To Keith Burley, family, friends, and creating community were the most important things in life. His deep appreciation for community and for helping others was reflected in his decision to leave a gift in his Will to Northumberland Hills Hospital (NHH), where he witnessed that same spirit through the care, compassion, and family-like support shown to his wife, Genevieve.
Keith, originally from Newtonville, and Genevieve, from Cobourg, married on April 4, 1953 and lived a long, happy, and adventurous life together.
Before meeting Genevieve, Keith had attended Port Hope High School, leaving in his second year to help his father at the family’s Newtonville based garage. After taking a Tool and Die course, he began working for General Electric before enlisting with the Canadian Air Force. Keith trained as an aero engine mechanic and was posted in P.E.I., where he worked on and flew many different World War II trainer and combat aircraft. Following his discharge from the Air Force, Keith returned to Ontario and his family business, which by then consisted of garage work, snow ploughing, operations of one tow truck and two school buses, and a 200-acre farm.
Keith focused on the bus operations and in 1956, he became the sole owner of Burley Bus Lines, which he grew throughout his career to include school, charter, intercity, transit and suburban services. In the early years of their marriage, Keith and Genevieve resided in Cobourg, where Genevieve taught at local schools and Keith expanded Burley Bus Lines from having services in Port Hope, Cobourg, Bowmanville, and Peterborough, to opening a division in the Guelph/Kitchener area. In 1970, Keith sold the Northumberland area operations and the two moved with their five children to Waterloo to both focus on the Guelph/Kitchener operations and enjoy more time for their shared passion of sailing.
Together, Keith and Genevieve set off on adventures most will never experience – sailing from Hamilton, Ontario to Newfoundland, crossing the Atlantic Ocean in their 44-foot yacht, touring the Mediterranean and Caribbean by sea, and more.
In 2002, Keith and Genevieve returned home to Northumberland, moving just north of Port Hope to the village of Canton. As Genevieve experienced health issues in the later years of her life, they were grateful to have NHH close by as she spent time in hospital on and off as a patient from 2014 to when she passed in 2020. Throughout each visit, her care teams treated her like family, providing personal touches and helping to comfort both her and Keith.
Even throughout the height of the pandemic, when updates to family were provided mostly by phone, their efforts and compassion helped maintain the connection and comfort with those unable to visit Genevieve in hospital.
When Keith passed in May 2024, he left a gift in his Will to NHH Foundation in appreciation of the care and kindness provided to Genevieve. For someone who had an open-door policy, who treated strangers like family, and who would go out of his way to help others, the team’s treatment of his wife – the love of his life – made a lasting impact and now, his gift will make a lasting impact on others in our community.
