Brendan A. Hunt

After having had a construction or renovation project on the go for most of his life, Brendan Hunt of Holyrood spent a few days overlooking the construction site outside the Health Science complex, where he passed away contentedly on October 2, 2021. He was predeceased by his parents, Frances and Daniel Hunt, (and his parents-in-law, James and Bridget Ryan), his brother John (who recently passed away in Boston), and by his brother and sister-in-law, John and Anita Veitch.

Left behind to celebrate his awesome life are his partners in all things great and small, his wife Marie (Ryan); his sons: Ryan and Cherri-Lee (Doyle) and his granddaughters Caitlin, Natalie, and Anna; David; John and Danielle (Winsor); Aaron; his daughter Claire and Michael (Finigan) and three more granddaughters Alice, Olivia, and Darcy; his sister Anne and Keith Peddle; brother Dan and Georgina Hunt and their family, brother-in-law Jim and Gail Ryan and their family; Marie Hunt and her children in Boston; Martha Ryan in Boston; special cousins Evelyn Devereaux and Mona Dooley; the Maloney family, especially Loretta (Mom Maloney) and Alice, Michele, Raylene, and Sandy; Father Ken Walsh; a crowd of special friends from Holyrood: Ted and Sharon Kirby (Edmonton), Mary Hickey and Walter Mogridge (Hamilton), Brendan and Debbie Veitch, Anne Flynn, Jim and Anita Lewis, Bob and Marion Alcock, Walter and Lynn Quinlan, Bernadette and Jim Myers; a special group of fellow travellers and kindred spirits in all things entertaining: Cynthia Mills, Janine and Craig Pike, Imelda and Alex Winsor, and Wanda and Noel Hand; and Daphne Cole.

The list could be endless with all the employees, colleagues in the financial industry, friends, cousins, and people who came into his life in the many capacities in which he served and because of the many “hats” he wore. He was, first of all, a businessman who established First Atlantic Financial in 1992. He held his battle with cancer at bay long enough to see his achievement of expanding First Atlantic into Ontario with the opening of First Atlantic Private Wealth this August. While he loved his chosen career, he also was drawn to building and renovating, first his over 100-year old family home in Holyrood, and then the heritage home that now houses First Atlantic Financial. He also expanded that property to include The Tea Garden restaurant which kept him busy until he acquired the Carroll property in Holyrood and turned it into a B&B complex. A consummate story-teller, he spent his evenings entertaining the visitors with his tales, quenching anyone’s thirst for the history of the area and all its colourful characters. Brendan also found time to serve on Holyrood Town Council and was a member of Holycross Parish’s board of administration, helping especially with financial matters and renovations. True to form, he was involved in the church and community centre renovations and he was instrumental in getting the festival grounds established in it’s current form on the beach. No matter where he went, something was built, changed, or expanded. He has left behind gardens for his family and friends to enjoy while they are recalling his stories and funny sayings, his tales of his many travels, or his love of country music, cooking up a good scoff, and calling the crowd together.

Opportunities to visit and say farewell will be at Dunphy’s Funeral Home, Holyrood, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Monday October 4, 2021 and Tuesday, October 5, 2021. His private funeral, due to COVID restrictions, will take place at Holy Cross Church, Holyrood, on Wednesday, October 6, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. Because we would dearly love to have all of you with us, the funeral will be live streamed for those who would like to join us at the link provided below.

If you wish, donations in his memory may be made to The Bliss Murphy Cancer Centre or Holy Cross Restoration Fund or you may do something of your own choosing.