I had the honor of working with him at his last position before Covid hit. He was a great manager and easy to work for. He always made sure I was looked after if I needed anything. I was saddened when he was laid-off and even more saddened to hear of his passing. Thoughts and prayers are with his family!

It was a sad day when I heard Smitty had passed.  But my thoughts of Greg and all the great times I have shared with him have helped ease the pain.  Smitty was a couple years older than me, but I recall the good ol’ Crestview Community Club days when a bunch of us neighbourhood kids would practically live at the club, playing pick-up ball or scrub hockey till dark.  He was a very talented and competitive kid who had as much fun as anyone could, over all those years.   It wasn’t till Grade 10 at John Taylor Collegiate that I had found out Smitty and I were actually 2nd cousins.  We played-up the “Hey Cuz” thing over the decades since, but most people didn’t even know we were related.  I thought of Smitty more as a friend, with a little added blood connection in there. Post high school our paths crossed quite often; at Dukes’ hockey games, MacDon fastball action, Wednesday night basketball at Ness Junior High, multiple golf outings over the years and all kinds of social events associated with these activities.  Smitty was a very talented athlete, an always-smiling friend and he had this knack of throwing compliments at people, making them feel good.  The GM knew a lot of people and a lot of people knew him for his positive energy at whatever it was he was doing.   As others have mentioned, Greg was a take-charge kinda guy who had jokes or one-liners at the ready.  He loved running the BBQ, he wanted to plan the fastball wind-up, and he wanted to manage the fastball team.  And when he did these things (and many others), we loved it, because it was always a fun time and done right. That’s what Smitty did;  he had a great time whenever I saw him and that’s what will stick with me. RIP Cuz KT  Kelly Taylor

What a tragic loss. Smitty was a beauty. He would randomly show up at some hockey rink or in Kenora just to watch some St. James kids hockey and talk about life in general and I can honestly say he brought a smile to my face everytime. Sharing a cocktail at the Iceplex and miss the entire game just to share some laughs with Greg. God Bless!

I have not seen Greg as often as most of you as it has been many years since I left the ‘Peg.  In fact it’s been a couple of years since I last saw Smitty and hooked up for a round of golf.  Greg was one of the original players behind the “East West Challenge “ and truth be told the best among us.  Always loved watching how much swing speed he could get out of his 170 lbs ( if that! ).  Reading all the notes from all his closest friends still leaves me wishing I had seen him one last time. We all lost a good guy.  May he RIP.   My heartfelt condolences to his family.  

Smitty has been a part of the Dukes for as long as anyone can remember, whether it’s baseball, golfing, playing hockey or just general socializing.  His other nickname is GM (General Manager) because he’s always been a take charge guy and a keen organizer. General Manager was his usual title in his work life so it was natural for us to call him that. An excellent athlete that kept things fun on the golf course, the ball diamond and at the rink, Smitty was always a “regular” guy and in our world that’s high praise.  A thick skin and a sharp wit, he was in the mix for everything that we did. We did a lot of coaching and organizing together and that may have included a cocktail here and there, I'm gonna miss you buddy! The Dukes are deeply saddened by his passing and our thoughts and prayers go out to Kim and Matt and Jeff and the rest of his family.  Dwayne (Dewey) Newman 9 Proud member of the Dukes est. 1978

I met Greg through the Dukes many years ago, and glad I met Greg. Greg will be missed, enjoyed many golf games with Greg over the years, talking sports, having a beverage. I`m glad I was able to witness one of his two aces last summer, one at Links on the Lake in Gimli. One of the best golf trips I`ve ever had, the GM organized great golf courses, barbequed great meals, picked some great restaurants when we visited Arizona. Greg had a fun competitive nature while playing any sport as we all know, will be sorely missed. Always a smile on his face, happy to see whoever.  Still hard to believe. Glad to have  Greg as a friend, Will always think of Greg on the 11th at the course in Gimli, and always missed.  Gary

My Safeway shopping will never be the same.  Running into Greg there was always a pleasure - we'd end up chatting, talking dinner, and what to get fresh at the farmer's market.  I truly enjoyed our conversations on our deck or in our garage - some good stories, laughs, dancing, and hugs.  I thought I knew how to make homemade garlic bread, until Greg took over one day. Hah.  "Gotta crisp it up before you take out of the oven," he'd say.  Now I don't make it any other way!  Thank you for all the lovely memories my friend - so glad I have those to cherish always.  Love ya, Kelly. 

