Geoffrey Emanuel Geduld, 1930- 2023
Geoffrey (Geoff) Emanuel Geduld died peacefully at the Riverpath Retirement Residence in
Ottawa on Saturday October 28, 2023 at the age of 93. Geoff graduated from Concordia University (Montreal) with a Bachelor of Commerce in 1974 and a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A) from York University (Toronto) in 1983.
Geoff was a pioneer in the Information Technology (IT) industry in which he worked many years in Montreal and Toronto. Of note, he worked for RCA, the Shugart Division of Xerox
Corporation and also started his own company named Penryn Electronics Corporation. He
named his company after a small village in west Cornwall, England where he was evacuated
during World War II. He grew to love the couple, Rodney and Violet Trevena, who took him in
during that tumultuous time. He occasionally told the story of how he was bombed twice while
living in Penryn. While still living in England, he served in the Royal Air Force as ground crew and married Edith. They emigrated to Canada in 1957.
Geoff was loved and well-known for his dry sense of humour, his interest in amateur/ham
radios, his enthusiasm for boating, particularly sailing, and for his passion for refurbishing and
rebuilding all sorts of electronic devices including televisions, computers, cars and even airplane
radios. He also enjoyed woodworking and creating furniture as a hobby.
After his retirement from his career in IT, he volunteered at the ham radio kiosk at the Ontario Science Centre and also developed an interest in heritage and conservation. Notably, he became President of the North York Historical Society, Director of the Ontario Historical Society and Toronto Historical Association. For this work, he was honoured with a number of awards including the Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012 and the Lieutenant Governor’s Ontario Heritage Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2009.
Over the past decade and more, Geoff battled with dementia however, he never lost his polite and
courteous demeanor. He will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 71 years, Edith; his
daughters Margot and Jennifer (Philip) and grandchildren Alexandre, Patrick, Finley and
Sophie.
Donations can be made in memory of Geoffrey to the Glebe Centre`s Abbotsford House Senior`s Community Centre, an organization that provided support to him and Edith in the last years or the North York Historical Society.