Gregory A. Baun

You can't make that shit up... HA!

Remembering Greg

With profound sadness, the family announces the passing of Gregory "Greg" A. Baun, known throughout his life by an assortment of nicknames that only close friends could explain, among them "Bauner," “Bauno”, "G1," "Chubb," "Boom" and "Casper." Greg passed away peacefully in Kingston, Ontario, on July 18, 2026, at the age of 67, surrounded by his wife, Glenda, his children, Kyle, Jessica and Lauren, and their partners.

Greg was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, the son of Bobby Baun, a beloved figure in Canadian hockey history, and Sallie Baun. He was predeceased by his father and his grand-dog, Willa, and is survived by his wife and lifelong partner, Glenda; his children, Kyle (Chelsea), Jessica (Georgian) and Lauren (Mitch); his granddaughter, Lennon; his grand-dog, Wilbur; his siblings, Jeff (Wanda), Brian (Claudia), Michelle (Keith), and Patty; and his mother, Sallie.

Greg's transient early childhood was a product of the itinerant professional hockey life, following his father's career to a few unexpected corners of North America before the family settled back home in Toronto for good. It was there that he became an eager farmhand and grew into a savvy, curious, and hard-working young man - the sort of person people simply gravitated toward, funny and completely unbothered by pretense.

He attended St. Andrew's College, where he excelled on the ice and the field, graduating in 1979. Classmates from those years remember him less for any particular accolade than for his warmth, spirit, generosity and – in Greg’s words – epic pranks. Greg was described by members of the St. Andrew’s community as the kind of guy who'd greet anyone, athlete or not, with a grin and an easy "how ya doin'?" That instinct for making people feel seen never left him.

Greg enrolled at Queen's University immediately after SAC, joining the Gael’s football program as an authoritative running back, but after a few semesters took a leave of absence to head west with his brother. He eventually returned to Queen's, resumed his studies and his place on the varsity football roster, and graduated in 1987 with a degree in Physical Education. On the football field, he earned a reputation as a tough and relentless running back, a reputation illustrated by a standout 1984 season that saw him named a conference Athlete of the Week and etched his name among the most efficient rushers in program history.

After graduating, Greg’s fearless optimism took him to Faro, Yukon, where he spent two years leading operations at the community’s recreational facility. When he returned home, he took over managing one of his father's Tim Hortons locations, which at the time was the top-performing store in the country. It was during this time that he met Glenda, the beginning of the partnership that would define the rest of his life.

Greg's path into business began, fittingly, on a squash court. A casual game at the local Pickering community center introduced him to the founder of a small local company, and in 1994 he bought in as a 50/50 partner. What followed was more than thirty years at the helm of what became one of the leading liquid de-icing and dust-control distribution businesses in Eastern Canada and the Northeastern United States. Under his leadership, the company grew from a modest local operation into a major regional network, and Greg earned a reputation across the industry as a hands-on, relationship-driven leader who never lost the plain-spoken warmth he'd carried since his St. Andrew’s days.

He was an outspoken champion of more environmentally responsible approaches to winter road maintenance, and he cared as much about the people inside his company as the product moving through it, a philosophy that colleagues and partners alike often remarked upon over the years. Glenda worked alongside him throughout, a true partner in the business as much as in life, and in recent years Greg welcomed new ownership partners into the company to help guide its next chapter, eventually stepping back from day-to-day leadership after nearly three decades of building something he was deeply proud of.

Whatever the demands of running a growing business, Greg never let them get in the way of being a present, hands-on father. He coached his children through years of hockey and track and field, among other sports, always shooting pucks in the driveway, playing baseball in the backyard and showing up for early practices and late games no matter how tired he was. He was equally generous to his community, quietly supporting the local high school football program for years with donated equipment and gear, and giving back to institutions that had shaped his own life and his family's, including his alma mater and a certain hospital program close to his heart.

Whether it was running the kids around or just an ordinary weekend, Greg had a simple rule he lived by: you can really only commit to and really excel at two things in life, and for him those two things were always family and work.

Greg was never one to sit still. He and Glenda honeymooned at Charleston Lake, a place he'd first come to love during his childhood years, and the lake remained a touchstone throughout his life. He brought his own young family there in the early years of his kids' childhoods, and, decades later, he and Glenda finally built a family cottage there, a place he came to cherish alongside his long-standing love for Kingston and the Thousand Islands region. He kept two boats at the ready and spent as much time as he could on the water, boating, fishing, paddleboarding and kayaking around the lake.

Fishing was as close to a calling as Greg had outside of family and work. He chased salmon and halibut on lodge trips in Northern British Columbia and Alaska, lake trout in the Northwest Territories on Great Bear Lake, and for many years, made an annual pilgrimage to the Caughnawana Fishing and Hunting Club he treasured in Northern Quebec. Fittingly, his very last trip, just days before he passed, was a week on Great Bear Lake with close friends. He enjoyed cycling for most of his adult life and picked up pickleball more recently, throwing himself into it with the same relentless competitiveness that had defined him on the football field decades earlier.

Despite a genuine fear of heights, Greg loved being outdoors and had a particular talent for leading unsuspecting friends and family on hikes that turned out to be considerably more adventurous than advertised. The Scarborough Bluffs were his home turf and served as a proving ground for many of his victims. He was endlessly curious about the natural world, loved spending long afternoons manicuring his gardens, and was always ready with a camera when wildlife, especially birds and deer, crossed his path.
He traveled widely over the years, with trips spanning Europe, the United States, the Middle East, the Caribbean, and the far reaches of Canada's north to the brisk shores of Newfoundland, never relinquishing the thirst for adventure he developed in his younger years. Closer to home, he remained a loyal, long-suffering fan of Toronto's sports teams, and he could just as happily be found watching golf or tennis as football and hockey.

If there is one thread running through every memory shared about Greg, it is his laugh. He was warm, funny, and endlessly game for a good prank, the kind of person who made gatherings better just by being there. He had a soft spot for bright, loud shirts, a genuine passion for cooking and grilling for the people he loved, and an unshakable habit of "borrowing" his kids' dogs whenever he got the chance, having always kept dogs of his own while his children were growing up.

Friends and colleagues alike describe him as generous with his time, steadfast in his encouragement and selfless in his willingness to connect with people simply because he thought they'd get along. He was, in the truest sense, a people person: unhurried in conversation, quick to laugh, and utterly unconcerned with status or pretense. That was Greg — larger than life, and impossible not to love.

Greg lived fully, on his own terms, right to the end. A celebration of his life will be held this September. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly asks that donations be made in Greg's memory to the Neurosciences and the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Kingston General Hospital through the University Hospitals Kingston Foundation (UHKF) or to a charity of your own choice (details below).

Greg Through the Years

Share a Memory

Celebration of Life

In Greg's Honor