A twinkle in the eye and a lasting legacy.

I first met Ron Bremner when I was visiting Saskatoon in 2008. We had previously talked over the phone as we discussed his desire to set up a permanent endowment fund for The Presbyterian Church in Canada. I was eager to put a face with the voice and meet the man. We arranged to meet at St. Andrew's Church, where he had served on session and taught Sunday School for over fifty years. What I remember most from our brief visit was the twinkle in his eye that hinted at a deep, inner by lying lust beneath the surface.

Dr. Bremner passed away this past October 21, 2011, leaving behind his wife of 62 years, Muriel, his daughter Margaret, his son Murray, and three granddaughters. He also leaves behind an extraordinary legacy of service, faith and generosity that extended far beyond his professional work as a dermatologist. Ron was a co-founder of the Saskatoon Nature Society and an active Rotarian. He taught pro bono at the University of Saskatchewan's College of Medicine for seventeen years and traveled oversees to share his medical expertise with doctors in developing nations.

Among his many hobbies and interests, Ron was an avid coin collector. But I would submit that his greatest was not collecting money, but figuring out how to give his money away. Ron practiced his philanthropy with the same enthusiasm as he practiced medicine and taught Sunday School. He understood himself, not as the owner, but the steward of the many gifts God had entrusted to him, and his greatest ioy was sharing what he had with others. Could it be that was the source of the twinkle in his eyes?

I hope readers will be inspired by his example. I know I am. The strategies that he and Muriel have used to leave a lasting legacy are available to us all. People often ask me why I remain hopeful for the church during this critical time of declining membership and ever growing challenges. I remain hopeful because of the unconquerable love I have discovered in Jesus Christ and because of people like Ron Bremner through whom I have seen that love shine; indeed, through the endowment the Bremers have established, that love will shine for generations to come. I thank God for Ron Bremner. He is truly one of the church's Pro Visionaries.

Herb Gale Associate Secretary, Planned Giving