It is with great sadness that I must report the passing of Brenda Loretta Hogg, 53, along with her partner Dewain Richard McCracken, 67, aboard their boat ‘Knot 4 Sail’ on it’s maiden voyage this past Saturday evening. There are indeed many reasons Greater Napanee is Greater but today we find ourselves with one less.
Brenda’s passionate political engagement is what first attracted me to her. It’s been said that municipal politics are the only politics because they’re the ones we deal with on a daily basis: roads, water, sewage, parks. They’re often forgotten for sexier topics like defence or healthcare, yet Brenda Hogg didn’t forget. She wasn’t interested in those abstract concepts debated by the privileged. No, Brenda was interested in the here and now, the things that made the lives of her fellow citizens and compatriots richer every day, especially if they were of the four-legged persuasion.
Born to Eugene “Mike” Hogg and Rosalie “Rosie” Chevallier, Brenda was no stranger to politics growing up. As a well-known labour organizer, Mike also ran for office multiple times under the Social Credit ticket with Rosie acting as his hot-tempered campaign manager. The two met in the festivities following D-Day, where Mike had helped storm Juno Beach. Rosie became an early mental health advocate after dealing with Mike’s so-called ‘battle fatigue’ for years, what we now know as PTSD. While success in left-wing politics evaded this forward-thinking couple, Mike eventually settled into work as a carpenter at Gibbard’s furniture while Rosie took work as a seamstress and taught singing lessons to help make ends meet.
Popularity came easily to Brenda in her early years. Accompanying Mike and Rosie to various folk music performances provided ample training to become the life of the party by her teens and twenties. A precocious nature and boisterous attitude lead to success in the hospitality industry, with Brenda waitressing at various local establishments over the years. It was in her late thirties that Brenda retired her apron, took her longstanding job at Giant Tiger, and entered politics by way of her volunteer work at the legion where she had become treasurer. Of course it was Brenda’s passion for rescue pugs that lead her to become the region’s leading expert in off-leash park energy flow and ley-lines.
Brenda’s untimely passing is a reminder to all of us that life is short, far too often unexpectedly so. The here and now is our only guarantee and I take solace in the fact that her final moments were spent joyfully in the presence of new-found love. There are few moments so sweet as those. Unfortunately it is also a dire reminder that propane, or any other heavier-than-air volatile substance, must be handled with the utmost care in accordance with ABYC standards aboard any watercraft.
Brenda is survived by her five beloved fur-babies, currently up for adoption. Reece Whiskerspoon and Dutchess (six-year-old orange siblings) must be adopted as a pair. Bryan Adams is a Tom of unknown age who will be up for adoption whenever he returns home. Deuain Junior (pug, blind, sixteen years old), and Sir Barksworth III (pug, eight years old) were miraculously thrown clear and will be available for adoption following their treatment for minor injuries. Funeral arrangements will be printed in the Napanee Beaver at a later date. Donations in Brenda’s honour can be made to Royal Canadian Legion Branch 137.
-Jules
