GEORGE IRWIN LONGHURST
(Buck)
March 24, 1946 – October 12, 2021
We are saddened to announce the passing of Buck Longhurst in his 76th year. Buck passed away peacefully on Tuesday morning, October 12, 2021 in the cardiac care unit at Health Sciences North Hospital surrounded by family. Buck is survived by his wife of 34 years, Eldene (Porter (Bailey)) of Gore Bay, step-children Anne Porter of Gore Bay, Jeff and Sandy (Knight) Porter of Aurora, and grandchildren Bailey Nerbus of Kelona, and Chris and Sarah Porter of Aurora. He is predeceased by his parents David and Iris of Sault Ste Marie. Buck was a lifelong Great Lakes shipping enthusiast, a self- described “boat nut.” He worked as a Hoisting Engineer-Mobile crane operator with his crane, Dino the Dinosaur, at Algoma Steel, loading ships. He spent many hours chasing boats around the Great Lakes to get the perfect picture for his collection. One of his fondest memories was of a boating adventure where he helped his friend Jack Purvis bring the tugboat Avenger back to Sault Ste Marie from Gravesend, England. Buck authored several historical shipping books with a wide variety of marine topics. He was a longtime member of the Toronto Marine Historical Society and the Marine Historical Society of Detroit. After retiring to Gore Bay, he worked very hard to help establish the William Purvis Marine Museum, where much of his marine collection is now on display. The family would like to express their appreciation to the nurses of the fifth floor cardiac care unit at HSN for their compassion and care of Buck in his final days. They would also like to thank the dialysis nurses at the Little Current Hospital for their many years of exceptional care and treatment of Buck. Buck will be cremated. As per his request, there will be no service. Donations to the Kidney Foundation of Canada or the Gore Bay Manitoulin Lodge Angel Bus would be greatly appreciated.
