City of Kawartha Lakes Ward 3 Coun. Gord Miller dies
The City of Kawartha Lakes is mourning the sudden death of former Ward 3 councillor Gord Miller.
Miller, who was the Ward 3 councillor elected in 2014, died suddenly on Saturday in hospital in Woodstock, Ont. He was 63.
A funeral will be Thursday at 2 p.m. at the Brock and Visser Funeral Home, 845 Devonshire Ave. in Woodstock. Visitation is from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home.
Dozens of people offered condolences after his wife, Cathy, posted on Facebook, saying, “Last night I suddenly lost my lover, best friend and a wonderful husband, father and grandfather. My heart is broken …”
Last year, City of Kawartha Lakes council reduced the size of council to eight members and changed the ward boundaries. Miller did not seek re-election in 2018, but had a four-year term representing people of the Kinmount and Burnt River areas.
Mayor Andy Letham and Miller’s fellow councillors are expressing shock and sadness after losing one of their own. City staff said Letham advised the councillors on Sunday that Miller suffered a cardiac arrest.
The mayor said he was “devastated to hear of Gord’s passing” as Miller was “a personal friend.”
Coun. Patrick O’Reilly said Miller had “a larger than life personality” and that his experience operating his own human resources company allowed him to bring “a broad perspective” to council on many issues.
“He was a tremendous asset to the city.”
Coun. Doug Elmslie said Miller was “a very nice person, dedicated to his family and his community.”
“He was polite, thoughtful and always tried to do the right thing.”
He said he hoped Miller’s family and friends take comfort from their good memories of him.
Coun. Andrew Veale said Miller’s death came as a complete shock.
“I just couldn’t believe it. He was a really nice guy, a hardworking guy. We were both elected at the same time in 2014 and he enjoyed being a councillor. He liked the interaction with people and he enjoyed the discussions around the table.”
Miller was an accomplished musician. His Passport bandmate Bob May said the band played several gigs around the City last summer. He described how Miller invited the band to his Burnt River home when a Kinmount Concert in the Park in July was rained out.
May said he and Gord met during Rick Johnson’s Oh What a Feelin’ shows at Academy Theatre in Lindsay in 2014 and 2015.
“That’s where I first ran into him. He had just moved to Burnt River a couple of years before from Whitby.” Miller had previously lived in Winnipeg, where the Passport band began.
“Gord was on guitar and man, could he rip a mean lead,” May said.
May said Miller was “a loving husband to Cathy, a wonderful father and grandfather to his kids and grandkids.”
City staff said people can sign a book of condolences, available in the councillor room, located across from the mayor’s office at City Hall during office hours.