Obituary of Glenn Peter Tunnock
Tunnock, Glenn Peter
June 16, 1949 - September 11, 2024
It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Glenn Peter Tunnock on September 11th, 2024 in Perth, Ontario at the age of 75. He was surrounded by his loved ones during the last few days and received compassionate care at the Perth Hospital. Glenn gained a love for the town of Perth after completing the town’s Official Plan and spent the last 10 years living on Otty Lake.
Glenn spent his early years in Etobicoke. He was the son of the late (Willam) George Tunnock and Alice Savory Tunnock (Jefferies). He will be sadly missed by his sister Shirlee Ann Tunnock (late Harry Kibuspa) who resides in St. Catharines, Ontario.
Glenn is survived by his partner Linda Cuthbertson, his son and daughter, Shane Tunnock (Janice Dashnay) of North Bay and Allison Tunnock (Adam Whelan) of Ottawa. He raised his family in Orleans and North Bay with ex-wife Paulette DesJardin. Allison’s two sons, Easton (13) and Camden (11) Grenier, were his treasured grandsons. He became a very special part of the lives of Linda’s two daughters, Bronwyn Cuthbertson of Toronto and Jaimie Cuthbertson of Bondi Beach, Australia.
Glenn graduated from the School of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Waterloo in 1972. In 1983 he completed his Master of Public Administration from Queen’s University. His passion for history lead to the completion of yet another master’s degree from Queen’s in 2009. In 1979 he became a member of the Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP) and in 1995 became a full member of the Ontario Professional Planners Institute. For almost 10 years he was on the Board of Directors for the Planning Student Trust Fund of the CIP and the chief juror of the scholarship and bursary awards. He added to the award program by creating a Climate Change Award through a generous personal donation.
Most of Glenn’s working career was in Ontario, first for the province, then venturing into the private sector eventually establishing Tunnock Consulting Limited. He worked for so many municipalities that there weren’t too many places in the province that he couldn’t share information about. Even in his retirement he still consulted and was working on different projects until his passing.
Glenn’s concern for environmental issues such as shorelines, wetlands and climate change not only dictated his professional decisions but lead to involvement in organizations such as Friends of the Tay Watershed, Climate Network Lanark and Active Transportation Perth.
His passion for history lead to involvement with The Friends of La Vase Portages in North Bay, doing presentations for the local Perth Historical Society, and part of groups that planned special events for Perth’s 200th Anniversary. He acquired a period costume and assumed the role of one of Perth’s significant historical figures, William Morris on several occasions.
Glenn was a true Boy Scout at heart. He made a lot of boyhood friends through Scouting and the Rover group he led became lifetime friends. He was always teaching his grandsons about being prepared and safety precautions when canoeing, kayaking or boating.
Even at 75 he was very active and would often ride his bicycle 30- 50 kilometres to start his day. He loved the outdoors and cherished his moments living on Otty Lake and sharing lake life with his loved ones. Every morning, he would fill the bird feeders and enjoy sitting at his window watching them unless he had his nose in a history book or was playing his grand piano. Glenn was an avid traveller. He and Linda did several trips, but two amazing trips were one around the world and another in South America. Glenn assumed many leadership roles at St. Paul’s over the years and valued the caring support and friendship of his church family.
Friends and family may pay their respects at the church altar prior to and following the service. His funeral will be held at St. Paul’s United Church, 25 Gore St. W., Perth on Friday September 20th, 2024 at 11:00 A.M. Everyone is invited to a reception at the church following the service. The interment will be at 3:30 P.M. that afternoon at the Rideau Ferry Cemetery. In honour of Glenn, donations to Friends of the Tay Watershed, Perth and District Community Foundation or the CIP Climate Change Award, organizations which he was involved with or other organizations of your choice that honour his values would be appreciated. Arrangements are in the care of Blair & Son Funeral Home, Perth.
