Linda Brough

Linda Ann (Lin) Brough (née Todd) passed away in Barrie on February 12, 2026, at the age of 76 with her youngest daughter by her side. She was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia on January 31, 1950, the first child of Lillian (Todd) Fritsley (d. 2012) and Albert Todd (d. 1969). She grew up in Windsor, Ontario alongside her parents and brothers, Mike and Steve (d. 2007).

In 1972, she moved to Peterborough, Ontario with her then-husband and infant daughter, Melissa. Her second daughter, Jenna, was born a few years later. In the 1980’s and 90’s she balanced life as a single mother, bookkeeper, and part-time student. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Trent University and later moved to Toronto, completing her Master of Social Work degree in 2006.

She began work for the Children’s Aid Society of Toronto in 1997 and retired in 2014. During her career, she contributed to the Limbo Task Force at Sparrow Lake and co‑authored portions of There Are No Wizards: The Child Welfare Conundrum (2010). She also dedicated her time to several other volunteer initiatives, including the Dean’s Advisory Committee at the University of Toronto, Bereaved Families of Ontario (12 years), the City of York Child and Family Centre, Catholic Family Services of Toronto, the Elizabeth Fry Society, and the Trent Valley Literacy Association.

Her interests included theatre groups, book clubs, Nordic pole‑walking, spending time with family, girls’ weekends with her core group and travel. Some of her favourite destinations included Trinidad & Tobago, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Margarita Island, Costa Rica, Grenada, Kenya, Cuba, Florida, and Peru.

For many years, she treasured spending summers at her cottage in Apsley, where her two eldest granddaughters joined her for a month each year. After retiring, she moved to Barrie, Ontario to be closer to family and embraced several new pursuits: yoga, Qigong, therapeutic touch, abstract art, and poetry. She created many beautiful art pieces and attended numerous art weekends, especially valuing her women’s art retreats at Glen Bernard Camp. During this time, she also volunteered with Hospice Simcoe, providing counseling to individuals grieving the loss of a loved one and sat as an executive on her condo board.

Lin was a brilliant conversationalist, a devoted feminist, an avid reader, a loving mother, a gifted artist, and a loyal friend. She was known for her compassionate spirit and creative mind. She is survived by her daughters Melissa (Carl) and Jenna (Kirk), grandchildren Stephanie (Cory), Jennifer (Cameron), Carter and Georgia, and great-grandchildren Olivia, Arya, Cohen and Tate. A special mention goes to her devoted lifelong friend Angela Holding.

Cremation has taken place. A Celebration of Life will be held this summer in Peterborough, Ontario (date to be determined). In lieu of flowers, donations to the Alzheimer Society or the Kidney Foundation of Canada would be welcomed.