James Gordon Bruton

James Gordon Bruton, BA, MA, PhD, passed away on June 7, 2026, at the age of 78, at Headwaters Healthcare Centre in Orangeville, Ontario. Born on January 22, 1948, in Sarnia, Ontario, to Gordon John and Edith May (Southern) Bruton, he was known by many names, including Beetle, Sparks, JB, and Jimmy. He grew up in Corunna, Ontario, surrounded by family and friends. Jimmy was the original keyboard player for the Toronto band Max Webster, and he started playing with Kim Mitchell and Gary McCracken as a teenager. He later pursued an academic path, earning a BA and MA from the University of Windsor and a PhD in political science from the University of British Columbia. Jimmy taught Political Science at Simon Fraser University and worked as a consultant at BC Hydro and other companies. He had the privilege of working on two Royal Commissions on Electoral Boundaries for British Columbia. Jimmy and his wife, Kirsten Helen Gimbert, met in 1974 and were married on November 5, 1977. After 24 years in Vancouver, they returned to Ontario to care for Kirsten's parents and his mother in Sarnia. Jimmy had a special and loving relationship with his goddaughters, Cara, Alexandrea, and Isabella. He was predeceased by his parents, his older brother John Manson Bruton, his sister-in-law Patricia (Kincaid) Bruton, and Kirsten's parents, Gordon and Shanna (Wright) Gimbert. Jimmy is survived by his cherished wife, Kirsten; his loving sister, Elizabeth, and her husband, Greg Sutton; and their children, including Lara.