Obituary of Gerrit Jan Buitenhuis

 

GERRIT JAN BUITENHUIS 

October 23, 1957 – November 21, 2025

 After living with esophageal cancer for a short 9 months, Gerrit passed away at home on November 21 with his family by his side. Gerrit’s greatest joy was his family. He was deeply loved by Kim, his wife of 44 years, and by his wonderful children and their partners, Amy (Ray) and Graham (Alyssa). He is sadly missed by sister Gerdy (Henk) of the Netherlands, sister-in-law Karen, and brother-in-law Mark. He was a beloved uncle to his nieces and nephews, Bernold, Martijn (Hedwig), Leslie (Neil), Mara, Jennifer (Cam), Kayla (Carter) and Ben, and a popular magician, joke-teller, and soccer fan to his 10 great-nieces and great-nephews.

Gerrit grew up in the Netherlands on a dairy farm in the small village of Oene. Though he lived his adult life in Canada, he never lost his deep love and connection to his family, his rural upbringing, and all things Dutch. After graduating from university, he came to Canada to begin a life with Kim whom he’d met the year before while grape-picking in Beaujolais, France. For most of their life together they lived in Oakville where Gerrit worked for Halton Region. He had a long and much-loved career in waste management, making lifelong friends in the office and just as importantly on the Region’s baseball, volleyball and curling teams.

After retirement Gerrit and Kim moved to the woods north of Kingston and Gerrit jumped into country life in his usual enthusiastic way. He served on two municipal committees in South Frontenac, one about lake eco-systems and the other at the local museum; became a referee for recreational and competitive soccer; and was an avid curler. Many will remember his Farmer Gerrit on-line video series about raising chickens that delighted his followers during the pandemic. Gerrit took great pleasure in roaring around his small lakeside community in his Kubota - dogs at his side - picking up and dropping off weekly recycling bins for the neighbours, plowing the roads in winter, tending to his large garden, and chopping wood for maple syrup boiling. His wood-stacking skills are legendary, and he was a truly epic whistler. Gerrit was an open-hearted, kind, generous, and gentle soul. He left this world too early, but he made it a better place for those lucky enough to have shared it with him.

A celebration of Gerrit’s life will be held on Sunday, December 7 at 2pm at Enoch Turner School, 106 Trinity St, Toronto, ON.

For those who wish to pay their respects locally, a reception will be held from 2-4pm on Saturday, November 29 in the South Frontenac Museum, 5595 Rd. 38, Hartington, ON.

In lieu of flowers please consider a donation in Gerrit’s name to the Land Conservancy for KFLA (Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington) https://www.landconservancykfla.org/.