After a short illness, Bent passed away peacefully on the morning of Oct. 2 in Squamish, B.C., his home of over 60 years.
Bent was born in Aalborg, Denmark, on Aug. 8, 1928, to Einar and Valborg Mortensen.
Bent enjoyed an active and adventurous childhood, particularly during World War II when the German army occupied his family home.
After working for a period in the banking industry and serving a mandatory stint in the Danish army, Bent immigrated from Denmark to Vancouver in 1952 with $50 in his pocket.
In 1955 he married his Danish sweetheart, Tonny Jorgensen, after convincing her to join him in Vancouver. With their first child, they moved to Crescent Beach, where Bent started working at a sawmill in Marpole.
With incredible foresight, Bent took a leap of faith and accepted a job at the new Weldwood Sawmill and moved his young family to Squamish in 1961.
Seeing the need for a building supplies store in his rapidly growing new town, he and partners Wally Clausen and Art Sewell started Garibaldi Building Supplies in 1966.
In the early "80s, as the sole owner of Garibaldi Building Supplies, Bent welcomed Bruce Kehler as a respected partner to the business.
Over the ensuing years and until his passing in 2017, Bruce became like a second son to Bent.
During the busy years of raising a family and starting several businesses' Bent was generous with his time as the treasurer for the Squamish Hospital Foundation, Squamish Rotary, Business Development Bank of Canada and was a founding member of the Squamish Valley Golf Course.
Tonny and Bent loved their travels to Europe, Asia, and Australia and spent many winter months in Maui surrounded by the regular Squamish gang on Kamaole Beach 1 in Kihei.
He enjoyed spending time with his hobbies — studying the stock market, golf and reading. A devoted husband and father, he was most proud of his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was an honest, humble man with a quick wit and a dry sense of humour.
A proud Canadian, he loved his family, his amazing circle of friends and Squamish.
Bent is survived by his loving wife of 67 years, Tonny, and his three children and their spouses – Marianne (Van), Susie (John) and Peter (Dawn). His six grandchildren - Jennine, Alyssa, Erik (Jessica), Christen (James), Danielle (Kyla), Taylor (Asia) and three great-grandchildren –Tony, Kelly, and Jackson and his sister, Birte Bugelli.
Bent's family extends a very sincere and heartfelt thank you to the kind, dedicated and caring nurses and doctors at the Squamish Hospital Emergency Department and Squamish Hospice.
At Bent's request, there will be no service.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made "In Memory of Bent Mortensen" to the Squamish Hospital Foundation.
