fiercely independent. She lived by herself in her own home until entering hospital in September. She cheered on her Tiger-Cats, worked for the Liberal Party, and was still driving until a few weeks before her death. She outlived many of her dearest friends and family members, but she also was able to continue to make new friends through every stage of her life.

Doreen was predeceased by her sisters, Marjorie and Marie. She leaves behind her son Stephen (Jeanie MacFarlane), her daughter Susan, beloved grandchildren Nat (Rachel Wine), Jake, Hollis and Zoe, her nieces Joanne Gibson, Linda Palmer (Richard) and Eleanor Rushton (Dave), nephew Leonard Gibson (Debbie) and much-loved grand-nieces and grand-nephews.

Doreen's family would like to thank the staff of the emergency department and the 4th and 7th floors at St. Joseph's Hospital for the extraordinarily sensitive and compassionate care Doreen received during her final illness. Memorial donations to the St. Joseph's Healthcare Foundation or Mission Services (Hamilton) would be greatly appreciated. A celebration of life will take place in the coming weeks.