The Friday Night Gang (FNG’s) truly enjoyed when Greg was a part of our game including of course pre & post celebrations! You will be missed!

I had the privilege of having Greg as a team mate in golf, hockey, and billiards over the last few decades. Greg will be missed by so many.  So disappointing.    My condolences to the family and friends.  Warren

Smitty recently told me that he regretted very little in his life. He went on to explain that he'd been many places, done many things, lived life pretty much the way he wanted and had loads of fun doing it! Those who knew Greg know that really was how he lived! Smitty enjoyed life's finer things! He would take great joy in planning an event. You could be rest assured if you were going anywhere with Greg he would have every detail thought out in advance and it would be first class! Smitty never complained he would take a less than ideal situation and make the best of it! He never brought down a room only lifted it! Greg, like many of us could be stubborn but he always listened and respected the views of others. He was a gentleman. I feel extremely fortunate to have known Greg and I'm honored that he considered me a friend! Writing this creates such a profound sadness in my heart as I can't believe I'm never gonna play golf or have drinks on my deck with him again!  To a life well played albeit all too short.....Cheers to my buddy....I'm really going to miss you! Samarai! Bill

Greg was always a very pleasant and helpful person. I will miss him at our Billiard sessions.   My condolences to the family and friends.

I'm sharing a few things here that you would normally never hear out of me. Here goes. Greg has been gone for a month already but seeing this obituary makes it feel like it just happened. I lost my best friend and, some say, my brother. What was, and still is amazing to me is just how many good folks reached out to me with personal condolences.  That's quite special and really something which got me thinking... I have rationalize that nothing "that was" is gone, it's just "what could be" that is no longer going to happen.  I guess, for that reason, I'll be selfish and say, I'm put off by Greg leaving.  The great news is, I have no regrets and had nothing pending with Greg and I'm sure he would say the same if he was able. As far as stories and memories? There's hundreds of them and probably too many to share. Most of you reading this have enough of your own. It's safe to say, a few secrets did die with Greg which is OK. There's a saying I borrowed from another late best friend Harold who did say, "I have lots of friends and I'm not interviewing for new friends right now". I'll probably never say that again as I have quickly learned  over the last few months, you never have too many friends and having great friends is a true blessing. As mentioned, Greg passing leaves a void that will be nearly impossible to fill. Plus who's going to cook the steaks, pour the wine, walk my dog, and drive me nuts by him sinking long chips and putts? That's enough about me. Now I should say a few things about Greg since it's his obit. Greg was a loyal, sharing person that didn't really have an "off switch" didn't know the word "no". There are countless examples of his generosity, especially with some of the "elders" from our billiard league.  Plus, he was always willing to help and instruct if the opportunity presented itself. Greg was like family to my kids, super supportive, and was a great friend to Bev. He was a great cook. Bev even relented the cooking to him when he would visit. He was talented in many ways and once he applied himself to a task or cause, he normally conquered it. He made an effort (most of the time) to be home in time to drive his boys here and there and also tried hard (again, most of the time) to be home to prepare supper.  Daily visits to the grocery store were important to Greg to keep it fresh. His personality occasionally did not mesh perfectly with everyone, but that's their fault and in true "Smitty" fashion, he didn't care. As the saying goes, "you don't know what you have until it's gone" suggests, we will all feel that over the next days, weeks, months, and years.  We'll all miss him.

Sorry for your liss. A fine gentleman

I am honoured to say that my friendship with Smitty was truly a blast! The GM will greatly be missed! RIP 

I met Greg over 40 years ago through a mutual friend, he helped me learn the game of golf, although I never mastered the game as he did. There were countless games he made it look easy Folks may not know Greg had a brief career as a pit crew member of a NHRA race car in which he brought his enthusiasm and tenacity to, we enjoyed several ventures throughout the USA I know I’ll miss his big smile and bigger drives this summer 

I’m happy I got to spend so much time with my good friend. Europe adventures, NASCAR, hockey, curling, baseball, and a close encounter with para-gliding in Switzerland. I will miss our wine and steak nights. God speed buddy.