Memories & Celebration: Obituary

Brian Beaton

September 21, 1953 - October 2, 2021

Brian Beaton passed away peacefully in the Fredericton Hospice in New Brunswick last week. Before going into his final sleep, Brian spoke of his love for his children and grandchildren, his pride in what they managed to make of their lives, and his gratitude for all the love they gave him.

Born into a seven-generation family dairy farm in Cumberland in the Ottawa Valley, he was the son of the late Kenneth and Wilma Beaton and stepson to Jean. Besides his parents, he was predeceased by his beloved wife Lorraine Kenny in January 2010.

He is survived by his partner Susan, his sisters Marilyn and Laurie, his brothers Mark (Evelyn) and Terry (Denise), his four children, Leilani, Clayton (Krista), Serena (Shayne), and Stefanie (Carl), 10 grandchildren: Alliah (Malik), Jordan, Chalise, Chloe, Tristan, Keilana, Willow, Skye, Caden, and River, and his great-grandson Giiwedin.

Brian graduated from the University of Waterloo and soon began a career spanning more than three decades in Northern Ontario, developing telecommunications infrastructure and services. Brian is remembered in Sioux Lookout and many fly-in Indigenous communities in Northwestern Ontario as the manager of the team that built K-Net, the largest Indigenous-owned and operated telecommunications services company in the world, bringing the Internet and many digital services to remote communities.

When asked why he left K-Net in Sioux Lookout to move to Fredericton in 2013, he often replied “it’s a love story.” After moving to Fredericton to be with Susan, he also fell in love with New Brunswick.

Brian was buried on October 12, 2021, with Lorraine at the Hillcrest Cemetery in Sioux Lookout. He will be remembered for many things, including his habit of ending his messages with: LOVE LOVE LOVE!