Obituary of Bram Vermeulen

Bram Vermeulen
"Top Guide"
1946-2025

With hearts full of love, we say goodbye to Bram Vermeulen, whose laughter, silliness, joy, boundless energy and determination we will carry with us.

He filled his life with many passions: hiking, cooking, travelling, kayaking Georgian Bay, picking blueberries, gardening, running, expounding the virtues of cement and concrete, and most of all fishing.

He loved his family fiercely, and refused to let his final decade fighting cancer slow him down. He spent as much time with them as possible, especially his two beloved grandchildren, Louise and Henk.

Born in Bennebroek in the Netherlands on March 20th, 1946, to Alice and Hendrik Vermeulen, Bram emigrated to Canada with his family when he was three years old. They settled in Burford, Ontario and became tobacco farmers. Bram attended a one room schoolhouse for his elementary years and went on to complete a degree in Civil Engineering and an Executive MBA at the University of Western Ontario. His career began at St. Mary's Cement Company in Toronto where he rose from an entry-level Engineering position to CEO. After retiring, he settled in Port Hope and became a devoted and beloved member of the community.

Bram will be missed dearly by Iris, his wife of 56 years; his children, Stephanie (Henrik), and Drew (Maggie); and his grandchildren, Louise and Henk. He is lovingly remembered by his brothers John (Doreen), Bob (Linda) and Ed; and their families. We would like to believe he is now fishing with his eldest brother Henk (Feika).

His life touched so many from friends and roommates at Western, colleagues at St. Mary's Cement, fishing buddies at the Maganasippi Fish and Game Club, neighbours on Fitzgerald Bay, travel companions, and the dedicated doctors, nurses and staff at the Northumberland Hills Hospital and Ed's Place.

A celebration of life will be held from 2-4pm on April 17th, 2025 at the Capitol Theatre - a Port Hope landmark that he treasured, serving on the board for many years.

In lieu of flowers, we ask you to consider donating to the Georgian Bay Land Trust (gblt.org/you-can-help/give-gift/make-a-gift-now), or the Northumberland Hills Hospital Foundation (nhhfoundation.ca/donate).