McGRATH, Brian De Courcey

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Brian McGrath on Monday, September 22, 2025, at home in Wasaga Beach.

Brian was the beloved husband of Sandy (Ford Dalton) McGrath, devoted father to Scott (Lyndsay) McGrath and Mark (Jill) McGrath; he was step-father to Jon Dalton, Joel (Missy) Dalton and Martha (James) Walker; he was cherished grandfather to Logan, Parker, Blayke and Poppy and Papa to Harriet, Daniel and Katie.

He was predeceased by his first wife Joanne (nee Bishop), his parents, Rupert and Ruth (Lockhart) McGrath, brothers Don and Bev, sister Joanne Rawson, sister-in-law Lorna and niece Kelly.

Brian will be fondly remembered by his brother Rod (Nancy) McGrath, in-laws Marion McGrath, Bev (Caroline) Rawson, Olga & Bill Bishop, Cathy (Trevor) Bishop, Linda (Joseph) Ryan and MaryAnn (Peter) Bastin, as well as many dear nieces, nephews, cousins, extended family and countless friends.

Brian was born in Barrie on February 29, 1948. He grew up on the family farm on the Baseline Rd. in Elmvale. Brian always did his share of the chores and was rewarded with many simple pleasures like hunting with his dog, riding his pony and being spoiled by his mother and older siblings.

Brian moved away from home to find work. After a brief time at Canadian General Electric Wholesalers in Kitchener, he went to Eatons where he spent 16 years working in many capacities from the warehouse to fleet manager and had opportunities to travel broadly across Canada. After several years selling insurance for Aetna, Mutual Life and Will Marshall Insurance Brokers, Brian became a broker and worked for 24 years from his home office. He was well liked and respected in the community.

Brian loved baseball. He pitched for men’s teams wherever he lived, most recently the Elmvale Brewers. He was an avid fan of the Montreal Expos (back in the day) and the Toronto Blue Jays. Brian also loved golf. His move to Country Meadows gave him a chance to play nearly every day, and weather permitting sometimes he got a second round in. Brian also enjoyed crokinole, racketball and squash, plus he loved his classic cars.

He spent countless hours coaching and managing his sons’ hockey and baseball teams as a way to display his love and devotion. Scott and Mark were such a big part of his life and he relished the time they could spend together on car trips, in arenas, and on baseball fields.

Brian loved to go to a party. He was a quiet guy who didn’t like to be the centre of attention. The only departure from that was hosting his own going away party, Brian’s Last Hoorah. He got a chance to see his nearest and dearest one more time.