LINFIELD: Brent

Brent Linfield was born on April 30th,1953, the youngest of 4 sons to Vel and Al Linfield. Brent grew up trying very hard to follow in the large and fast footsteps of his 3 older brothers. Brent was given a significant amount of freedom as a child, exploring the river valley, lake and surrounding countryside of Goderich and Saltford, having fun and (not too often) getting into trouble. As a teenager, Brent worked (just like his older brothers) in Al Linfield’s tire shop. Though Brent struggled in school as a teenager, when he was 39 years old, he attended an Adult Education centre in London and proudly received his high school diploma. After that, he studied to become a paralegal and worked in that field for some time. When Brent was in his 40s, he was belatedly diagnosed with Andersen-Tawil Syndrome, a rare genetic condition causing periods of muscle weakness or paralysis. Brent held several different jobs throughout his life, including paralegal, parking attendant, store manager, security guard, and dog groomer/walker. He lived in Goderich, London, Newfoundland, Kitchener, and finally back to his home town of Goderich.

Throughout his life, Brent made friends easily and those who knew him would describe him as good-natured and always ready with a joke (and always ready to offer you a glass of wine or a rum and coke.) While visiting his mother and aunt in long term care homes, Brent regularly charmed the other residents and staff, and he always knew everyone’s names, even those people he’d met only once. His charm went with him during his own hospital stays, and he often had the nurses chuckling at his banter.

Brent loved spending time with his nieces and nephews, he adored animals (and animals loved him), and he was a voracious reader. Brent was also a marching band-style drummer and often played for fun, sometimes accompanying his brother Bill who played banjo.

Brent passed fairly suddenly at Alexandra and Marine General Hospital in Goderich on September 24th, 2024. He is survived by his sister-in-law Linda Linfield, his brothers Jerry (Lois) Linfield, Brian (Mary) Linfield, and his nieces and nephews Kevin, Lisa, Leslie, Hayley, Andrea and Greg, along with fifteen great nieces and nephews. A private family farewell will be planned.