Obituary of Gordon Stimmell
Gordon Stimmell
February 27, 1947 – April 21, 2019
Passed away peacefully due to complications from COPD surrounded by family.
Survived by his wife of 51 years, Carole, daughters Sarah and Emily, sister Susie (Greg) and niece Kelly.
An ‘army brat’, Gordon grew up living all over the world, from Saipan (when he was two) to Turkey, where he graduated high school — living in 20 different places by the time he was 18.
A journalist for most of his life, he started his career by becoming a copyboy at the Washington Post in 1967 (where he met Carole) and worked his way up to news editor.
He returned to school and earned a Masters Degree in 1973 at the University of Toronto studying with Marshall McLuhan.
He joined the Toronto Sun as an editor in 1974 and then joined the Toronto Star in the late 1990s eventually becoming StarWeek editor.
One of his major passions was wine. He worked as a wine columnist for 25 years at the Toronto Sun and the Star (Gord on Grapes) as well as a stint as managing editor of Wine Access. Among his many awards for wine writing, he was awarded the LCBO’s Lifetime achievement Award, the ‘Elsie’, in 2016.
Another of his major interests was postal history. He was a founding member of The Carriers and Local Society, and edited its journal, The Penny Post, for many years. His contributions in writing and research to the philatelic world have been recognized by a number of major awards.
He loved fishing, playing pool, and manhattans. He was a published poet and an accomplished bird watcher.
Although he travelled extensively throughout his life, his spiritual home was always the family cottage, Pine Loch in New Hampshire, where his ashes will be scattered.
A remembrance of his life will be held on Sunday, May 5th from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Toronto Hunt Club (1355 Kingston Rd.).
The family requests that donations in Gordon’s memory be made to Grapes for Humanity www.grapesforhumanity.com. If you wish to make a donation, please refer to the link above.
Please share in your favourite memories, sentiments and photos of his life here at his memorial webpage.
Uniquely entrusted to eco Cremation & Burial Services Inc.
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