We regret to advise of the death of Sergeant George Edward Kirton, CD (Ret’d) at the Misericordia Hospital in Edmonton AB on 18 March 2021 at age 56. George served a 21-year career with the Canadian Military Engineers.

George was born in Sydney NS and was a graduate of Sydney Academy. He worked several part-time jobs in and around Sydney before joining the Militia in 1982 where he worked as a military police officer with 35 Military Police Platoon in Sydney. That experience ultimately led him to join the Regular Force in 1984. He completed basic training in Cornwallis NS and then proceeded to the Canadian Forces School of Military Engineering at Chilliwack BC to begin the training for his career with the Canadian Military Engineers as a Heavy Equipment Operator and an Airborne Engineer.

George served most of his career with 2 Canadian Engineer Regiment in Petawawa ON and had several deployments including Canadian Forces Station Alert, Kuwait and Bosnia–Herzegovina. He received a Chief of Defense Staff Commendation for his contributions during his tour in Bosnia for the immediate action that he took with his Heavy Equipment to rescue 12 civilian residents from a fire in a nine-storey apartment building in Kljuc. 

George achieved the rank of Sergeant before his medical release in 2003. Upon release, he studied Business at the University of New Brunswick and received certification in Landscape Design from the Community College in Woodstock NB. Following certification, he established and operated his own landscaping company, Final Touch Landscaping & Design. George later went on to achieve his journeyman certification in the occupation of mobile crane operator-hydraulics and secured employment with Voice Construction Limited and North American Construction Group. Later, he began his civilian career with the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 955, where he worked as an instructor in the areas of Heavy Equipment and Crane Operations. George achieved his Master Instructor, Level 1 certification from Northern Alberta Institute of Technology.

George was extremely passionate about the game of golf and put his experience in landscape and design to work in the development of the lakes at Ben Eoin Resort in Nova Scotia. George had a comedic personality and loved to make people laugh, so it was only fitting that in retirement he would enrol in comedy workshops and even debut in a comedy club open mike. George had an infectious smile that touched so many and he will be remembered as a positive, loving and selfless person. George was a member of the St. Philip’s African Orthodox Church, in Sydney where he was ordained in 2009.

Visitation and a memorial service to celebrate the life of George Kirton will be held at Pier Community Funeral Home, 1092 Victoria Rd. (entrance on Church St.), Whitney Pier, on Saturday, 10 April  2021. A gathering of family and friends will take place from 1 to 3:00 p.m. with the memorial service to follow at 3:00 p.m. in the All Faith Chapel. Interment will take place in All Faith Gardens, Whitney Pier. Covid protocols will be practised at the service.

Online condolences can be sent to the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, George asked that his family and friends donate in his memory to the National Scholarship Program through Support Our Troops.