Cornwall & Area Chamber of Commerce Pays Tribute at the passing of Joe Gunn – May 12, 2011 – Cornwall Ontario

Chamber Shocked by Loss of Respected Member

“The Cornwall & Area Chamber of Commerce is mourning the loss of one of its longest serving and most respected members. Joe Gunn, Treasurer and Director on the Chamber Board, has passed away.

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“We were shocked when advised of the news,” states a saddened Rick Shaver, Chamber President. “Joe has been a rock on our Board and was always there to remind us of our mandate. It is a huge loss, not only to all of us at the Chamber but our entire community.”

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Executive Manager, Lezlie Strasser echoed Shaver’s comments. “Joe was a professional colleague, a wonderful mentor and a close and dear friend,” she says. “He was always there to offer support and advice and I will miss his guidance, his encouragement, and his friendship, and I know I speak for our entire Chamber team.”
Joe Gunn’s tenure with the Cornwall Chamber spanned more than 40 years. He was a longstanding member with his affiliation going back to the early 1970’s when he was its Executive Manager. He retained that close affiliation, serving as a Director and since 2008, was its Treasurer. Fiscally responsible, he took his Treasurer’s duties seriously and spent countless hours working with Chamber staff on budgets and operating activities.

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Joe’s conservative nature made him a champion of free enterprise and he firmly believed in the philosophy of chambers across the country. He was a former business owner in Cornwall and operated a Radio Shack franchise in the city.

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His contribution and dedication to his community and the people who lived there went far beyond his business related activities. He was a driving force in the Kinsmen and Rotary Clubs, and spent a number of years as a Trustee on the Upper Canada District School Board and its predecessor Board in Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry.

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Joe’s willingness to serve brought him to agencies such as tourism, mental health, Community Living, and more. He also served his country as an air force pilot. One would be hard pressed to find an organization or individual in Cornwall that has not been touched, in some way, by Joe Gunn.

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The Chamber sends its deepest condolences to the Gunn family and wants them to know, he was loved by his community and — he made a difference. God bless.”

We also heard from John Divinski:

Your article was sent to me on the passing of Joe Gunn and like everyone else I was shocked.

Joe was a great friend to me from the first time I arrived in Cornwall to when I finally left.  He went out of his way to make all of the real estate arrangements so that I could have somewhere to live in my new home on the shores of Lake Huron.

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His dedication to community was exemplary and if you had a minute, he would love to talk politics or education or both!  He will be missed by his family, his friends and his community.

My prayers and thoughts are with he and his family.

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God bless

John Divinski – Talkback – Seaway News