Obituary of René Willem Trim

It is with profound sadness, that we announce the passing of René Willem Trim, after a brief but aggressive illness (Mantle Cell Lymphoma).  Born in Amsterdam, The Netherlands to Willem C. and Johanna Maria (née Laffra) Trim, René spent his younger years in Amsterdam.  Sadly, he lost his father when he was only 15 years of age.  At the age of 21, he moved to 14 Voordek in Amsterdam, and began working at “De Telegraaf” newspaper in the advertising department, after completing his compulsory military service (where he was employed as a motorcycle courier and part-time bartender).  He played basketball with – among others - high school buddy, Mario, in a recreational league.

René eventually became the Financial Editor for “De Telegraaf”, and worked there for more than 23 years, earning long-time friends and enjoying a great working relationship with his colleagues.  He married in 1987 to Boethilda (Tilly) van Oossanen, but the marriage survived only 12 years.  He lost his mother when he was 31 years old, and is pre-deceased by half-brothers Willem Frederik and Robertus Johannes.  He has a niece (Jacqueline Laffra) and nephew (Johan Laffra) still residing in The Netherlands, and had deep affection for them.  After a ridiculously random meeting online, he and Tracy finally met face-to-face in September of 1999, when René made the trip from Amsterdam to Ottawa, Ontario, Canada to meet his “pen pal”.  As they say, “the rest is history”.  It was love at first sight for both of them.

He is survived by his devoted and loving wife of 23 ½ years, Tracy, and was the beloved “Step-Dutch” to Tracy’s two grown children, Lee (née Carignan) Hutchison [Thomas], and Andrew Carignan.  He was the much-loved “Opa” to granddaughters Aelan and Arya Hutchison.  His newfound family was the source of so much pride and happiness in René’s life, and he developed deep, unshakeable bonds with them.

René enjoyed genealogy research, history, travelling, the Ottawa Senators’ hockey team, music, movies, gardening, the vast Canadian landscape, hosting our numerous visitors, and his many animal companions over the years, including Dunja (the Bernese Mountain dog), Emma (the black Labrador), Mack and Mabel (brother and sister tuxedo cats), Eddy (the Chocolate Labrador) – all of whom pre-deceased René – and is sorely missed by his current pets, Duff (the Chocolate Labrador) and Finn (the orange tabby cat).  In his later years, he began to embrace watching baseball and lacrosse, and he was excited about the upcoming Olympics.  He loved going to music concerts (all genres) and going to Bluesfest in the summertime, but never gave up his abiding affection for 1970s and 1980s music.  He loved Christmas more than almost anything and used to start getting excited about it by September each year.

In Canada, René held several different jobs (including as a school bus driver, a delivery driver, a car rental agent, an editor with the Conference Board of Canada, and his own “Trim Garden” landscaping business, where he and Andrew worked side-by-side and became the best of friends).  He eventually settled in with the Corps of Commissionaires as a mobile security guard, but spent most of his Commissionaire’s career in security for Library and Archives Canada (2008-2026).  He was the Section Supervisor there at the time of his passing.  There, over the years, he worked closely with Paul, Wayne, and – more recently – Dulmaa, Jacques, Rob and others, and had a great relationship with all of his co-workers and clients.

As per his wishes, he will be cremated and has asked that his ashes be spread in a special location known to his immediate family.  We will also arrange for a portion of his ashes to travel to The Netherlands, although – truthfully – he called Canada “home”.

Many thanks to his wonderful nurses and doctors at the Ottawa Hospital (General Campus), where he spent his final 3 months.  In particular, thanks to Beth, ChiChi, Nick, Jean, Charlotte, Dr. Christou and Dr. Hryciw.

There will be an intimate and private celebration of René’s life on Monday 2 February 2026, from 2 p.m. until 3 p.m. in the Pinecrest Visitation Centre, 2500 Baseline Road, Ottawa.  Although René was a “refined European gentleman” upon his arrival in Canada, he absolutely embraced the more relaxed Canadian customs and habits, so we ask that you wear jeans and sweatshirts, your coziest plaid flannel shirts, Ottawa Senators’ hockey jerseys, or fun Christmas sweaters to this event (no “black” if possible).  Please contact Tracy directly should you wish to attend, as space is very limited.  In lieu of flowers, donations in René’s name to the Ottawa Cancer Foundation or the Ottawa Humane Society would be greatly appreciated.