Published in The Lake Report, August 27, 2026, page 22.
Born Feb. 13, 1940, in Toronto, Ont.
Teacher for the Toronto District School Board for 35 years, head of mathematics, Agincourt Collegiate Institute, 1984–1998. Resident of Niagara-on-the-Lake, 1998 to 2026.
Son of Theodore Emes and Beatrice May Emes (née MacEachern). Brother of Nancy Jean Bedford (née Emes). Spouse of Mary Coughlan Emes. Father to Edward Michael Emes (Ted) of North Vancouver, B.C. Grandfather to Chloe Emes and Finn Emes.
Young and Old
Once, I could climb,
I could run and jump,
I could swim and bike,
I could read and write,
I could play, and I could fight,
I could love, and I was loved,
I was once a fearless boy.
When children were our pride and worry,
We would read to them, most every night,
As we had been read to, with care we thought,
Our safe warm arms, close and comfy, our voices tender,
We shared our great need to be noticed, to have mattered,
We laughed, and tickled, and hoped they would remember,
As we could, although we knew it was not forever,
We knew they’d leave, for their own story.
Older now, I wash dishes slowly by hand,
Water warm, for the calmness of my mind,
A song plays, smiling at me as I ponder,
Through my dreaming window, a sky of wonder,
The leaves lift, the trees breathe, and I remember.
— Brian Emes, May 2024
